Scent glands

[kirbyultra]

I just read online that a bunny's scent glands may need to be cleaned every month or so....when u trim their nails. I never knew that. Is it really necessary?

 

[Spring]

Not necessarily. Unless there is hard, black build up or there's an excessive smell, they are fine. I generally only check them, and usually there's only a light brown/yellow slightly waxy substance. I wouldn't think unless there was a high production from the glands, that it would have to be done monthly. But a monthly check along with nails works just fine!

To clean them out, I use plain mineral oil and q-tip. The skin of the glands is very very delicate, so just go slow and be gentle, and the mineral oil usually loosens it up and takes it out quite nicely!

Having a window open nearby helps too.. wheeef! SMEEELLY!

 

[kirbyultra]

What's the downside to not cleaning them? I have to wonder, if rabbits out on the wild don't clean them... then should us humans take it upon ourselves to?

 

[Spring]

I think it's mainly for the odour aspect, since if there's quite the build up, the funky smell (I describe it as a rotten citrusy/garlic/corn chip smell myself.. bleh!) can be a bit overpowering.

Since most rabbits clean it themselves usually, an excessive build up is more common in overweight or larger breeds. Or just bunnies who aren't thorough in cleaning themselves. So for wild bunnies, they would probably clean it themselves.

I'm not sure about any risks/downsides to not cleaning them, but it might be to do with making sure the glands don't get clogged up. I almost never have a problem with scent glands, only 2 out of my five have had the buildup to the point cleaning was necessary.

Someone may know more about problems with leaving clogged scent glands, as I'm not entirely sure what could possibly happen if they are not cleaned out if heavily soiled.

 

[Flash]

I usually check Flash every 2-3 mos he gets a build up only on one side, Sophie is always clean as a whistle. It's gross but Flash can't clean that area so a bunny slave's work is never done.

 

[Konotashi]

Where's a scent gland?

 

[BethM]

I usually check scent glands when I trim nails, which I usually do every 6-8 weeks. (I know the recommendation is once a month, but my bunnies' nails don't seem to grow that fast?) It's just part of my regular check over; nails, scent glands, brushing, look at the nose and eyes, and a general pat down to feel for anything irregular.

Tobi is always squeaky clean.
Nick sometimes has just a bit of buildup; I think it's because his fur is so long and thick, he has some issues with cleaning.
Amelia......is usually pretty gross in that area. I'm not sure if she just doesn't clean herself well, or if she has problems due to her roundness. She sometimes gets a between-inspection cleaning, if I can put my nose next to her and smell the funk, it's time. :rollseyes

 

[kirbyultra]

I sniff kirby all the time (can never get enough of him!) and I don't smell anything of the sort! He really freaks out when I try to flip him to see his nether regions so I don't go down there unless I have to. I can see the anus in plain view but would need an extra pair of hands to keep him firmly held and press down there. If I don't smell anything should I assume he's clean?

 

[BethM]

If Kirby doesn't smell dirty, I would assume he's clean. Might be worth just taking a peek at the glands every once in a while. Many bunnies don't need any help keeping themselves clean there.

Nick has long, super-dense white fur, and the fur around his bits is sometimes dirty.
Amelia is my only bunny who gets the funky smell. She usually smells ok if I sniff her back, it's just when I get my nose down around stomach level that I smell the funk. (Like if I'm lying on the ground and she's hopping around my face.)
The other bunnies tend to smell like hay.

 

[tonyshuman]

They can get impacted, or the crusty stuff can get over to the anus and get caught up in the hair to cause problems. It's just best to do to keep things hygenic. Every other month will probably do. If you clean them monthly it's not as bad because it doesn't usually get the chance to get hard, so it's not painful for them when you remove it. Some really obese bunnies will get all sorts of nastiness matted into their fur around the back end (poo, scent gland wax) if they're too fat to reach it and this can be a real problem.

 

[Boz]

Not to hijack the thread but when I heard about scent glads needing cleaning it made me think that's why Domino always seems to have a smelly smell to her. So I took a look... OMG! The smell is horrible! I really didn't think it'd be that bad! :yuck

So now I have two problems; One, I'm afraid of hurting her trying to clean it and Two... I think I will literally throw up trying to do it!
:vomit:

 

[kirbyultra]

LOL yipes!