Bunny Grooming

[kimberleyanddarren]

As i have just got a lionhead i need some advice on grooming so i was wondering to anyone who has a longhair bunny such as a lionhead or angora what they use to keep the coat free from knots etc. which type of brush is best and how do u go about doing it with as little disturbence as possibel 2 ur bunny?

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[Bunnies4ever]

I have one long-haired and one with a long mane. I use three things: a small slicker brush, a comb and a large lint roller. My buns have never had mats, so I don’t know how to deal with those. I brush them with the slicker brush first, then comb through. The lint roller is just to get the fuzzies off their bum during their molt The tummy is the hardest part because they don’t sit still long enough, but I brush as quickly as I can. They get a treat afterwards, so they are tolerant. They see me coming with my towel and supplies and you can see them thinking “oh here she comes with that stuff..it must be that time again!” Chloe actually purrs when she’s being groomed. Kahula hates it.

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

Mine looks like 26005 but smaller. I use it for large areas like their back. I have another comb with rubber teeth. Because the teeth are softer than the other cobs/brush, I use that to brush their face, legs, stomach.

I still havent figured out what to use to brush their tail though. Toki’s fur gets tangled sometimes and I just undo it with my fingers. It’s the under-side of the tail. When you flip a bun on their back, the part of the tail that’s close to their anus. Someone told me to use a ‘fluff comb’. What is that?Any ideas?

[notjulesverne]

The lady at the Rabbit Haven told me to separate the little knots by pulling them apart with your fingers and then use a fluff brush, but I don’t know what that is and he never seems to need either so…

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

A slicker brush without little beads on the end of the bristles is what I use on Kahlua (my lionhead) (like 26005). She needed alot of brushing when I first got her and then when she “shed out” but other then that I do it maybe three times a week. I keep my grooming bag (a little bag with two slickers, a comb and a soft brush, scissors and nail clippers, and dry shampoo) right beside my chair in the living room. So on a commercial break or whatever, I just reach down and grab her and we have a little grooming session. Honestly Kahlua loves to run around and do her own thing, but she will sit still for grooming. I trance her to gently do her tummy.

I had to deal with a mat actually on my short haired bunny-Rupert. He was a stray so I’m assuming that’s when he got it-it was a pee mat! Gross!! So I bathed him and tried to really shampoo that area, then when he was fluffy dry, my boyfriend tranced him and I cut/brushed it out…you have to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL when cutting into a matt…Bunny skin is super elastic and stretchy-soooo it can easily be in the matt, and if you cut it a little it can end up being a big cut. Make sure they aren’t moving around and its well lit and your being very careful.

[Lisa_43]

This is a You Tube video of grooming an Angora rabbit, it would be much the same as a Lion head showing how to get knots out etc.

Binky bunny recommended this video on another thread and I thought it was a very good video.

It is a 6 part video and this is the first part, the rest you should be able to find.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch

[JK]

Wow would any bunny sit for that grooming???? I still don’t know how to get the area in the inside of the thumpers. Edson will not let me do it.

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

My buns definitely will not tolerate the dryer. It’ll give them a heart attack!!

[Lisa_43]

You don’t have to do everything in the video, I just think it gives you an idea on how to get knots out etc. Just take what you want out of the video and use it.

[KatnipCrzy]

When I am on the computer- Cotton my Mini Lop lays on the desk and while usually flop down and I pet her whole body- including her abdomen.  So as I am reading- one hand is bunny massaging.  She is so relaxed that I can feel the shape of her intestines.  Has anyone else ever felt this?  I am sure that is what it is- it does not feel abnormal or as if there is a gap in the abdominal wall (hernia).  She is still growing (3 months old) so maybe when she gets a little pudgier I won’t be able to feel them??

Do your brush a short haired bunnies belly?  Or do you just leave it alone?

I am surprised at how settled she has gotten with our computer/groom sessions- she lets me clean the corners of her eyes- she has a tiny amount of matter daily- nothing that appears abnormal.  She lets me stroke her ears and if she flops out I can rub her feet.  She especially loves to do “nose rubs” with me- and she will sniff my mouth with her tickly whiskers.  I think she smells sugar from me drinking pop or juice maybe.  Though I usually only do our special “nose rubs” when no one else is home.    She must think she is the Queen of Bunnies with all the grooming and preening I do to her.

There is a type of mat comb called a mat rake and it has sharp blades that pull away from the pet- something like that might work well for de-matting- unless the mat is right to the skin.  Usually shaving is recommended over scissors in case of accidentally cutting your pet.  But if that is not an option and bunny is too scared of clippers- I would recommend waiting to use scissors until the daytime when your vet is open- just in case.

Julie

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I”m no vet or anything but my short haired kokanee only gets brushing when drying off….Handling her seems to be enough to get rid of ther fur…Mind you-we’ve never experienced a molt …don’t know why but no severe shedding here!

[kimberleyanddarren]

how often do you guys bath your bunny?

[ScooterandAnnette]

Unless they get really dirty, bunnies should not be bathed. Normally they will clean themselves quite well.
They are very sensitive to dampness so if they are bathed they have to be thoroughly dried, and you want to be careful with a blowdryer.

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

I’ve never bathed my buns. They are kept indoor and I keep up with grooming. So they have no need for bathing.

[JK]

How DO you brush their underside especially around their back legs? Edson will just not let me do it. Do you have to trance them? I have yet to do that.

[michellec]

id recommend a bit this brush as with humans hold the hair with ur fingers at the root and brush the rest of the hair till ur almost tug free then stroke him/her with the brush short/fast strokes being as gentle as you can which of course im sure you are the tip about pullin with ur fingers is good however if u pull a buni hair out the wrong wae u will give him a little spot, much like humans

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[kimberleyanddarren]

thanks for all your help guys! my trouble at the moment is gettin to brush behind his legs

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

I dont have much luck of doing it either. I flip my buns belly up and hold with one arm. And then use the other arm to brush the belly and stuff. But they dont like it and definitely put up a fight with me. You just have to be patient and wait a few minutes for the bun to calm down each time he fights with you.

[Deleted User]

I can’t even get a comb/brush near Luey …. he goes spare!  And I have tried a damp hand … forget that too.  He is too quick for me and then I cop a massive bite.

Luey is molting big time at the moment and has been for months now …. he has tufts of fur sticking out from his body… he looks more like a hedgehog at the moment than a rabbit LOL.  I have come up with a solution.. we go outside … I put a pen up and sit in the pen with Luey … that way he is too scared to even move (being out of his comfort zone).  I run my hands through his coat and pluck out the tufts .. oh my fur was a flighing everywhere. 

Now he looks more like a bunny!

Dawn xx

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