i have a male rabbit and he...

Question
i have a male rabbit and he tends to give off a strong odor is this normal and is it okay to bathe a rabbit or how do i keep him clean ?

Answer
Dear Dawn,

First step is to determine the source of the odor.  Check his privates and be sure there is no mushy poop stuck to him.  If there is, then he is suffering from cecal dysbiosis, and you must do a little detective work to cure this very common problem (usually caused by poor diet or cryptic health problems).  You can read more about how to do this here:

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

If he's clean, and just giving off a musky odor (particularly when he's running around your feet and acting loving), then he's just a male giving off musk scent.  Neutering will stop the odor, and you can read more about this here:

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

If the odor is coming not from the rabbit, but from his housing area, then check to be sure he's not urinating in an area where it's seeping under the carpet or floorboards and fermenting into an ammonia-stinky mess.  If that's the case, I have different solutions and you can write back and let me know if you need advice for that.

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana