Is it safe to use a dog leash or hair buster on my pet rabbit?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Generally, rabbits keep themselves pretty clean so you shouldn't be bathing too frequently. However, if you do need to bathe her, you can use Kaytee Squeaky Clean Critter shampoo. This is fine to use as an over the counter product specifically for rabbits.

Hi, it is best to keep rabbits inside at night in very hot or very cold weather. They can go outside in nice weather and back inside at night. Predators love rabbits, since they have no way to fight back if another animal wants to eat them. Also, outside they are prone to get fleas, ticks, and other external parasites on their bodies. They can also get internal parasites from eating brush and dirt. If you live where dogs and cats go, I would only allow your rabbit outside in a very secure cage. Make sure it is large enough for the rabbit to get exercise, has shelter, and food and water available. It also should go underground a half a foot so predators cannot dig under the fencing. So in light of the set up it takes to safely keep a rabbit outside, it is better to keep them indoor where they are safe. Rabbits can be leash walked with a small harness for outdoor activity. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Thanks for your question about Puku. I didn’t see what breed she is, but that could make a difference. For example, Angoras require grooming on a daily basis due to the large amounts of hair that they grow. It also can be temperature dependent - longer haired rabbits in warm climates will shed a great deal. Of course, there are also nutritional and medical conditions that can be related to hair loss as well. An ideal rabbit diet is made up of 80% grass based hays that are of high quality, one tablespoon of Timothy pellets per 5 lbs of body weight, and 1 cup of leafy greens per 5 pounds of body weight. Greens examples include red and green leaf lettuce, romaine, endive, escarole, cilantro, parsley, mint, dill, basil, and radicchio. I don’t recommend any fruits, seeds, milk products, or other carbohydrate treats for rabbits. I would recommend considering an examination for Puku. They can evaluate the skin and look at hairs under the microscope to ensure she doesn’t have any issues there. They may also recommend blood work to evaluate her systemic health. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there, I'm unfamiliar with this product use in rabbits. In the future, I would recommend using Revolution from a veterinarian, as the active ingredient selamectin has been well studied for its safety in rabbit species. I think everything else about your plan sounds great though. You can add bedding and blankets to help with sore hocks, as well as making sure he is a lean body condition (not overweight). I love the LaFeber website for small mammal articles: https://lafeber.com/mammals/rabbits/ I hope that's helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello. It is not cruel to keep a rabbit indoors if you supply a good environment, proper diet, & plenty of activities & stimulation. You can take her outdoors for short periods & only allow her to graze grass that is clean & never sprayed with fertilizers or herbicides. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for reaching out about Fluffy. Loose fur is an indication of a molt but if ingested by the rabbit can cause gastrointestinal irritation or blockages. Using your hand or a glove to gently pet her and remove hair could help. Plucking small quantities of loose fur slowly might be less painful. Brushing can work with a softContinuing to assist grooming is advised. It is also noted that she is an un-spayed female, which needs to be rectified. Rabbits have a very high incidence of uterine cancer if left un-spayed. Good luck.

If the bunny seems ok/is behaving normally today (normal appetite/energy/breathing) I wouldn't be worried about toxic effects but skin irritation could result if the wash was very perfumed. If the bunny wasn't too stressed by the bathing you could try washing her with a puppy/kitten shampoo from the pet store to remove any of the remnants of the body wash.