Bathing a rabbit once?

[Snufflez]

I am going to go house sitting in a couple weeks and was told it was ok to bring my polish boy with me. The only thing that sucks is he lives in a dairy barn and smells like barn and manure. I would like to get the smell off of him the day i move him in. Is there a possibility I could just bathe him this once with like baby shampoo, or is there an alternative?

 

[Blue eyes]

I remember reading somewhere that baby shampoo is too harsh for rabbits (can't remember where, though).
I would suggest skipping it altogether. If you can tolerate the smell for a few days once you bring him inside, the smell should go away on its own. He'll be grooming himself as usual, but he won't be around the manure anymore for that smell to be absorbed. Just give it some time.

 

[Snufflez]

Okay... I will have to see..

 

[JBun]

Bathing is best to avoid if at all possible as it can stress your rabbit too much, and you have to get them thoroughly dried or they can get chilled from being wet. You could give your rabbit a wipe down with some unscented baby wipes. That may help a little.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I have given baths occasionally when needed. I usually fill the sink with an inch or two of water and use my hand or a small cup to rinse over the necessary areas. Mild hand soaps have worked fine for me, I just lather in a tiny amount and then rinse again.

The important thing to remember is to make sure that any soap you use is rinsed thoroughly because they WILL groom themselves after and shouldn't be ingesting soap. And then towel dry first and keep them in the house in a warm area until they're fully dry.

You know your rabbit. Go slowly and if he seems stressed, obviously rinse him and end the bath there. But in general, mine have been unphased by the bath itself. It's just making sure the fur is rinsed thoroughly and dried fully before returning them to outdoor areas (if that's where they live).

I'm certainly not recommending baths as a regular thing, but I've been able to do it occasionally when needed.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Also, never submerge a rabbit in water! That would definitely be stressful! My recommendation is more of a spot cleaning method, using just a little water.

 

[wendymac]

Once your bunny is out of the dairy barn, the smell will dissipate on its own in a day or so. At the most, I'd just swipe a baby wipe over him.

 

[MILU]

I know vinegar is supposed to be good to eliminate smells.. you could dilute some apple vinegar in water and clean your bunny with a piece of cloth with it, it'd be less stressful and if you do it gently, your bun-bun would think you're "petting" him
It should work better than shampoo for cleaning and getting rid of unwanted smells, and it won't be harsh for your bunny. After the vinegar dries, your bunny won't smell vinegar, promise!

 

[chorxley]

I use Johnsons no more tears baby shampoo... It works really well.. And mookie doesn't mind the bath..I just have to put a face washer on the bottom of the sink cause she hates the feel of the sink.

 

[Moochyesh]

We have a "Bath Spray" For rabbits and small animals.. I mist the pets with this and it smells amazing. All you need it just about 3 sprays for a bunny and just pet them and work it into the fur and its 100 percent safe. We got ours 3 months ago and it cost 8 dollars. The baths are stressful and marci did alot of wiggling.. i thought she could have broken something pretty easy from slipping around..

 

[ladysown]

cornstarch works well as a dry bath.