My daughter is showing a rabbit for 4-H this year. we used to always show goats, but decided to do rabbits this year. I have never cared for a rabbit before and have a few questions. We have a all white california rabbit and it\'s feet are stained yellow. what do you wash the feet with to get them white again? Also she is still a little scared to hold him because he scratches her, can I clip it\'s nails? I\'d appreiate any suggestions. thank you
It is normal to have some yellow discoloration on the bottom of the pads. How are you housing the rabbit? If he is kept on an all-wire floor, he shouldn\'t get very soiled. If you are talking about stains on the tops of the feet/legs, you can often remove much with a damp papertowel or washcloth. Tear stain remover (for dogs) works pretty well on stubborn areas, but don\'t use too much or too close to the show as you risk cutting the natural oils from the coat. For this reason, you also should NOT wash the rabbit. Washing will strip the oils from the coat and the rabbit will look terrible!
Yes, you can trim the nails. Any nail trimmer sold for dog/cats will do. Don\'t trim too far back. Trim just in front of the curve of the nail, ahead of the pink vein line to avoid bleeding.
Hopefully your daughter\'s 4-H leader can show her the proper way to handle a rabbit. Proper handling should minimize struggles that result in scratches in the first place.
Good luck.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
I use baking soda and water..make a paste out of it and rub on feet then rinse off........Raven