Angoras have wayyyy too much hair!!! Can I shave him?

[poopy]

My new Pookers is only part Angora. He has a little bit of mane in the front. But he sheds soooo much! I spend hours grooming him in an attempt to reduce the shedding, but to no avail. I think my allergies have worsened because of him (compared to just Medusa). I have a HEPA, I am medicated to the max, and my bf who is alot more allergic than I am is threatening to dump me (because of the allergies). There really is not much else I can do about the allergies on my end, because his fur is still all over the place.

Do you think it would be OK to take him to a groomer to buzz off some of his hair? Maybe his front mane and underbelly? Or even all over, just shorten it by an inch? I saw on TV those cats w/ similar fur get it all buzzed off. Do you think he would feel colder?

Medusa’s underbelly is buzzed from her spay which was 3 mos. ago and it is still only slightly grown back, so it might be a good longer lasting solution for Pookers, though he may look a little ugly. What do you guys think?

Doesn’t look like that much fur….but it is!

[Gravehearted]

The thing to keep in mind is that with shaving, you run the risk of cutting him. Generally shaving is done only is there are serious mats  that can’t be handled with scissors. Clipping / shaving should be done by a professional or a vet and not on your own.

Long haired bunnies are a big grooming time commitment, since it’s very important to brush the undercoat as that’s where mats start. Here are a few articles about how to properly groom a long haired bun.

http://www.mybunny.org/info/groom_long_haired.htm

http://www.mnhouserabbit.org/care/groomingFuzzies.html

[poopy]

sorry, i meant buzzing like they do for neuters, not shaving w/ a razor. i do all that stuff it says to do in the articles, but there’s still way too much fur!

[Gravehearted]

well with buzzing / using clippers, it’d still run the risk of nipping the skin, wouldn’t it?

[poopy]

Yes. I hope that wouldn’t happen. Isn’t it the same thing that vets do though for the neuters? I contacted a rescue group nearby that has their own facility and grooming services to see what they think since they are the most experienced. If they think they can do it, do you guys think Pookers would get too cold not having all that fur?? It’s not like it gets that cold here in CA and I have a heater during the winter.

Also, do you guys know anything about hair regrowth? When rabbits are buzzed, does the hair grow back continuously like humans shaving their legs? My first intuition would be no, since rabbits who get neutered have the buzzed area grow back normally. Does anyone do this to their furry cats?

[LillyBear]

poopy i think shaving him should be fine. my rabbits hair grew back pretty fast after her spay.. but the vet was suprized about that (we had a 10 day later check up).. so im assuming most rabbits hair doesn’t grow that fast.. Otherwise, bad as it sounds, maybe find a new home for Pookers.. I know you love him, but allergies are serious! My cousins had to give up their 2 angoras becasue of their allergies.. they tried to get me to take them.. but I simply have no room for 3 rabbits..

[poopy]

What is meant by rabbits have thin skin? Does this mean it can easily be sucked into the buzzer if it is held too close?

[Gravehearted]

it means that it is very easy to cut a rabbit’s skin, because it is so thin. i don’t think that means it would get sucked in. but – that’s part of the reason it’s important to have a pro do the buzzing.

[jacki fullerton]

My husband is very allergic to bunny fur. With one rabbit it seems to be OK, but when I am bunny sitting my daughter’s rabbit, or they come to visit for the holidays, my husband has asthma attacks. It is pretty scary. Our bunnies are short haired rabbits. My husband had to go to the doctor and get an asthma inhaler and pills. Your angora bunny is beautiful, it is a shame to shave him. It would be very difficult, but perhaps you can find a new home for Pookers. If you and your bf are both allergic, it would be a good idea to get a Rex. Their fur is much better for people who are allergic.

[poopy]

Ack I don’t think I could give up Pookers unless I was dying. I think if I do get him buzzed I will wait till summer or until the weather seems to be more stable. Its too cold right now. Maybe I will try Allerpet though I’m kind of skeptical about it.

[BinkyBunny]

I can’t remembered if you posted this already, but have you tried seeing an allergist to help you.  My best friend is terribly allergic to cats, but she takes prescription meds and that really helps.

 

[poopy]

Yup I see one. I’ve probably been on the majority of allergy meds out there and have also done injection shots. Medication definitely helps but I still get reactions ever since I got Pookers.

Oh how do you know if a rabbit is in molting? Will there be chunks falling out? I’m thinking Medusa’s should be coming up soon. Or in another month since I got her in December and nothing seems to have happened yet.

[MooBunnay]

Hi!

Do you think maybe its just worse right now because he is shedding? My buns are shedding right now, so its a sneeze-fest for me too. Also…I have 4 so I guess that doesn’t help either   I would imagine there is someway out there to safely get the fur off Pookers, considering that aren’t angora’s used for their fur? I know we don’t like the *evil* breeders, BUT maybe an angora breeder can let you know what people do with their angora’s to get the fur safely off?  There must be SOMETHING they do.

[jacki fullerton]

Poopy, yeah, I was thinking you guys were already too attached to Pookers to try and find him another home.  I would think angora’s need daily combing to help keep them from shedding all over your house.  Hopefully, you and your bf will become used to his fur and it won’t affect your allergies as much.  Shaving seems to be such an extreme thing to do to a bunny who is bred for his fur, as well, he may get too cold.  Good luck with your decision.

[poopy]

Well if its buzzed short I don’t think that will be bad at all. I’m not sure what molting looks like, but I don’t think he is in molting. Its just that when I shake out the rugs its all HIS fur stuck to it. When you hold it up to the light you can see all that fine angora fur–like cotton balls but not nearly as dense.

Moobunnay did you get my email about the calendula? I feel like my PMs dont work on this website.

As for my bf–well that’s another story. We don’t even live together and he is threatening to leave me because of the rabbits. He hates them and thinks I am obsessed with them. I’ll have to start a thread oneday on this problem.

[FuegaNetsah]

Poopy,
I am really not for shaving the little guy. I know you love him so the giving away idea is a hard one. I am in the same boat however because Calil is an fuzzy lop. 2-3 inches of nothing but fuzz! Remember, never kiss fuzzy bunny with lip gloss on. I am going to tell you what I did, may or may not help. I gave her a bath when I first got her, just to get all the other stuff off her. Have to really get in there because of the wool and rinse well. I brush her a few times a week. I was going to take pics for you of the brushes I use but my camera decided to tell me no. Going to try anyway.

First I use a brush that looks like this: http://www.petcarerx.com
Yes, it does say dog brush…just a once over to get all the loose hair and it is good with mats because of the up and down teeth *check under his arm pits i usually find some there*.

Then I use one that looks like this: http://www.petsmart.com
Once again a dog brush, the smaller version. Put him on your lap head facing you, then start at his bum and brush against the grain. Do not be too afraid to get in there because it is seriously wool you are going trough. Calil actually seems to like this part a lot.

Once I start getting less with the second brush I do a once over again with the first one. I usually get a good tall pile of fur once I am done. I actually am going to donate her fur to one of the social groups I am with. They are going to spin it and use it for looming and yarn. Crasy eh? As you can see on the sites, the prices aren’t bad and can be found at petshops. Might be a good option and if you have questions, I would be happy to try to answer.

As for molting, I knew when Oren *My black version of Medusa* was molting because he was shedding wayyyyy to much and I could pull pieces of loose hair out more so around his bum than his head. He wasn’t balding or anything just leaving hair all over. I groom him too and he is fine.

Anyway, that is my advise. Bathe and groom before the shaving or thinking about giving him away.

Donna

[poopy]

Thanks, I have similar brushes and use them on him every week, which results in piles of fur as well. When you bathed him did you use a pet allergan shampoo? I am kind of scared to do that I think he would hate me if I bathed him :/

[MooBunnay]

Hey poopy – I did not get your message, I will try to send you an email and you can reply to that!  You should start that post about your BF right away, I have plenty to say Good luck with Pooker’s fur…I’m glad to hear you would not consider giving him up, you totally saved him from such a V sad life, I’m sure he looooooves you!

[FuegaNetsah]

Poopy,
I just used a normal pet shampoo. If there is pet allergen shampoo even better. They both did rather well. I just held them up under their front paws and they didn’t freak out or anything.

Donna

[barbara elliott]

Poopy,

About the allergies: are you interested in holistic medicine?
I know people’s opinions on herbal/homeopathic/ayeurvedic medicine vary a lot. I used to think it was scary, “hippy-freak” stuff, but over the past few years I’ve gradually tried different remedies (and spent time reading on the subject). I am NOT a professional in any way, just a “regular girl” who’s had some good results with “alternative” approaches where conventional medicine didn’t work so well. Let me know if you’re interested; I’d be happy to help you research or offer suggestions if I can.

I hope this doesn’t sound like a commercial. . . it’s just worked for me, so that’s what I think of when health concerns come up for discussion.

[poopy]

What do you take? I did accupuncture for a year with no improvement. I haven’t heard of anything specifically for allergies but some herbal supplements I take are supposed to help with immunity and inflammation. I also take some herbal supplements, echinicea, olive/oregano, ginko, ginseng, omega3, evening primrose, garlic, spirulina (you can tell I am a Trader Joe’s herbal junky)

[barbara elliott]

I love Trader Joe’s too. I confess I don’t have allergies myself, but I’ve read that sometimes they can be a sign of other “imbalances” in the body (like slow digestion, or maybe the liver needs a boost–I’ve read that when the liver is having a hard time clearing out “wastes” from our bodies, we can be more sensitive and “reactive” –that’s when allergies can show up, or in my case, skin outbreaks). I’m at work right now, but I’ll look some stuff up when I get home so I can give you detailed info. At the very least, I have a couple awesome books that are good reading for health. Also, if you have a Whole Foods around, or another high-quality health food store, you could ask them what they recommend. Trader Joe’s has supplements, but doesn’t really carry “remedies”, such as homeopathy or specific herbal tinctures (herbal extracts in liquid form). Homeopathy, in my opinion, is a fascinating science–it’s “drug-free” because they use natural substances that are *very* highly diluted, the idea is not to drug the body, but guide the body and stimulate it to do it’s own healing; it’s widely used in Europe and is very safe. Since we talk about poo and everything here, I’ll tell you this story: I really became a believer in homeopathy when I had a urinary-tract infection (and we girls know how uncomfortable that can be) and a homeopathic remedy did the trick.

Blah blah blah–I’ll stop before I write a novel. But I will post some specific resources, soon, if you’re interested.

[poopy]

Thanks, I ordered some over the counter homeopathic stuff as well as allergy herbal mixes inclu. nettle and some other stuff. i also take several immunity suplements already that i had listed in my previous post. what i have found with herbal stuff is that for chronic conditions, herbs help, but definitely cannot be used alone.

[Author]

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