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Rabbits can sometimes smell, generally if they are kept clean and in hygienic conditions they are very sweet smelling.

There are some conditions that can cause a bunny to give off an 'odd' smell though...

This is going to depend entirely on how you define "odd" as there are many reasons why a rabbit can smell different from normal. We will cover just a few below.

Scent Glands / Vents

These are located just either side of the genitals, when they become blocked, infected or just in need of cleaning they can create quite a pungent stink! Think burned rubber and oil!

To clean them, lay your bunny on his/her back and using just water and cotton wool give them a good wipe, be gentle though.

There is a very informative page on scent gland cleaning here

http://members.aol.com/roniebunny/ng.html

Urine Infection

This can also cause your bunny to smell rather unpleasant. For this one you will need to see a vet. Keep an eye on your rabbit, is she straining to pee, does she seem uncomfortable in her litter tray, is she peeing in places she shouldn't be.

All of these things are signs of urine infection. The first sign is often a bunny who is well litter trained will have an accident outside of the tray.

Sexual Maturity

If your bunny has just reached sexual maturity they can change in smell, in boys this can be really quite a pungent smell, similar to scent glands.

Neutering a bunny is the best course of action!

Excess Ceceals

This is caused by the bunny having too much sugar and not enough coarse fiber in his/her diet. The droppings a bunny would normally eat are produced in excess and then get stuck to the bunnies hair, these really can smell bad as well as encouraging problems such a fly strike.

The long and short of this is, Turn Your Bunny Over and take a good look, what is causing the smell will quite often be obvious.

If not, try having a sniff of the ears

Ear mites and infections can also cause a very unpleasant smell. These MUST be treated by your vet! Has it been eating its own feasces? Or have you given it a bath or washed it at all?

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16y ago

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