Difficulty grooming

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 1sd reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 11 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 04/29/2018 at 7:20 PM
  Luna and Sparklebuns
  Participant
  6 posts
  I have two 8-9 week old bunnies, who have only been with me since Friday. One of them is a double-maned lionhead (Sparklebuns), and she’s pretty much a giant fluffball. Her bottom looks a bit matted and dirty, from what I can see of it when she inevitably hops away from me, haha.
  
  They’re both pretty skittish, which I kinda figure is due to them living in a new environment, new sounds, new smells. However, everything I am reading about lionhead rabbits emphasizes brushing them <g class="gr_ gr_452 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="452" data-gr-id="452">regularly,</g> and keeping their tushes clean. Luna, my holland lop, is pretty okay with me petting her. Sparklebuns, on the other hand, will dart off if she feels my hand on her fur at all.<br>
  
  How do I go about doing this? Do I wait for now? Is there a way I can trick her into letting me clean her up? They unfortunately currently sit in their paper litter (I do put down hay and clean it up), and they are litter box trained, and I didn’t feed them pellets today, only hay, so her poops look perfectly normal. I don’t think the situation will get worse, but I do think the mats should be taken care of, and I don’t want her to get a sore bottom. Any advice from you experienced bun parents?
- 04/29/2018 at 11:31 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  They are still very young…. is there a reason why they are already away from their mother?
  
  I recommend having them checked out by a vet since they are such babies, and the vet can make sure they don’t have any issues underneath those mats.
  
  Well, since they have some mats, I think you might need to go the tough love approach at first. I would put her on a towel on your lap or on a table, place bun on the towel, and gently try to comb out the mats if you can. Sometimes they come out easier than you think. Just be very careful not to put her skin, as bunny skin is very delicate and can tear easily. It is also risky (esp on a small bun) to cut the mats, but if they are very bad you can trim with clippers.
  
  Once you have them cleaned up this way, you can work on desensitizing them to the comb by just doing a little bit here and there, while they are eating. With one of my very skittish buns I would feed a few pellets at a time while combing him, so he only got his pellets while I was combing.
  
  But I think at first you’ll need to just scoop them up and get them cleaned up. Once they bond with you they will also be more tolerant of it, but that will also come later.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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