How Can I get my Bunnies to let Me Brush them?

[BlueMoonSamurai]

Hello! So I’m trying to brush out the dead fur to keep my bunnies clean and healthy. I mange to do so but it a while because my buns try to run away. I’ve tried giving them treats while I brush them but they just refuse them and try biting me. I try to hold them but they kick me before I can hold them to my chest. I just want them to be calm when I brush them. Are there any other tricks I could try?

[Rain]

Yes, there are! My bun will not tolerate being picked up or brushed, and I deal with this same issue every day. What I do is have a nice pile of pellets or veggies waiting for her, and while she’s eating, I just quickly brush her and pluck her. A tip is to pluck loose fur instead of brushing because it’s much more faster and takes out the most fur, while a brush takes less fur and more time. I also do this whenever she’s being a lazy loaf, so she’s too groggy and sleepy to really want to run away. I also gently cover her head with my hand, and pet her to comfort her, which allows her to calm down. After a couple weeks she became used it and is totally cool with me plucking her.

[Surmom]

I pretty much have the same issue. Mine HATES being brushed- she will bite the brush out of my hand and throw it. I have found that if my BF holds her outside and loves on her I am able to pluck her butt, think this is because she is never outside so she is too nervous to go anywhere (just be pretty to have an extra grip and maybe a claw mark or two). Otherwise I sneak pluck them when she goes to bounce away from me!

[BunjaminML]

I’ve always been pretty bad at this until recently. I would put them in their carrier, then take them out to the patio. I would take them out of the carrier one-by-one and put them on my lap while I brushed. At first, they were too freaked out about being outside to try to jump out, but I think they eventually just got used to it. They still kind of hate it, though.

[Sirius&Luna]

I put my bunnies on the table, with a big pile of veg or pellets. Because they’re on the table they can’t run away, but the food keeps them semi okay with the situation.

[ThorBunny]

Another good tool is a lint roller For my bun, it feels much more like petting so she actually likes to be lint rolled. Just wipe a new sheet on your clothes first to make sure they aren’t SUPER sticky. If you’re bunnies have normal fur (not long or rex) this should do a good job of pulling off dead fur clumps.

[tobyluv]

If your bunnies like to be petted, maybe a grooming glove like the Love Glove would work better than a brush. You can stroke their backs just as if you are petting them, but you will get some loose fur off with the glove.

[DanaNM]

Everyone already gave really good tips! One more is to start by just petting your bun in the way they like to be petted and get them all calm and sleepy first. Then gently start combing with one hand, while you keep petting with the other!

My buns don’t like being brushed if it’s just the brush, but if they are getting head rubs at the same time they will tolerate it.

Hand plucking is also great during heavy molts and most buns tolerate it more than brushing.

If the situation is really bad (like a crazy molt and they need a really deep grooming), it isn’t the end of the world to plop them on your lap or the table on a towel and just get the job done. They will probably thump at you and give you some scornful looks right after, but you will be forgiven. My Bunston was really tough to groom, so we would settle for hand plucking most of the time, but then when we trimmed his nails he also would get a very thorough brushing on the table.

. . . 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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