Bunnies as Pets: Improving Your Bunny's Hygiene

Most of you know my pet Gary The Bunny from my other Bunies as Pets articles.

He would groom himself whole day, but after every his activity there would be some marks left. From time to time fur would begin to smell. Remember, clean rabbit doesn't have any scent. At least not the one human nose could detect. 

Every time I feed my rabbit with salad or parsleys, his fur around mouth, and on the legs becomes green. He can lick it for days, but color wouldn't disappear. Since they love to be around you what ever you do, it is possible they get filthy by your clumsy actions. I remember dropping one tinny bit of tomato sauce on his fur while I was cooking lunch. Sometimes I feel as he is choosing to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

If you think fur is the only part of bunny that need hygiene improvement, you are wrong. If you love to cuddle with your pets, and if you enjoy they playing in your arms, then you should learn to use nail clipper for pets. Bunny nails can cause quite a lot of pain if he gets nervous in your arms. Bunny trying to get out from your arms can accidentally, non-intentionally scratch you. Also, long nails in rabbits will cause problems in everyday's life of your pet. 

I will mention proper diet program for you bunny as one of the thing that belong under hygiene improvement. As a medical worker, I strongly believe that regulation of body weight should be part of everyday hygiene just as teeth brushing and washing your hands. 

An other hygiene issue in bunnies is need for constant teeth wearing. Their teeth need to be checked as ofter as you can. To respect the policy of writing only original content, i won't write about Bunny teeth care here, but you can read it in my other article. Follow link bellow.

In the text above I have explained some of the situations your pet can get filthy in, and I have also given some examples of my personal experience with my Gary. Now I will write more about the actions needed to keep your loving pet clean. 

Giving Your Bunny a Bath:

Is it allowed to bathe rabbits? Is it going to harm him? Are rabbits afraid of water?

In many articles I have written about rabbits, I was writing that bathing your rabbit is out of the question. But why now am I saying differently. Well, in some cases, they can not groom themselves sufficiently to clean the fur. It will leave marks such as color, scent on the fur. Animals can;t stand alien scents on them, so it can make them nervous, or even aggressive. It is rare to see one animal being aggressive for this case, but it can lead to anxiety at least. In short workds: bunnies should not be given bath as other pets, but in rare cases, it is not going to harm them if you follow instructions in this article.

Bath your pet bunny only when it is really needed. Don;t do it too often, or they will get sick. They have lots of hair, and it can hold lots of water within after bathing. This can harm your bunny by dropping his body temperature, or in the other ways. 

• Make sure water is not too hot or too cold.
• Don't shower your rabbit! and keep the head dry.
• Use only animal shampoos. Don't use head and shoulders just because it smells good. It is not for pets!
• Use towels to dry the bunny. NEVER use hair dryer. It can cause heat stroke. 

Giving Your Bunny Quality Nail Clipping:

What is the proper way to clip nails in rabbits? Can everyone do that? Can I hurt bunny by clipping his nails?

Clipping the nails to your pet is quite simple. It looks tricky, but it is not that tricky after couple of times. You can use nail clippers we, humans use, but it would be ideal if you could buy nail clipper for bunnies or dogs. 

Cut only the translucent tip of the nail. About 3 mm from the edge, there ae vascular and nervous components. Hurting there structures will cause pain to your rabbit, as much as bleeding. 

This procedure requires immobilization of bunny. Use towel or any cloth to wrap him into and immobilize him that way.

Bunny Teeth Care:

"Well, in order to keep their teeth at a constant length, your have to provide various things for them to chew. Giving them hay, vegetables and other fiber rich food is a good way to prevent teeth overgrowth. But they have a constant need to chew things."

For more information on this subject read about it in my article: All About Bunnies: Teeth Care.

Bunny Diet Program in Improving His Hygiene:

"The main food, your bunny should always have on menu, is hay. Timothy and meadow hay should always be there for you bunny. They can eat it in unlimited quantity."

For more information on this subject read about it  on my blog: Bunnies as Pets: What Kind of Food to Feed Your Bunny With?