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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Feeling awful about grooming my bunnies

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    • TincanOwl
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        Hi! It’s my first molting seasion and it’s really stressful! I recognize that I’m a sensitive person and my bunnies will never like being picked up or groomed but I feel absolutely terrible after every time I have to handle them because I never feel like it goes well. I suck at picking them up so I’m always afraid of injuring them, like I know how to do it but it’s hard to practice since I don’t want them to hate me and I can’t trap them in their carrier using food anymore since they won’t fall for it. Then they’re scared of me after, especially the more timid one of them and I know I shouldn’t take it personally but I can’t help feeling awful about the whole ordeal especially since he’ll be so afraid of me for a while and it’s taking me a really long time to gain his trust. It just feels like I completely break it every time I have to try to catch him to groom him and I always feel so awful about it after. I guess idk, do other people feel this way too? Do you have any tips to make grooming sessions less stressful? I feel like I’ve tried them all but I’m open, sorry about any typos


      • DanaNM
        Moderator
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          Aww I know it can be really hard. The first thing to remember is that it is kind of a “tough love” thing. It’s important to groom bunnies during molting so they don’t get sick, so it really should be done. I have a bun (Bonnie) that is traumatized from being in the shelter for 3-4 years, and she just hates being picked up and handled. I compromise by doing a couple deep groomings during molting, rather than the regular brushing I do with the other buns. If your buns have short hair, then this should be fine.

          The other big thing is TREATS. Always save a really good treat for right after handling (like a raisin or dried cranberry) that they only get after handling. Be ready with the treat and give it right after you are done with the handling. Bonnie may be SO mad at me during the grooming but she still knows to turn right around for her treat once we’re done, and she seems to forgive me pretty quickly.

          The final ingredient is you! Take a deep breath and try to approach the whole thing calmly. You will not destroy your bun’s trust with occasional handling (esp if they get a good treat after). You can also desensitize your bun to touching using clicker training and other positive reinforcement methods. If your bun is free-roam, avoid chasing them. You can use an x-pen to corner them in a smaller space, or sit on the ground and wait until they are calm. My go-to method for picking up squirmy buns is the foot-ball hold. I found very few videos demonstrating it on a rabbit that was less than cooperative, so I filmed myself doing it at the rescue with one of our buns that hated being handled. You can watch the video here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12iIW-I7CAJIK7Zah6jN0470eQkOlaqr3/view?usp=sharing

          You also might look into clicker training and “cooperative care”. There aren’t a ton of resources for bunnies, but it’s a training method used for wild animals in zoos to have them assist you with health behaviors through training. I’ve been wanting to work on it with my buns, but I have 4 and so I didn’t know where to start, lol.

           

          . . . 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.  


          • TincanOwl
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              Your advice was super helpful, thank you!! Brushing them goes better and thr video you sent has been studied thuroughly, thank you so much! You’re very sweet!


            • DanaNM
              Moderator
              8901 posts Send Private Message

                That’s great, happy to help!

                . . . 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.  


            • LBJ10
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                Yes, bribery can go a long way. Mine would be angry and couldn’t wait to be put down. But the second their feet hit the floor, they knew to turn around because a special treat was coming.


                • TincanOwl
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                    Aww!! I hope I can get to a stage like that with mine too!


                • prince dorian the bun
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                    I just pluck instead of trying to brush one of my buns Dorian. He seems to have very sensitive skin and he hated being brushed/combed. He however loves being pet so I just sit next to him and pluck the loose hair out. Honestly I think I get more fur than with the comb, and I can do the sessions for longer. That said my other little bun Miu does not have sensitive fur, she does not like being pet as much, definitely not for 15+ minute sessions… but she does like her pellets. So I give her a couple and then brush while she is munching, give her a couple more, comb a bit more. It’s not as good as the plucking, but it gets the worst of it off her. Treats and pets are very much your friends and keep the sessions short. Also try for sleepier times of day, they are usually more cooperative in my experience.


                    • TincanOwl
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                        Thank you for sharing! Gives me some ideas for my skittish bun, he hates being pet and probably thinks he’ll die when I pick him up but he’d do absolutely anything for his pellet so mayhaps I can incorporate that


                      • prince dorian the bun
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                          Miu, my skittish bun, is a lionhead, and she is always getting tangles and and things stuck in her mane or pantaloon fluff on top of needing grooming and it really does work for her. I also just let them stay on the ground and do small bits until they seem very annoyed and then just come back later. They have adjusted to it and Dorian is actually starting to really like the plucking, I got a huge handful of fur of him yesterday. Also my technique with plucking has gotten better so now I can more gently get out more loose hair. Not as useful with Miu, but I use the comb, some plucking and occasionally scissors on her (that’s more for when her tangles turn into dreads)  and lots of patience. I may just settle for 3 short 5 min sessions some days and getting the worst of the shedding off. Treats and pets (if they like them) let them see it as a not so negative experience. You got this!


                      • Wick & Fable
                        Moderator
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                          It can be tough, but keep in mind that care tasks like medication administration, nail trimming, and grooming are things that take up generally less than an hour within a 24hr day and do not happen often, so you have a LOT of time outside those events. As someone who had a rabbit who would literally wheeze outloud due to panic, I can tell you that the more you do it, the more they get used to it, and they will forgive you as long as you’re not ‘tormenting’ them the other 23 hours of the day. Rabbits are not the smartest creatures, which means they are pretty easy to forget/forgive with some treats.

                          For me, I’d say opt for whatever method is most efficient while keeping in mind we should not be ripping out fur. I personally only do hand plucking paired with the hairbuster. In general, no rabbit starts out being calm during grooming— they grow into it once they have repeated experiences of realizing it’s not an unbearable task and that it ends with a treat!

                          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.


                          • TincanOwl
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                              Thank you for the reassurance, it means a lot, it’s so hard not to feel bad for them, they sure do act like their grooming is the worst thing to ever happen to them haha


                          • Bam
                            Moderator
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                              I have a rex rabbit whose very dense but short fur wont stick to any brush or comb. I use a sticky paper lint roller on her. I first ruffle her fur with my hands (which she actually seems to like), so as to get as much hair as possible to come loose. She doesnt seem to mind the lint roller.

                              I’ve used this method on other buns as well, but I dont think itd work with a long hair, like an angora or lionhead.

                              Keep in mind that you’re being a good bun caretaker for doing this, and yo are solely doing this for the good of the bun. If a bun ingests too much hair during molting (they’ll always ingest some, which is ok), it can lead to GI trouble. GI trouble is painful and can last for many more hours than a grooming session.

                              Rabbits may not be Einstein, but they do operate under the same principles of learning as we do. If you’re exposed to sth you’re scared of, and the exposure doesnt result in something awful, you wont be as scared the next time, and you’ll be even less scared the third time.

                               


                              • TincanOwl
                                Participant
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                                  Lintroller, that’s amazing haha

                                  Thank you for your kind words, it means a lot!

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                            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Feeling awful about grooming my bunnies