How to Butt Bath an aggressive Rabbit

I did not see a thred on this -[I probly missed it]-so I thought I would add one
- When Rabbits get sick, or have a feed change too suddenly they may get a "poopy butt" -- or when rabbits get bit on the genitals [or some other problem], they may get urine soaked on the back end , legs or feet. [Urine Scald]This needs to be cleaned up ASAP as this is very painful and will lead to more severe problems.
When rabbits are not feeling good they may be aggresive [some are aggressive anyway]
First put on a long sleeved jacket,in case you get bit [a mad rabbit can remove your nipple, or bite your arm] then, - put your hand on the rabbits shoulders, and push it firmly against the floor [don't smash it] next take your other hand and slide it under the the rabbits chest behind the front legs, - rock the rabbit backwards sliding your hand that is on the shoulders back to suport the butt,firmly pin the rabbits head between your bicep and side [just above your elbow] the rabbits nose will be pointing up, and make sure the ears are hanging down . Run luke warm water on the urine scald, or poopy part [just the part that needs cleaned, not the whole rabbit] if the poop is hard you can speed up the process by using a little regular blue Dawn dish soap [not anti-bacterial] add 1/2 tsp of soap to 2 cups of water, and put a little on the poopy part [just on the poop not the whole rabbit] when the poop is soft enough to easily remove without pulling out hair, gently clean off the poop, and rinse very well, - next -use a dry fluffy wash cloth and gently press/ squeeze the wet parts to remove as much of the water as possible, then blow-dry the rabbit completly [the rabbit must be all the way dry when you are done.-and be careful not to burn the rabbit]
-If the rabbit struggles and starts to get loose-- just take your free hand and put it on the rabbits chest ,below the front legs [so it can't bite you], --and push it back and re-pin the rabbits head with your arm
If the rabbit has sores gentily apply A+D , or Desitin ointment to the raw areas, use a light coat, not a thick coat of ointment.
Check your rabbit 1 or 2 x a day and apply more ointment or clean as necessary for a while to make sure the raw spots are protected while healing.

Awesome post. Very informative.

What do I do if I don't have a blow-dryer? Can I towel-dry her and keep her indoors till she's dried off?

I would keep the rabbit in a draft free dry area that I keep exchanging towels in (to soak up excess water) if I didn't have a blow dryer.

Good. That's what I'm doing!

So, in washing this poor girl, I realized she was neglected much more than I originally thought. Shes got urine scald all across her hindquarters, and she had an infection in her leg that I didnt notice until last night. I THOUGHT she got cut when I put her back in her cage last night because that's when I first saw it bleeding. But upon inspection this morning, it had a lot of pus in the wound, so I'm thinking it had happened before I got her and the scab just got opened up?

I'm nervous as to whether or not I should try to breed her still... I doubt I will keep any kits she has (i am breeding purely for meat, but will need more breeding stock eventually), but I'm just not sure if it will be worth it to put her through that...

Tank, it's best for her to be fully healthy before you try to breed her. Pregnancy can put a lot of stress on their immune systems.
They should be using all their energy to heal first, and then all their energy for making kits later.

tank333":rb36rpum said:

Awesome post. Very informative.

What do I do if I don't have a blow-dryer? Can I towel-dry her and keep her indoors till she's dried off?

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dry her the very best you can, -keep her indoors, in a warm room [rabbits will loose body heat fast if left wet--and-- that leads to "other issues"

I recently bathed my buck's butt. He's not hostile, but he found the whole situation to be undignified and distasteful. I bathed him in the bathtub (no sink large enough) and found that giving him a wadded up towel to stand on helped. That way his front feet didn't really get wet. It also gave him traction on the enamel surface so he felt more secure. If you're rabbit's not a biter you could try that.

sarah8001":23ncdhx7 said:

I recently bathed my buck's butt. He's not hostile, but he found the whole situation to be undignified and distasteful. I bathed him in the bathtub (no sink large enough) and found that giving him a wadded up towel to stand on helped. That way his front feet didn't really get wet. It also gave him traction on the enamel surface so he felt more secure. If you're rabbit's not a biter you could try that.

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If your rabbit is not a biter, that sounds like a good way to clean them, -
- I butt bath all rabbits the same way, [except the pining the head with my arm part], the ones who don't bite like to watch what I am doing --and I let them as long as they are good.
by holding them on their back with the butt down hill, it is easy to just get the dirty parts wet, so the drying is not such a long ordeal . [I butt bath 5 to 10/ day where I work] <br /><br /> -- Tue Dec 16, 2014 7:08 pm -- <br /><br /> people with rabbits should invest in a blow-dryer

Howard the most docile buck I've ever seen came up with poopy butt. Being a 95* day I tried just washing him up on the back deck and he really wasn't going to cooperate for even one second. :thinking: How am I going to get this guy cleaned up?

ah-ha someone bring me that 5 gallon bucket. Like M4G, couple cups of warm water and a dash of dish soap. Insert rabbit in bunny hot tub and here you go. No more gets wet than needs cleaning and you can get your hand down the back of the rabbit to assist in cleaning. Trust me they will hang onto to the top of the bucket...




Dried him off good, feed a treat and let him play on the deck the rest of the afternoon. No harm no foul. :yes:

THAT is a LARGE rabbit! He doesn't look like he's relaxing in the "hot tub" LOL. Any worries with holding him under the front legs like that?

JenerationX":3tk9dalb said:

THAT is a LARGE rabbit! He doesn't look like he's relaxing in the "hot tub" LOL. Any worries with holding him under the front legs like that?

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He's a Flemish Giant about 17 pounds. I was just straightening him up in the bucket. He's actually standing on his hind feet. (second pic)

Homer":2fi2afc3 said:

JenerationX":2fi2afc3 said:

THAT is a LARGE rabbit! He doesn't look like he's relaxing in the "hot tub" LOL. Any worries with holding him under the front legs like that?

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He's a Flemish Giant about 17 pounds. I was just straightening him up in the bucket. He's actually standing on his hind feet. (second pic)

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Ah ha. Makes sense if he's standing. It didn't look like a secure carrying position for his big butt LOL. I looked at your site and was thinking my idea of French Lop size must be waaaaaay off if that was one of your bucks. :lol:

JenerationX":4fog756r said:

...I looked at your site and was thinking my idea of French Lop size must be waaaaaay off if that was one of your bucks. :lol:

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Frenchies are big rabbits but not quite as big as Flemish. :lol: Got out of the Flemish Giants and into the Lops but they are really hard to sell around here. :hmm: Maybe I'll go back to Flemish. They sell like hot cakes but I'm not impressed with them for meat rabbits. Way to much bone.