bunnys and baths

Question
My 13 yr old daughter gave her bunny a bath . I told her not to give her baths anymore.She wants to know what will happen and the exact reason not to do so. How should she clean her bunny? she likes her to smell nice.
             Thank you,,,,Lori

Answer
Dear Lori,

Thank you for educating your daughter about the dangers of giving a bunny a bath.  If bun smells, then it's not normal, and the health source of the problem needs to be addressed.  If the bunny has messy bottom due to runny stool, then please see:

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

And for instructions on how to give a safe bath:

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

Please tell your daughter that rabbits are naturally clean animals, but they are *easily* stressed by a bath.  I have known rabbits who dropped dead from a heart attack from a bath, and others who got so chilled they died.  It's just not safe,and it's not normal for them.

A bunny smells like a bunny, which is pretty much odorless if the bun is healthy and spayed/neutered:

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

It's a very bad idea to put scented things on a rabbit, because those scents--though they may smell nice to a human--are often made out of complex molecules derived from petroleum.  Because a rabbit licks his fur to keep it clean, he could ingest this stuff, some of which could be overtly toxic, or carcinogenic over the long term.

I hope this helps!

Dana