How to Groom Your Rabbit: Nails and Scent Glands

[PIXIEZDUSTY]

this rabbit reminds me of my old one so much..</3

[AProactiveLifestyle]

Not all rabbits are so calm! Mine is a lively bugger! Not sure I could do that with him...

[HumorPug235]

My bunny loves to be held on her back :) I trim her nails a lot, but when she was younger, her claw snagged, and her entire nail ripped off. It is about 1/4th of an inch long :(

[l3lugu]

I'm completely unable to get my bunnies that calm and still. They hate when I try to put them on their backs, it's impossible. So I only trim their nails once in a while and just that is actually pretty hard. How can a bunny be this calm?

[BluOceanBubbles]

@l3lugu This rabbit is NOT calm. This rabbit is actually in a "trance" - when rabbits are put onto their back like this, they start to fear for their life (rabbits are naturally prey animals) so start to play dead. Studies have shown that a rabbit's heart beat accelerates when they are put into this position; it is cruel and dangerous to put your bunny on its back.

[l3lugu]

@BluOceanBubbles Sorry, I didn't know. Anyway, they've never liked it so I stopped trying.

[Mobee211]

my bunny hates this. she whines and twitches and cries whenever she is on her back..since she hates it so much I only clean her glands once in a while but they don't get too bad

[animelove125]

how regularly do you have to clean the scent glands ?

[madiemooo]

how did that rabbit become so calm?

[animania200]

i wish my rabbit was that calm... thats kinda why i named him spazzy

[YouDaBunnyOctopus]

wow that rabbit was so calm, and the vet was so cooprative

[sarahwambocheer1112]

Not trying to be funny

[sarahwambocheer1112]

I don't do that is that ok if I don't

[babaloo22222]

yucky.

[Ravishingx3]

is this bunny tranced?

[Ravishingx3]

im really scared to clean my bunnies scent glands...

[1997ALEX4444]

My rabbit English big cutey won't even let Me pick it up without it fliping biting going crazy growling its so boring he's not even fun he a fucking dick

[ValkyereHowie]

@1997ALEX4444 Dude it shouldn't be about how much 'fun' you have pick up your rabbit, it should be about taking good care of him/her and bonding together. If you cannot do that, your quite immature.

[Venomfullycharged]

my bunny was attack by a dog & has black nails, should i clip those ones? I noticed they dont grow.

[SingingFFAGreenGirl]

@Venomfullycharged You may not notice them growing but they are. how old is your rabbit? I can take up to 3 months for a young rabbits to grow nails long enough to cut.

What type of ground is your rabbit on? He/she could be breaking them.

If they are sharp I would suggest trimming them as a rabbit can cut itself while scratching or grooming if they are sharp. Find a rabbit savvy person teach you. where are you from i know rabbit people world wide.

[Venomfullycharged]

@SingingFFAGreenGirl shes over 4 she could possibly be 5 or 6 even. california

[parapluie123]

my rabbit would be moving around too much -_-



[SingingFFAGreenGirl]

@parapluie123 you can put your bunny in a trance by turning him over in your lap. I would suggest someon hold him as your doing this because if he comes out of his trance he could flop out of your arms and break his back.

[parapluie123]

@SingingFFAGreenGirl ... I already tried, it didnt work..

[SingingFFAGreenGirl]

@parapluie123 work with your rabbit slowly

[xxvampqueenxx]

i love my bunny and all but i am so not going to clean his sweat gland, does petco. or petsmart groom bunnies?

[Audrey403]

@xxvampqueenxx I just called petco in my town and they do not do bunnies. You should still call your local petco because every groomer is different in terms of experience.

[clurp]

awh man! getting an adoptive bunny next week so researcing as much as possible and bunny proofing my house .... but i realy wasnt ready to see the "cleaning of the sent gland" whilst eating lunch :o

but now i know i'll have a healthy bunny =D thank you v informative vid

[BabyBlueDiime]

My rabbit would never allow me to do that.

[DeadxBlackxWinter]

I dont want my bunny to have any problems, but I am just NOT up to do that to his butt Dx

[SingingFFAGreenGirl]

@DeadxBlackxWinter You need to have it done because if not it can lead to vent disease which is quite serious and not to mention smelly. although I would caution against mineral oil as it can cause clogging of the pores and inflamation, I would suggest warm water.

[mandybabe555]

Im getting a rabbit soon but the problem is that im terrified of trimming their nailes,because I feel like im gonna trim too far,or is their like a special nail trimming tool tht will show me how far to trim.?Cuz my dog had one,And what part am I suppose to cut.?

[SingingFFAGreenGirl]

@mandybabe555 just make sure you don't cut too close to the quick (the pink part of the nail). It can be quite painful when cut and will bleed. if this happens get a napkin or a cloth and apply pressure. It seems alot harder than it actualy is. you'll gain moe confidence as you do it.

[veekeeechuuu]

why does my rabbit never let me hold her like that? :/

[SingingFFAGreenGirl]

@veekeeechuuu rabbis are flight animals and get stressed easily. work with your rabbit every day. you can gently turn her over. hold her securly and talk to her calmly and eventually she will be fine with it. you can also give her treats when on her back.

[roxystars88]

gosh i was having a fit tonight as i found that scent muck on my bunny but had no idea what it was...i thought she had an infection and i panicked but this video has confirmed that i have nothing to worry about, phew!

[DDXiEcHiCkK]

wow this looks complicated o.0

[hop1pop]

Ew....

[emogalinkheart]

holy smokes, the bunny must be weirded out with the scent glands,

unless it is in a trance :) lol

[bradycarver]

hey guys useful tip: on my rabbits scent glands i just sprayed some Febreeze in it and his poo and pee smells like "Fresh Spring Air" now. Dont taste too bad either..

[DDXiEcHiCkK]

@bradycarver u sprayed febreeze on your rabbit? 0.o

[lovealwayskota]

@bradycarver eww...

[iBecca31]

How did he stay so calm?

[strawberris]

holy gosh theres a scent glands.....thankfully im learning about before i get my rabbit

[CrappleFartini]

do spayed rabbits have those? O_O

[karloispinoy]

All rabbit, regardless if they are spayed or not, have scent glands to help mark their territorial pellet droppings.

[TheKarlez]

Wow this is helpful! Thanks so much. I have one question though.. for you and other rabbit owners. I just bought a baby bunny, shes now 6 weeks old, but her nails are getting kind of long. Should I go ahead and clip them or wait until shes older? How long should the nails be past the quick to know when to cut them? Thanks =]

[karloispinoy]

I encourage you if the white part of the nail is long enough to practice trimming and desensitizing your rabbit to nail clipping now while it's young. Make sure to watch for the quick, it's pink and filled with blood and is quite painful when cut.

[shiftomnimega]

Over the last 20 years I've had 7 rabbits fall under my care and had one single rabbit behave this calmly during grooming. Even that one would never let me clean its bum like that without a fight.

[arthurgurfleheimer]

my dad's a vet.. i just give my rabbit to him and he clips his nails and grooms him at his clinic

[Mousygirl123]

i will have to bring my bunny to the vet so she cAN have her nails trimmed! lol

[hikari7789]

My bunny would never let me flip him onto his back. I tried to get someone to hold him so I could clip his nails and wipe his scent glands, but he struggles too much and I don't want him to get hurt. I'm also scared of cutting the nails too short since they have nerve endings. I guess I have no choice but to get it done at the vet everytime. He has to go to the vet every 2 months anyway to have his molars trimmed due to dental problems.

[MillieCanillie]

wow that is one seriously compliant rabbit!

[chickensonaspaceship]

@MillieCanillie Bunnies go into a trance when you hold them upside down like that. They're pretty much out cold and let you do whatever you want to them :P

[DeadxBlackxWinter]

@MillieCanillie

She tranced him, but many people recommend not doing that because the rabbit is playing dead when on his back, and this is very stressful to them.

[SingingFFAGreenGirl]

@DeadxBlackxWinter auctually they don't get stressed from the trance they are basically sleeping. they can flop when on their backs and can end up breaking their backs if you are not experienced in handling them upside down.

[cherrycokewine]

Oh god. I have to clean my rabbits scent glands tomorrow. ;_;

[tcgymnast88]

do boy rabbits have scent glands?

[karloispinoy]

Yes, they do.

[killerbunny4ever]

What kind of mineral oil is she using?

[karloispinoy]

Plain, unscented mineral oil. You can also use any unscented food based oil that is in liquid form at room temp.

[strawberrysubmarine]

Until now, I didn't know you needed to clean a bunny's scent gland. How often should you check for that?

[karloispinoy]

Usually its good to check every time your clipping your rabbits nails. Even more so with larger rabbits who are unable to reach down there to clean themselves.

[runescape4344]

dude your restraining that rabbit.

also squishing it.

Keep that up and it will not respect you becuase your are not respecting him...

[karloispinoy]

I'm not the one grooming it...also the rabbit isn't being squished by firmly restrained...for both the safety of the rabbit and the safety of the groomer...

[runescape4344]

Exactly your not the one grooming it so how would you know?

Just watch the video.

This rabbit is flat and it's arms are crossed over and that hurts. (trust me!)

The Rabbit wouldn't put itself in that position by itself ok.

[karloispinoy]

I need to disagree to this. I'm a Vet Technician and the way she's holding the rabbit is the safest and most effective way to restrain a unwilling rabbit.

Of course a rabbit would never put itself in such a vulnerable position but if it gets the job done, in order to promote health grooming there is nothing wrong with the way she's handling the rabbit.

I've been trained in exotic handling so please don't assume I don't know what I'm talking about.

Thank you.

[runescape4344]

ok ok it just doesn't look happy.

Once I groomed my rabbit by sitting on him (I thought it was the best way) and I found out I killed him. No I thought it was how you groomed them so I wasn't being evil. But I just hope that rabbit is ok. I was so upset the day he died.

[karloispinoy]

It's unfortunate, and I'm sorry that happened to you :[ but just you learning that right ways really mean you mean better from it. Just an added note, no one would be happy upside down and in such an uncomfortable position like this rabbit in the video. I know I wouldn't XD

[runescape4344]

True. The more you know the better! Did you know bathing a rabbit is dangerous?

[karloispinoy]

Yup yup, I usually do a dry powder bath if I get a dirty rabbit I'm sitting. Sometimes however I only wipe their feet with a wet cloth to clean any yucky feet. If they got any more wet they could catch pneumonia.

[jenrefen]

This was helpful to me when I needed to figure out how to clean my rabbit' anal gland.

Thanks!