Can Pet Bunnies Swim? Rabbit Swimming in Water
Many people wonder if rabbits can swim. There have been numerous videos of people putting their rabbit in a little pool and watching it swim. First off, this is a very bad misconception, and should be considered animal cruelty as your rabbit is actually panicking and not swimming by instinct like some animals such as dogs can do. This can induce shock and even a heart attack and isn’t right. In this guide, we’ll get into more detail on this so you will know why not to try and let your rabbit “swim”.
Your Rabbit Can Go Into Shock
If you put your rabbit in water (other than just a bath or shower as you’re grooming it), your rabbit can actually die. Even during a bath, you should never submerge your rabbit, as mentioned above it will harm your rabbit. There are special ways to bathe your bunny, and you need to take those things into consideration as water can damage your rabbit’s coat. Think about it, if you wore shorts you would have a much better chance of swimming as compared to swimming in a coat and a pair of pants. The undercoat on a rabbit can soak up a lot of moisture like this and it takes a long time for a rabbit to dry (literally almost all day).
Chemical Exposure
Most swimming pools, even designed for home use, contain high amounts of chlorine that can actually harm your rabbit and make them sick. If they ingest water that is too high in chlorine or other chemicals, you can end up losing them as it will hurt them.
Rabbits Don’t Like Water Bowls
While wild rabbits may drink from streams and riverbeds, it’s important to realize that a rabbit would rather drink from a bottle than a bowl because it doesn’t like getting its face wet. They’re more like the marsupials related to cats in this way. Don’t ever throw your rabbit in your pool, as more than likely you’re going to kill it and this would be bad for you.
Skin Issues
Another reason to help keep your rabbit’s coat dry is that water can actually damage skin, making it chafe blister, make your rabbit go bald, and even lead to bacterial infections. Rabbits have extremely sensitive skin, and it’s important that they have their fur coat, so be sure to protect it at all costs, because if a rabbit starts losing their hair more than regular shedding, then you may end up making them colder and more susceptible to get sick.
Conclusion & Can Rabbits Swim
In all best practices, never let your rabbit even get wet, or let it get anywhere that it can get submerged in water either. It doesn’t take a rabbit much to slip or if you’re letting it run around in your yard, for it to fall down into your pool because they may not see it or pay attention. Don’t ever think a rabbit can swim, because they really can’t. If you want to get a rabbit, you need to know this so you can be a good caregiver and think of other things you can do first.
