Bunny Bath Bar

First, let's clarify that bunnies do NOT need baths.  They are generally clean animals and groom themselves.  In fact, most of my bunnies have been pretty picky about removing my germs and fixing their coats after being pet.  However, there might be times when your bunny needs some cleaning up, like:

*  Your bunny bunny decides to pee and then run through it.

*  Your bunny is fighting a bug or is having trouble adapting to a new food and gets messy.

* Your bunny gets into something messy or dirty.

* Your bunny jumps into the water feature in your neighbor's landscape. (suspiciously specific?)

* Your bunny starts smelling a bit off

If you find yourself in a position like this, what can you do?  First off, I would try wiping down your bunny with baby wipes.   Not two or three wipes.  More like twenty.  I'm guessing your bunny won't really like this, but it would be thrilled if it knew the alternative was a bath.  

If wipes don't cut it, you might need to bathe your bunny.  Here are the things you will need:

1.  Two towels

2. A good soap (more on this in a minute)

3.  A cup

4.  Strong hands

5. Hair Dryer

6. Brush

7.  Time - assume at least an hour

8. A helper

Okay, be sure to run around and find all these things BEFORE you start.  In fact, lay them out.  My favorite soap is the Creamy Coconut Milk Soap by Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve Company.  (No, I don't get anything for this) You can find it here

Time for the warnings:   DO NOT GET WATER IN YOUR BUNNY'S EARS.  (Besides being super annoying for your bunny, it can cause an ear infection).  DO NOT GET SOAP IN YOUR BUNNY'S NOSE OR EYES (This can sting, and you don't want your bunny to start tearing at it's eyes and nose.)  DO NOT GET WATER IN YOUR BUNNY'S NOSE. (Remember that your bunny does not breathe out of it's mouth, so if you get water in it's nose, it will feel like you do when water goes down the wrong pipe - or like it's drowning).  YOU MUST KEEP YOUR BUNNY WARM! (Bunnies have two coats - the coat you touch and an undercoat.  When their undercoat gets wet, it literally take hours to dry.  If the bunny gets cold during the drying time, it can become chilled, get sick and die)  If you are going to attempt this, please take it seriously.  

To prep, run the water until it is warm, but not hot.  When you reach the right temperature, run about two inches in the bottom of your tub.  Get your soap and cup ready, because once you put your bunny down in the water, you won't have a free hand.

Place your bunny gently in the tub and hold it firmly.  You really don't want it to scramble because it could slip and splash water in it's own face and ears.  Have your friend turn the water on to a small stream and using a cup, pour water down your bunny's back, starting at the neck.  Once your bunny's body hair is sufficiently wet, wet the fur on it's head and face just using wet hands.  If you pour from a cup and your bunny jerks away, you can pour the water right into it's ears, eyes or nose.  

Next, have your friend lather up his or her hands with the soap and work it into the fur on your bunny's body.  Before moving to the face, rinse hands and put a very limited amount of soap on them.  

The rinsing process will likely take longer than you think because the undercoat really holds soap.  Use the same techniques as described above, using just wet hands for the head and face. Once your bunny is fully rinsed off, pick it up and immediately wrap it in a towel.

Surprise!  Your bunny looks like a giant wet rat, and if you have a holland, it will look shockingly small and frail.  Your bunny probably feels irritated at you and very vulnerable.  Spend some time holding your bunny snuggly to keep it warm and to let it know that it is still safe.

If one towel is pretty saturated, switch and do a little towel drying.  Once your bunny gets over it's fury over your betrayal, it will start grooming madly.  This will feel like futility.  After all, you just cleaned your bunny, and now it is smearing saliva all over itself.  And while it is natural, you don't want your bunny ingesting too much hair, so start drying.  I have found the best way to do this is to use a hair dryer on low heat. Keep it moving while you block some of the heat by using a brush to separate the hair.  It takes forever, but you don't want to turn up the heat and risk burning your bunny's skin.  You MUST dry your bunny's undercoat completely, even if it's warm outside and you plan to let the top coat air dry.  Even on a hot day, the breeze from a fan, or air conditioning are enough to give your bunny a chill.  

When you are finally done, foster your own sanity and be sure to keep your bunny in a clean environment for at least a couple days!