Scent Glands
Your rabbit has scent glands in the genital area either side of the rectum, and beneath the chin. Occasionally, you may notice a foul smell emanating from your pet’s rear end. This unpleasant aroma is caused when the scent glands there become impacted. This not only smells bad, it is very uncomfortable for your rabbit and can lead to fly strike.
This photo shows the 'beans' of built up secretion that has been removed from these heavily impacted scent glands.
Whether a rabbit needs its scent glands to be cleaned will depend on each individual rabbit. Some keep themselves immaculately clean whilst others need regular cleaning.
My preference is to use mineral oil vs water. The reason for this is that with very impacted glands, the hard build up is often 'glued' pretty firmly to the skin. Using force when trying to remove the 'bean' can rip the skin; which is incredibly fragile. I gently open the scent gland up and apply the mineral oil on and around the build up with a cotton bud, allowing it to sit for a few minutes. This effectively softens the 'bean' and allows the it to be gently scooped out with a cotton bud, leaving the skin intact and clean.
These videos will show you how to go about cleaning your rabbit’s scent glands -
Infected Scent Glands
The other risk with scent glands is that they can become infected, so checking them regularly is essential. It is important to note that infections can also result if scent glands are cleaned too often, when they don't need it or if the skin is broken during cleaning. The skin in this area is incredibly thin and fragile. For this reason the scent glands should only be cleaned when absolutely necessary, and extreme care should be taken when doing so.