Bunny smells like unwashed arm pit ?

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Ha Ha Katt, I just saw that!

You might want to use pelleted litter. Paper can't absorbmuch, so there will always be a smellrightafterthey use it. Try Yesterday's News or FelinePine (cat litter) and you will notice a big difference and you won'thave to clean it every single day. :D
 
:mrsthumper:Thanks for the reply I will talk toa vet tomorrow about getting her spaded . I will also changeher bedding . ( I don't think it is her bedding for I neverhad this problem once in time . ) Gotta do something if sheis gonna stay in this house . She is the bestisis
 
Ok, so you use newspaper in the litter pan andyou have bedding in the cage? Personally, I can'tstand using bedding. Snuffles had bedding in his cage when Igot him. It stinks and then in turn, makes your bunstink, I would take that out, but it's up to you.You could get a grass matt or put something else that's soft in thecage for her to lay on.
 
I had trouble with Gretchen smelling bad and I seem to have solved the problem. She is spayed.

I changed her hay (she was eating alfalfa hay) to oat grass hay, andthen I scrub her litter tray real well and use a mild cleaner and thenrinse it with vinegar (I don't wash the vinegar out). Ibought some cage liners and lined her litter box with them and putWoody Pet on the top and then her hay. It seems to have donethe trick.

Before I would change her box everyday and she would stillsmell. Now I can change it every couple of days and she'sfine.

Definately check on getting her spayed though.
 
Yeah, I hate the smell of Alfafa.Especially when it gets peed on. I used it for a couple weekswith my first set of foster buns, then stopped because it smelled sobad.


Timothy smells so much better!

I use a wood pellet, similar to Woody Pet but just a different brand, and a fresh hand full of Timothy hay a couple times a day.

--Dawn
 
Just a quick note -

Wild rabbits don't do well as pets - it's really not fair to keep themin captivity and they will come to resent their confines.They are in a constant state of stress. Knowledge of properdiet, housing, and handling is essential for their survival.As such t is illegal to keep wild animalsin your home forlonger than 24 hours without a permit from federal and stateauthorities. Vets are not allowed to treat wild animals as yourposession of them is "illegal".

It is also an issue of your safety as well - wild animals can carrymany parasites and other diseases that can be easily pass to you andyour other pets.

Your local wildlife rehabilitator should be able to help youout. Eastern cottontails are protected species and they willbe able to do what is best for her.

I thank you for your care and concern for this little bun - but I urgeyou to do what is best for her and you.Many people with thebest intentions simply do not know that wild animalscan'tbekept in captivity - but what is best for them is to be inthe wild - andyour local rehabilitator will be able to getinto the condition to do just that.

I've attached a few linksfrom the National WildlifeREhabilitators Association where they can help you find a rescue centrenear you,and some information on wildanimals.

I hopethese will help you do what is best for the rabbit.

National Wildlife REhabilitators Association
http://www.nwrawildlife.org/home.asp

Wild animals - "Can I keep Him? - No!"
http://www.nwrawildlife.org/page.asp?ID=110
Finding a Rehabilitator:
http://www.nwrawildlife.org/page.asp?ID=111

Here is a rehabilitator that specializes in cottontail rabbits near Atlanta:
Georgia, Central region (Atlanta)..... 770-653-9199

Carolyn Karrh, Cottontail Rehab
[email protected]
Wildlife Species: wild baby cottontail rabbits only; will also take adult wild cottontail rabbits (sick or injured)
Comments: Veterinary Technician and vet student


Lots of people in GA refer people to Melanie (below), so she can for sure refer you to the closest facility:

Georgia, Central region (Conyers)..... 770-918-8811 or 404-624-5607 (W)

Melanie Haire, licensed home wildlife rehabilitator
Wildlife Species: orphaned or injured birds and mammals (esp. river otters), zoo vet tech
[email protected]

Let us know how this goes,
 
From http://www.nwrawildlife.org/page.asp?ID=110


Can I Keep Him? No!
If you have found a wild animal that is truly in crisis, you may befacing a dilemma. Of course, you want to do what’s best for the animal,but you may find it difficult to turn him or her over to arehabilitator. Letting go can be hard when the animal is a baby. Thetemptation to care for the baby yourself may be strong. And havingeager young children in the house begging to raise him or her does notmake the decision any easier. So why can’t you keep the animal?

In almost every case, keeping a wild animal is illegal. Native wildlifespecies are protected by state laws, federal laws, or both. To keep awild animal in captivity for any length of time, for any reason,requires a special permit. Most cities and many counties have passedlocal ordinances that prevent individuals from keeping wild animals incaptivity. Many neighborhood associations or covenants also prohibitkeeping wildlife within property boundaries.

More importantly, wild animals deserve the best possible care.Providing the proper care is challenging because each species hasspecialized needs. Orphans need special diets and formulas to growstrong and healthy. They must also learn survival skills including howto recognize and find food, how to escape predators, and how and whereto make a nest, den, or burrow before they are released back into thewild. Young animals need to be raised in the company of their own kindfor proper behavioral development. Infections, parasites, and injuriesare difficult to detect and treat in wild animals.

There is also the welfare of your own family to consider. Wild animalscan be dangerous, especially when frightened or injured. Wildlifediseases, such as distemper, may pose a threat to companion animals,while others, including rabies, can be transmitted to humans, too.Turning the animals over to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator is thebest way to safeguard human and pet safety while providing the wildanimal with the best chance of survival.

Most people who want to care for a wild animal themselves plan torelease the animal once it is grown or has recovered from its injuries.That is the goal of wildlife rehabilitation, but rehabilitators have anadvantage when they return their patients to the wild-they have yearsof experience in letting go. Learning to avoid becoming too attached toa patient is an important part of becoming a good wildliferehabilitator.

If you are tempted to care for a wild animal on your own, please ask yourself these questions first:


  1. What is the best thing I can do for this animal?

  2. If I’m having a hard time letting go of the animal now, how will I feel after I’ve really grown attached?

  3. Am I prepared to deal with the legal and financial consequences ofkeeping a wild animal illegally? How will I feel if the animal isdiscovered, confiscated, and possibly euthanized?

  4. Can I be certain that, once I’ve released the animal back to thewild, it will be capable of surviving on its own? Am I providing thebest possible chance for survival?

  5. How will I feel if the animal does not survive or is permanently impaired by improper care?
 
Hey Fish, missed thisearlier.Was the bunny born wild or incaptivity? How long have you had her and how old isshe?Are you sure she's a she? Is this thesame bunny you had when you signed on last year? If you'vehad her all this time, obviously letting her go isn't realistic, andeven if she's a newcomer, if you got her from a flea market, it'sprobably no longer an option to return her to thewild. Andif she's turned in to a rehab,they may 'humanely' put her down. :(

Personally, while I'll always recommend returning wild baby rabbits tothe nestor making ever effort to return healthyadults tothe wild, butif that didn'thappeninitiallyand they've survived this long, Isay keep 'em.

You'll find opposition from both sides on wild bunnies -- the breedershate wild rabbits as pets because they can pass on diseases to domesticrabbits, and rescue people believe they should be free and notcaged.

I don't agree that being caged is worse than being dead(EDIT:if there's a very large cage and/or a freerun situation), and there are several members on this listwithwild rabbits who have made the transition to houserabbitsvery well. They'll never be the cuddle bunsthe our domesticEuropean buns are, but that's a negative forthe owner, not the rabbit. Rabbits living in the wild arejust as frightened (by everything) and the things that frighten themoutside are a lot more dangerous. The life expectancy of awild rabbit is something like nine, maybe elevenmonths.

It is illegal to own them in many areas, so make sure you trust the vet(although I can't imagine them being so officious as to turn you in,but you never know). But they probably won't want to spayher. Has she seen a vet before?

As for the stinky part, hopefully one of our wild slaves will chime inhere, I don't know if there's a difference, but you do have todetermine the cause.Is she having softpoops? If may be cecals that aresmelly, you mayhave to increase the hay and grasses and decrease thepellets. If it's her pee, are you sure she's getting enoughwater? She'll do better with a big clean crock, not a waterbottle. If it's the analglands, cleaning them on awild rabbit may be a challenge.If it's the litter,I use the same wood stove/horse stall pine pellets thatAurorauses, mine don't smell at all. (And I only use itinthe litter box, not as bedding).

Keep us up to date! :)



sas
 
There are no easy fixes for this situation - andin most states here in the US, it *is* illegal to own (or keep) wildanimals and birds.

I don't believe all rehabbers would choose to put down a wild bun thathad lived in captivity for this long - I've seen rehabbers who keepinjured wild rabbits post about that on EB. The key there is that theyknow the rabbits (and, in some cases hares - jackrabbits) will alwaysbe wild and try to adjust living situations accordingly.

I think there's a fine balance to be struck in cases like this one, andthat more than a few for the wildife people would be sympathethic towhat's going on. Also, as they know a great deal about the nature andbehavior of N. American wild rabbits, I would definitely want toconsult on that basis alone - our domesticated buns are a wholedifferent ballgame.

This is, I think, especially important when dealing with N. Americanspecies, as they're quite different than oryctolagus cunniculus(European wild and domestic rabbits) - they are not social, theydo not live in groups, etc. And, given that they'renot in the least domesticated, their hard-wired responses to manysituations are going to be far, far different than those of pet rabbitsin similar conditions.

I'm not saying this to fault anyone for having kept a wild rabbit - youhave to work from where you are now. But it might be of some benefit tothose who *are* facing a predicament with wild baby rabbits - or wildanimals/birds of any kind.

Something to think about, for sure....


 
ec wrote:
Thereare no easy fixes for this situation - and in most states here in theUS, it *is* illegal to own (or keep) wild animals and birds.
I think it should be, too. No argumentfrom me.

ec wrote:
I don't believe all rehabberswould choose to put down a wild bun that had lived in captivity forthis long - I've seen rehabbers who keep injured wild rabbits postabout that on EB ... Also, as they know a greatdeal about the nature and behavior of N. American wild rabbits, I woulddefinitely want to consult on that basis alone - ourdomesticated buns are a whole different ballgame..

Yeah, but once you tell the rehabber that you have the rabbit, if theyarenot sympathetic, it can't be unsaid. Use adifferent name and block the call. ;)

ec wrote:
This is, I think, especiallyimportant when dealing with N. American species, as they're quitedifferent than oryctolagus cunniculus (European wild anddomestic rabbits) - they are not social, they do not live ingroups, etc. And, given that they're not in the leastdomesticated, their hard-wired responses to many situations are goingto be far, far different than those of pet rabbits in similarconditions.

Interesting point, thanks.

ec wrote:
I'm not saying this to faultanyone for having kept a wild rabbit - you have to work from where youare now. But it might be of some benefit to those who *are* facing apredicament with wild baby rabbits - or wild animals/birds of any kind.

Yes, not all that relevant to the current thread, but it's allgood. My main reason for being vehemently against trying tokeepa wild oneis they almost neversurvive. The life span in the wild may be a mere 11 months,but the mortality rate when trying to raise a wild baby (or adult forthat matter) is ridiculously high. I think I'veseenmaybe one in 10 survive the first week,one in20 survive the first month.

But I don't think much of a fuss should be raised over a survivorliving comfortably in someone's home. There's just nopoint.

sas
 
Oh, and Fish, definitely lose the Lysol (I wasjust talking to a friend today whose bunny got sick from the stuff) andgo with vinegar. That's the best and safestdeodorizer. (Has anybody said that yet? Ah yes,Jenni!).

And does anybody know if there's any more risk spaying a cottontail vs.a domestic? It may not besomethingyourvet will know, so it may be worth it to make thatanonymous call to a rehabberas well.



sas
 
Hi all, I got word of this little bunny delima and thought I'd throw in my 2 cents for what it's worth :)

First, Lysol is DEADLY as are some of the wood bedding. usethe vinegar, get some pelleted litter like Woody Pet or something, andthen I dump the boxes every 2 to 3 days. I just don't put alot of litter in each time.

Now, a wild bunny is going to smell a bit more than a domestic one.

A wild bunny will not be as tame as a domestic bunny and sometimes they don't live but...... I have one as well.

Keeping a wild cottontail may be illegal in your state. Youshould know this and get the answers. I talked to aveterinarian about fixing Clover's leg and he said he'd just put her"out of her misery" - OVER MY DEAD BODY! I bottle fed thisbaby and did everything to keep her alive and he wanted to put herdown. :shock:

Cottontails can carry a diseases that are mostly a concern if someone is a hunter.

Do you know if your bunny is male or female? because males might smell a bit worse also.

Otherwise, they're fine - I don't recommend keeping one, but given thecircumstances - like Clover getting injured and too disabled to beturned out - she's happy and healthy. I've never in my lifeseen a bunny binky as fast and wild as Clover does! Even with a badleg, she's a hoot!

I also know someone who has a desert cottontail who was saved and he ishappy and healthy. Still, they aren't ones to be picked upand loved on. She will take food, chin our fingers, kiss onthe cat :disgust:........... as you can see she wouldn't beok outside.

Cloverprettyfacepic.jpg

 
Oh, and my Bo (mini-rex) gets stinkybutt! It's those scent glands. He gets like a waxybuildup in them sometimes..... OMG my daughter and I nearly puked whenwe cleaned them! use some vapor-rub on your nose LOL!

I used a q-tip and mineral oil. It's still a bitoily but he smells like a new man!
 
Hi Fish keeper, I had to read this post when Isaw the title.....:DHope all goes well with yourbun. We "saved" a cottontail from our dog ;when we werechildren. I brought it in the house in the basement to see ifit was injured.

style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c0c0c0"Well. it was swarming with fleasand didn't seem to be hurt. When we let it go in a few minutes, it ranoff into the woods. ( Jumping for joy, no doubt !)

We use Woody Pet for the indoor bun. ( there's only one at the moment ) It works well for masking odors.

Just out of curiousity; what kind of fish do you have ? I have a few Bettas and of course my blue "lobsters".

Kadish Tolesa :purplepansy:
 
Pipp wrote:
Anddoes anybody know if there's any more risk spaying a cottontail vs. adomestic? It may not besomething yourvetwill know, so it may be worth it to make that anonymous call to arehabberas well.
Veterinarians cannot legally treat a wild animal - as the possession of a wild animal is illegal.

Well-put EC - I agree with everything you have said.:)

As a rehabber myself - I can say that most of us will not put down ananimal just because it is imprinted. Rehabbers know how towork with animals and do the best they can to *teach* them how to bewild again. In most cases, this is possible, in others it isnot. It all depends on the animal.

We have had rabbits come into our care that are partially imprinted,and would be unable to thrive in the wild. Where we can,rehabbers can often find placements for them, sanctuaries, in a placewhere the proper permits (federal and state/provincial) are in place;where the animal will receive proper care.

The other amazing thing is to witness an animal being released into thewild- after it's long journey through rehabilitation - mostrehabilitators welcome you to take part in the release. It's one of thebest parts of their job to share this joy with others. You'llnever experience anything like it!

I strongly urge you to contact you local rehabilitator - they have theknowledge and expertise to know what is best for this animal.Keeping wild animals is illegal - and there is a reason for this - itis simply not fair to the animal; or to you! As EC said, this isn't toblame you at all - just some adivce to try and do what's best for thisbun.You saved him from imminent death at the meat market(yuck), and for that I thank you.
 
Had Clover's hip not been so bad, we'd haveturned back wild. We kept her away from everyone andeverything as much as we could and now she's not as friendly as shemight have been had we held her more, etc. Honestly, I wouldhave wanted that for her. My mom had 5 little babies one timeand she turned them out - they had so much fun "zipping" through thepark she released them in.

I didn't know at the time all the laws. Still, I believe shewas meant to be with me. her leg would have given her animmediate death sentence. She uses it, but it's notright.

Now, nearly a year later and several gender checks.... she's a she andher best friend is a guinea pig and she sleeps with a stuffed puppy. She looks at Bo as if he is crazy when he presents himselfto her for grooming; I swear she rolls her eyes! But they getalong when I put them in a pen to play together.

I still am amazed she lived. She had a puncture in her legfrom the dog. About a month or two later, this abcess thatran the length of her leg burst - I didn't even know it was there untilthat! I just washed it and left it alone. I thoughtshe'd die for sure. She didn't.

The vet who told me they'd put her down was a teaching vet. Ihad asked if he might like to take her so that the students could doher surgery and learn from her. He wasn't interested.....even if he could have gotten clearance.

it's not illegal for all vets to treat them. Some of theexotics vets do that, but are required to report and turn them over torehabs.

OH and I meant wood SHAVINGS not wood pellets can bedangerous! I travel 1/2 hour one way to get my WoodyPet nowthat Tractor Supply Quit carrying it!

 
likitten007 wrote:
I strongly urge you to contact you local rehabilitator -they have the knowledge and expertise to know what is best for thisanimal. Keeping wild animals is illegal - and there is areason for this - it is simply not fair to the animal; or to you! As ECsaid, this isn't to blame you at all - just some adivce to try and dowhat's best for this bun.You saved him from imminent death atthe meat market (yuck), and for that I thank you.

My point in all this is that if Fish has had this bunny since last falland wasn't the first 'owner', and the bunny seems happy enough (judgingfrom the post), then why mess with it.But onequestion I'd like to see answered is if a wild bunny will lose the'edge' if released after prolonged captivity with a lot of humaninteraction. Just a split second delay in the woods whenapproached by a human with a gun can be the difference.

I remember when Bo found Clover, shedid make a point of notinteracting with her in order to make the transistion back to thewild. This has not been the case with this bunny.

I also wonder about the constant exposure to noise in the homeenvironment and to a lesser extent the different scents, and immunityissues.It takes so little to make a bunnythe one that gets caught as prey over the ones that survive.

Any studies on this?

sas

Oh, and great contact and other info, Likitten, I'd probably find myanswers there if I had the time. Very informative,even if I do feel it's just simply too late in this case.Itwasn't really the question Fish was asking, but this threadwill probably be a good one for the Resource Center for the Wild Bunnysection as well as the stinky bunny section. (I don't thinkwe'll bother with a 'stinky wild bunny' section). ;)
 
PIPP you bring up something very interesting Ihave noticed with Clover. She has gotten less and less afraidof our dog. A dog is how she was hurt in the firstplace. Now, she'll stick her nose out of her cage to myAussie. That sort of shocked me when she did it.

She is also in LOVE with the television. She loves to havepeople talk to her - especially me. She also does thisclicking thing with her teeth at night when it's quiet. If Iclick to her, she'll click. It's literally her tapping herteeth together and it sounds like the click of a computermouse. I swear she does this when I am on the computer too!

Anyhow, I think that is what made me realize she'd never go into thewild - she wouldn't be as afraid as she should be - and then herleg. Sometimes I see all the wild ones playing in the fieldsand I want that for her, but she's got us and Bo and Pig so that'sbetter than being eaten.

When we take the horses out in the spring and they play in the yard -we always find baby bunnies. I tell people all the time"DON"T TOUCH THEM! their mom is around!" People always thinkthey are abandoned. :?I even went to my daughter'sschool once because I heard the kids were messing with a nest on theplayground. I told the principal a thing or two when sheallowed a child to take a baby home and it got killed by their dog! :X


 
Aww thanks pipp! You know I ampassionate when it comes to the bunnies - wild or domestic! The wildones are not something to take lightly as you point out so well - theyjust don't survive as well as if they are with their own. Ican tell that Clover isn't as big as she would have been in thewild. She eats well tho! :shock:She eats more thanBo and he's twice her weight - she's longer I think.

Cwoverbunny says hello! and "got a cwaisen?" ;)



note: yes, we call her Cwoverbunny - cause she talks like that. She has trouble with "L's and R's". ;)
 

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