You might have never heard about bunny diapers and guess what? You are not alone. Even some rabbit owners also might not know a thing about rabbit diapers and most certainly don’t know how to use one correctly.
As a short introduction, rabbits can and do wear diapers but keep in mind that they can only wear them for a short period of time because you don’t want your rabbit to get any serious health issues, as there is some occasion where the diaper might be very helpful, such as: traveling with the rabbit, playing outside or a social get-together.
This article covers all the topics on the why, when, what, and how rabbits should or should not wear a diaper. You know the drill, put your glasses on, and start scanning.
Can I Put A Diaper On A Rabbit?
A simple question needs a simple answer, we know that. So, to answer this “Yes, you can!”
Rabbits can wear diapers but not for longer periods of time because this can be harmful to their health.
Try to keep checking on your rabbit after every hour that its diaper is not soiled. Because if it does, and it is still wearing in the same diaper, it might cause scalding which is very painful.
Most people don’t recommend rabbits to wear diapers at all times as they need to access their droppings for their cecotropes, which is beneficial for their health.
So, it is better if you keep your rabbit in diapers when you are traveling, or when it’s playing on somebody’s lap, and not for long periods of time.
Is It Okay For Rabbits To Wear Diapers?
You have asked the right question, and the answer is “NO”!
Wearing diapers for rabbits can be quite dangerous to their health. Diapers actually prevent the essential part of their diet, and that is eating their own cecotropes.
Diapers also prevent rabbits from proper self-hygiene.
Here is the list of “dangers” associated with bunnies wearing diapers:
1. Potential Malnutrition
Some “high-fiber diets” that rabbits require actually need to be eaten more than once to get all of the nutrition out of their food.
A rabbit usually consumes cecotropes first thing in the morning and sometimes even directly from their anus. You must be thinking that “Why haven’t I ever seen my bunny do that?” But what I am telling you is correct, they do!
It’s okay to keep your rabbit in the diaper for an hour or two but if he/she is wearing a diaper for long periods of time, such as for a day, then it might cause the risk of serious malnutrition.
2. Potential Scaling
Don’t forget to check your bunny’s diaper at least once an hour for droppings and leakages. If the diaper is soiled, change it, or better remove it.
If you are letting your rabbit wear that soiled diaper for a long time, it can cause fecal or urine scald to your rabbit.
Just like human babies, a rabbit’s diaper should get changed because it can cause scald which is a very painful skin condition caused by the contentious exposure to urine or fecal.
It is necessary to say that if you don’t change your rabbit’s diaper, the probability of getting scalded is, let me think, yeah 100%!
3. Chewing the Diaper
It is a well-known fact that rabbits chew on things, and were you thinking that the diapers are an exception here? My friend, you are most definitely wrong, if they are wearing a diaper, they are going to chew on it.
The fact is that disposable diapers contain plastic and also a chemical called sodium polyacrylate inside the diaper, which is actually non-toxic, even if it is safe for babies.
But the question is, would you let your baby chew on a diaper? No, right? So, you definitely would not let your bunny chew on that.
Types Of Rabbit Diapers
When it comes to the diapers and their type, there are only two types of diapers whether it’s for bunnies or humans and those are: Reusable and Disposable Diapers.
To your knowledge, reusable diapers are made specially or specifically for bunnies and those disposable ones that are used on rabbits are for either human babies or small dogs.
1. REUSABLE BUNNY DIAPERS
Want to save money? You could still do that while buying diapers.
Yeah, you read that correct, if you are a pet owner and that too of bunny, you can save your money in the long run. Let’s say that you are regularly diapering your bunny, assuming this, the market has created these “reusable bunny diapers”, which are actually cloth diapers and can be washed and will be ready for use again.
They usually cost between $25 per diaper (rates may vary), but you need the correct amount of diapers. You are going to need at least one diaper for each hour so, you are going to need enough diapers so that they last until the next time you do the laundry.
Here is the math, if your rabbit is going to spend its evening outside of the house for let’s say 3 hours then you might need three diapers if you do laundry at night.
But if you do that in three days then bro you might require at least nine diapers and that could cost you around $225 to $300!
And the last thing to be noted is that some of the rabbit owners use reusable diapers made for dogs on their bunnies.
2. DISPOSABLE BUNNY DIAPERS
To be precise about this type, disposable diapers are actually not made for bunnies. Instead, rabbit owners use diapers made for human babies or dogs.
Most owners choose human diapers over dog ones for one reason. Yeah, you guessed right, they are cheaper!
Rabbits obviously can wear human diapers, but the modified ones. Those which fit right and stay securely on them and can protect them from creating a mess.
Still, rabbits should only wear human diapers under the supervision of someone, and that too, for short periods of time.
As a concerned citizen, when you dispose of a disposable diaper, it should go into a compost bin or a well-ventilated area to dry if you are selling rabbit manure.
How To Put A Diaper On A Bunny?
I know you might feel kind of weird when you heard for the first time that people actually put diapers on their bunny, right? Well, you are not alone here.
If you clicked on this article, you might have many questions in your mind regarding the topic and one of them must be “How should I put a diaper on my rabbit?”
So, first of all, to put a diaper on a bunny, set it on your lap with its feet down. The next step is important and that is patience, you need to wait until your bunny becomes calm, and after that put one foot at a time into the diaper and slowly pull it over the tail.
Make sure that he/she is comfortable in it, and also secure around its waist. Leave at least one finger space between the diaper and skin of the rabbit, in other words, neither too tight nor too loose.
Why Would A Rabbit Need To Wear Diapers?
There are several reasons that can be spotted down to give the objective to use bunny diapers. When a rabbit is disabled or cannot do their work or basic daily needs for them properly, and if they are out of their area or cage then these poor creatures need protection for them.
When an adult rabbit has aged a lot and has to face many health issues like bowel control, they need diapers especially when they are out of their area or cage.
When you have a pet bunny and plan to visit your friend’s place or relative’s home, then it will be wise to use diapers for your rabbit.
During traveling with your rabbit in a car and your dearest small creature out of its travel cage then making your rabbit wear diapers will be convenient for you to carry them from here and there.
How Long Can Bunnies Wear Diapers?
Rabbits have sensitive bodies, especially their skin. If you are using diapers for your rabbits then it is highly prescribed to get the diaper changed every hour.
This can be the highest interval a rabbit’s skin can tolerate without causing any skin problems.
If you are traveling somewhere with your bunny and you are using diapers to avoid any kind of a mess and to keep the hygiene level checked, then it will be wise to keep a good stock of diapers for rabbits cause they will need to be changed from time to time.
If you are using reusable diapers, then you should clean them properly every one-hour interval for the betterment of your pet’s health.
Frequently Asked Question
Can Rabbits Wear Diapers Temporarily?
Yes, there is no point in denying this. Rabbits can wear diapers temporarily, especially in cases when they need to travel with their owner and they are out of their travel cage. So to avoid any kind of a mess, diapers can be used at that time.
When you are planning to visit your relatives and are hugely attached to your pet rabbit, you should definitely make all the plans to carry your bunny with you so that the time away from your home is easy for both you and your rabbit. This is a perfect situation where diapers can be used.
Importantly, it should be used only temporarily, or for a short period of time only because they can get skin diseases if they stay in contact with diapers for long which can be really painful for these little creatures.
Conclusion
Rabbits are the most social creatures known in the animal kingdom. They tend to jump and can be seen hopping around here and there.
Sometimes to avoid a mess created by a rabbit while they are playing all-around your house or sitting over your lap, and moreover, is traveling with you, then using diapers for your rabbit will be nice.
But they should be changed from time to time because rabbits usually consume cecotropes first thing in the morning and sometimes even directly from their anus.
They also might get a skin condition called scald due to exposure to urine or fecal matter for a large period of time. So, don’t forget to change the diapers!
