How do you remove petroleum jelly and oil residue from rabbits fur?

Question
i had a nine months old rabbit. We put petroleum jelly and virgin coconut oil because he have fur mites. The petshop and vet told me that these could work. But his fur's now shabby and sticky unlike before. It's in his face area so he looked a little worn out. How will his fur be back to normal again?

Answer
Dear Lein,

Well, first off, I guess that tells us a LOT about trusting the veterinary advice given by the "experts" at a pet store!  :(  I hope you won't go there for rabbit information again, since they appear to be World Class Idiots.

The proper treatment for fur mites is Revolution (selamectin), from your vet, not oil treatments or baths, which can be dangerous to the bunny.

There's no good, safe way to get the oil off except with a bath, which carries its own risks.  Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

for instructions.

I'm not sure (I've never had a bunny covered with petroleum jelly and coconut oil), but it's possible you could use the cornstarch method described (try it only on a very small area of fur first!) to gradually remove the oily residue.  Apply a bit of cornstarch, work into the oily part of the fur, and then comb out gently with a very fine-toothed flea comb.  I hope that might work.

Since spring is upon us, it might not be a bad idea to wait and see if this process begins on its own in the next couple of weeks, and you can just gradually comb out the oily fur as it sheds to be replaced by new fur.

If all else fails, you might have to take bun to the vet for a surgical shave to remove the nasty fur, and wait until the next shed cycle for the normal fur to grow back in:

www.rabbit.org/vets

It sort of depends on just how bad the fur is, and if you and the bunny can live with it for a little while.

Rabbit skin is *extremely* delicate and sensitive.  If you ask some vets what to use, they might suggest harsh detergents such as those used to remove oil from the feathers of shorebirds caught in an oil spill.

Since the oil covering your bunny is relatively benign (unlike oil from an oil spill), I would NOT resort to this.  The detergent bath might do more harm than good.  But you could try a bath (if the fur is really bad) with a gentle, hypoallergenic shampoo such as HyLyte, available at most major pet stores.  But be forewarned that many rabbits are so stressed by a bath that this is more dangerous than having oily fur.  It depends on the personality and fortitude of your rabbit.

If you bathe the bunny (which I'm not sure I recommend), the be SURE to thoroughly blow dry him on warm (NOT HOT!) until he is thoroughly dry (a fine-toothed flea comb can help separate the hairs, and good towel drying while blow drying can shorten blowdry time.) and keep him warm until he's absolutely dry.

I hope this helps, and that he'll shed the nasty fur uneventfully soon.

Dana