How to DRY BATH my RABBIT

We can say that rabbits bathe themselves very well, because they are always grooming themselves with the help of their mouth and their feet. For this reason and because they can be easily stressed, especially if they are not used to being handled or wet, it is best not to bathe the rabbit regularly. There are some situations in which you do need to bathe a rabbit:

• If it has gotten very dirty, for example, eating or playing outside.
• If it is of a breed with long hair, such as angora rabbits, to avoid knots, accumulating hair that falls, etc.
• When they are in the molting season and the hair that falls accumulates and tangles.
• In the event that due to skin and / or coat problems, the vet recommends some treatment to be applied during a bath, such as medicated soap.

Also, baby rabbits should not be wetted, so the dry bath is a good option. Also, if your rabbit is an adult and does not like the bathroom or gets very little dirty, you can also dry clean it.

The dry shampoos for rabbits they are powdered products. Make sure it is suitable for your rabbit’s delicate fur and fur needs. If you are in doubt about choosing one, ask your store specialist or vet about the best shampoo to dry-bathe your rabbit. These are the steps to dry bath your rabbit:

1. Be very careful with your rabbit’s nose, ears, eyes, and mouth when applying powders. To do this, when you put the powder on it, cover his head with your hand carefully so that the powder does not get on your face and irritate you. If you see that your rabbit’s eyes are watering, immediately wipe them with a damp cloth to remove any possible remains of the product.
2. When your head is well covered with your hand, add the dry shampoo powder All over the body.
3. Once his body is covered with the powder, take a brush suitable for his coat and brush it with several strokes for and against the hair, with very smooth and slow movements. Think that if it is the first time you do it, you may get nervous, and you will have to get used to it little by little. In case it is the first time, we recommend you go slowly during the entire dry bath process and if you see him very stressed, stop for a while, you will finish later.
4. By brushing it, you will remove dead hair that has been falling but has become tangled, where a large part of the dirt that your rabbit may have in its fur will also be. Therefore, repeat brushing until you see that there are hardly any hairs left on the brush and you see it clean and free of powders.
5. In this way you can wash your rabbit dry, without having to undergo the stress of water and drying, and when it gets used to it, it can even be a pleasant activity for the little animal, thanks to the massage that is done by brushing it. Also with brushing, you can remove all dead hair and thus avoid knots or ingested it.

If you have no other than bathe your rabbit with soap and water, follow these tips, as well as what the vet tells you.

• Take advantage of the warmer times to bathe him, so he can dry better in the sun and running around and does not catch a cold.
• Make sure to do it calmly and unhurriedly to avoid stressing him out.
• Use a small bathtub, for example a baby bath, the sink or a basin.
• The water should always be little and warm and the shampoo must be specific for rabbitsDo not use any other product, as they are for delicate skin and non-specific or strong products can irritate their skin, cause allergies, and so on.
• Gently place the little animal in the water and make sure to dampen its fur before applying the shampoo and do not get the area of ​​the face and ears wet. These parts of the body can be washed separately with a damp cloth and other special products indicated by the veterinarian, such as drops to clean the ears, if necessary.
• Apply the shampoo to their fur and massage gently and rinse with more lukewarm water until all the soap is removed. Although in general the whole process should be calm and you will have to be patient in case the first time it does not stay in the basin or sink, it is important that the time spent in the water and lathering is as short as possibleThis way you will have less nerves.
• For dry a rabbit After the bath, it is best to wrap him in a towel so that it soaks up all the water that he can and, if necessary, use more than one until you see that, between the towels and let him groom himself and run, he stay well dry. For this reason and because you do not have to use hair dryers, we commented that it is better to let it run outside, if possible, during the warm season.
• Other aspects of their hygiene and grooming can be done at other times (cutting nails, brushing the fur, etc.). The reason is that, due to its ease of having stress and fear, it is not advisable to extend the time that you are manipulating it and doing things that, in some way, make it uncomfortable.

If you want your rabbit to be very clean and calm, let him groom himself as much as he wants, clean parts of his body that you see dirty with a damp cloth (for example the legs), bathe him dry from time to time and, above all , keep their cage clean and in good condition. If you want some tips to keep it well, we recommend this other oneHOWTO article on How to clean a rabbit cage.

We also encourage you to read this other article about more details of the hygiene of these small animals: What should be the hygiene of a rabbit.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to dry my rabbit, we recommend that you enter our category of Pets.