# Can rabbits "swim"



## maxysmummy (Jan 28, 2011)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAzmCEC3xQA&feature=related[/ame]

found this vid and it looks quite concerning to me... if you cant bathe a rabbit surely you shouldnt put one in the pool? is this ok? if it is i live close to the beach and maybe my rabs would like swimming? my instinct says no but just posting to check with you guys


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## Yield (Jan 28, 2011)

maxysmummy wrote:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAzmCEC3xQA&feature=related
> 
> found this vid and it looks quite concerning to me... if you cant bathe a rabbit surely you shouldnt put one in the pool? is this ok? if it is i live close to the beach and maybe my rabs would like swimming? my instinct says no but just posting to check with you guys



[align=center]I don't think it's alright... that rabbit seems used to it (or just in panic mode and trying to keep calm to stay afloat).. and I feel like a normal rabbit would panic and get water in their nose/ears... It just doesn't seem safe to me. :confused2:

I wouldn't do it- especially somewhere so open like a beach where you have less control over them than in a small space like "Baxter". One thing goes wrong and


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## foreverblue127 (Jan 28, 2011)

I looked at the video, and there is a bunch of different ones on there. I would have never pictured a bunny swimming.


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## foreverblue127 (Jan 28, 2011)

Oh, I watched the other videos and the rabbit were all trying to get out but the owners wouldn't let them!


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Jan 28, 2011)

I have had a couple rabbits who enjoy playing in their water dish. I wouldn't force a rabbit to swim, but I have heard of house rabbits before who liked to hop in the shop or bath tub occasionally. lol If they do it by choice, it should be fine.


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## jcottonl02 (Jan 28, 2011)

I think some rabbits like a little water to pad about in. Mine have had to have a few butt baths in their lives and I really don't think either particularly enjoyed it (they enjoyed the warm towell and treats after though!!!  ).

However. This rabbit looks utterly paralysed with fear. And. How does she know if the rabbit 'likes' to swim, when clearly in that huge pool high off the ground, the rabbit would have to be picked up and placed into it, rather than the rabbit venturing in for its own amusement? There are no bits for the rabbit to stand on, or a way for it to get out. I'm sure they weren't trying to be cruel, but the fact is the shock of just immersing SOME rabbits in water would cause fatal reprocusions.

In the summer when it is really hot, I give my rabbits a large bowl with a few inches of water in, and they seem to enjoy dipping their ears in it and placing their front paws in for a while.

Rabbits are actually very competent swimmers- they will use this to escape predators etc. and can swim very well. Whether they LIKE to do it? I am not sure. Also if they don't dry properly you run the risk of pneumonia etc. 

Jen


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## Nancy McClelland (Jan 28, 2011)

If it was by choice that is one thing, but I found this to be very disturbing. Seemed the animal was floating as it had no other choice--no way for it to get out. Looked at a few others featuring the same pool and the bunnies were trying to get to the edge and out but couldn't.


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## MiniLopHop (Jan 28, 2011)

I watched a few videos of swimming rabbits and they looked terrified. I can see them playing in a water dish in the summer as a fun way to cool off, but like others have said, being voluntary makes it much different.


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## butsy (Jan 28, 2011)

that was terrible, he didnt seem relaxed at all. his eyes were wide open and he didnt blink once.


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## pla725 (Jan 28, 2011)

Many years ago I would put one of my rabbits in the pool to cool off in the summer. Opie was his name. He did seem to briefly enjoy it. I would put him in the shallow end withme in there with him. I have Polaroid pictures of this as proof. If I had to do it again I would not. I'm sure the chlorine in the pool did not do him any favors.


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## Sweetie (Jan 28, 2011)

That rabbit in the video looked terrified. There was one that looked like he enjoyed swimming.

Maybe it can be a theraputic way of getting the rabbit to heal from injury. Or even a way to keep the rabbit cool, as long as you watch the rabbit and take him/her out of the water when they want out. Then they might like swimming. But if they look terrified like the one in the video posted, then you should not force them.


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## SablePoint (Jan 29, 2011)

Last year, M r. Bun Bun jumped in my "pool-pond" - a pond I made from a kiddy pool for my turtles to swim around in on a nice day. Not cool that Bun Bun got in there, I must say. Clean pond but we get frogs, lizards, mosquito larva, and other wild life in there and Bun Bun needed a bath immediately! He was stinky and he could of gotten sick(like salmonella.... if rabbits can get that.).


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## Steph16 (Feb 4, 2011)

I would say try first with you bathtub. It would be big enough for a rabbit to swim in. If they like it, you can always just draw a little bath for them once in a while. 

I wouldn't try it at a beach, with surf and all, it's too unpredictable.


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## rachelann (Feb 4, 2011)

Awe,that poor bunny. I have a hard time keep Humphrey OUT of his water dish. He is always padding around in it. I have to take it away from him on cold day cause I am afraid he will get sick.


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## BSAR (Feb 4, 2011)

Awh that poor bunny! He looks scared to death! It is definitley not a good idea to let your rabbit "swim" like that, especially in a pool soo deep, he could easily drown. 

That rabbit in the vid looks like a Mini Rex, though I could be mistaken, but the fur looks plush. The water, not to mention the chlorine probably isn't doing any good for his fur. And the chlorine could cause the rabbit to become sick I imagine. 

I wouldn't take your rabbit to "swim" in the ocean, the waves could carry it away, even if you had in on a harness, and I don't think the saltwater would be good for it either.


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## MsBunBun (Feb 19, 2011)

I wouldn't do this to my bunny, especially not in water that has chlorine.


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## CiaraPatricia (Feb 20, 2011)

Maybe if a rabbit got used to it then they would like it, but I'd say at first they'd usually be terrified.

And you'd have to worry about them getting cold and getting sick if it wasn't warm out . . .

Like lots of dogs love to swim, but my dogs were scared of water at first, well not really scared but they didn't want to get wet. But I put them in the river (on leads) to show them it'd be fun and then they liked it!


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## Nela (Feb 20, 2011)

Maybelle has jumped into water (not enough to actually swim though)and went on splashing about and binkying. However, If I were to allow any rabbit of mine to ever play in water, I would use something that they could get in and out at their will. Most animals 'can'swim but only do it if necessary. Of course, there are always the few exceptions out there that just love doing things you wouldn't expect so it all depends... I definitely wouldn't be holding a rabbit back if it was trying to get out though. That's not cool.


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## tamsin (Feb 20, 2011)

Rabbits can swim, in that when dropped in water their panicked kicking will keep them afloat for awhile. However that doesn't mean you should do it. Youtube is full of people doing stupid things to animals.

Their bodies aren't designed for it, their short necks mean their mouths and noses are close the waterline, inhaling water in a panic could easier lead to respiratory infection, pneumonia or simply drowning. Their thick undercoat will soak up water, eventually making them too heavy to float well, it also means they cool down rapidly, find it hard to dry out and it will muck up their natural waterproofing (as in rain) oils which keep the coat shiny and in good condition. Soap, shampoo, chlorine, etc. could lead to eye irritation, skin problems etc.

I'll leave aside the mental trauma of putting a prey animal in a frighting situation the can't get out of. 

There are plenty of other fun and safe activities to try and see if your bun likes without needing to resort to something so dangerous and frightening. I wish youtube was better at deleting this sort of thing.


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## Myia09 (Feb 20, 2011)

Once Kinboe jumped into my bath. He swam to the edge, got out, and threw a hissy fit.

He is known to still jump in the shower with me 

But he did no like it..not sure why he continues to do it..

But I think it is scary for them and should only be done for really bad poopy butts. Not for recreation


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## avarocks (Feb 21, 2011)

I would think that since giving them a bath is a huge 'no' (unless totally unavoidable) putting them in for a swim would be a big 'no' too. I suppose if it was hot you could put just a little cool water in your bathtub to let them put their paws in...but no deeper. Enough to give them a cool way to play. A bowl of water sounds better that they can dip their ears in. My better answer? If you have air conditioning, cool bunny off in there. You might be able to get the bare mist off a sprinkler or hose too. And I don't mean the full water flow just a touch of the mist to offer a sensation of cool water without actually getting the rabbit totally wet. Make sure it's HOT though so your rabbit doesn't get too cold! My bunny will never go for a swim that's for sure. I did not watch the video. I'm scared to. I saw someone put a guinea pig in the pool on youtube once and I was sickened. Of course, this forum isn't about guinea pigs but put it in a nutshell? A HUGE no! I can't bear to watch this. Don't put your rabbit in beach water...please! On a quiet day you could take him to play on the sand with a bowl of water to drink/dip ears in, to include him on a day out...but don't put him in the water!


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