Mocha and Lulu wont let me groom them!

[mocha200]

I ordered the hair buster from BB, But Lulu is scared of it and mocha is just scared of being touched, and he is the one I am worried about! right now it looks like he has a winter coat! He is shedding like crazy and leaving hair every were! I just want to help him so he doesn’t get a blockage from hair.

Help? Ideas? anything?

[MirBear]

trancing? or put it in their pen overnight so they get used to it? groom them together?

[Monkeybun]

put a towel ona counter, and put mocha up on it. it works for Monkey. She is a little more scared being up on the counter, so she doesnt wiggle and run as much.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Try just making grooming a positive experience. I think most of us come at it the wrong way-we come in with a strange brush and start brushing -which has never happened to them before-and expect them to sit nicely (people do this with dogs all the time) while we do an uber long brushing session.
instead let them smell the brush and give them a treat, give them a brush, give them a treat…then leave them alone and try tomorrow. And work up slowly.
If it’s desperate and you need to brush-put them on a counter and brush them for as short a time as you can and make sure you make it up to them after with a treat

[jerseygirl]

Do they allow normal pets? For now, you can try get that fur off Mocha with some light plucking or running damp hands over his coat. And start out slow with the hairbuster as K&K has suggested.
Some members have said you use this brush on an angle? So the teeth of the comb don’t go straight down into the coat but in at a angle.  Practice on the cats, they might like it.

[MimzMum]

Mocha and Mimzy could be brothers. 0_o Mimz just decided to blow his coat too. >.<
I always keep Mimz in his night pen while I groom him, so that he only has so far to go. Muahaha!
I use the ‘love glove’ that you can find at Petco or your local supermarket pet section on my bunnies, since it’s just like petting them…unless there is serious ‘tufting’ going on, in which case I switch to a furminator to help pull the knotting clumps. (They’re not as cooperative for that.)
I’ve had my bunnies for 3 years and, although they are more used to me grooming/touching/handling them than they used to be, I still get starch from them when they don’t want my attention.

All I can say is, try to spend as much time with them cuddling and soothing as you do grooming, so they will learn that it is a pleasant experience as well as a ‘touchy-feely’ one. And of course, if you have a healthy treat to offer after a groom, that is ALWAYS appreciated!

[mocha200]

Lulu loves to be petted! but mocha has only let him pet him twice. He just does not like it. I tried doing it at an angle but it didn’t seem to get any fur off and when I don’t do it at an angle it kinda gets caught and pulls out a lot of hair, and they don’t like that pulling feeling.

[jerseygirl]

I agree MM, when I’ve groomed due to shedding, I put them up on the washer and get “starch” from them too each time. But I persist and eventually they settle and start to enjoy the petting/grooming.

[blackfang]

I have similar issues like yours but I did this method for two years.. Never fail this method so far

I tried my hardest to grab and hold rabbit and rush to bathroom.
I sat on toilet(sp?) (lid close, of course). I let Romeo stay on my lap.
For some reasons, my rabbit never jump off my lap in bathroom. Romeo accepted it and waited for me to finish pulling his fur off for like 15 to 30 minutes.
Then he wont give me hard time when picking him up and take him to his room because he want to go there!
Finally, I have to vacuum in bathroom because furs are everywhere!

I did same thing with Belle. (my other rabbit) She never jump off my lap.

You should try this and see how it goes.

[MimzMum]

Actually, do you have a bathtub you can put Mocha in? At least that way he only has so far to go while you try to get fur off him?
I think the wet hand thing may be the way to go. If he is in a neutral place that he doesn’t know well like the tub, he may stay still for you. If not, as he goes by just brush your hand over him and try to snatch as much fluff as you can.
Do you have anyone to assist you? When it comes to grooming, tag-teaming is not only allowed, it is absolutely necessary in some situations.

[mocha200]

I just did a short groom with mocha on the dryer. I had a small piece of carrot copped up in my pocket so when he finished one piece I had another one ready to distract him. I only did it for about 2 min. and didn’t get much fur off. but while i was brushing i realized that he wasn’t shedding as bad as I thought because a lot didn’t really come off. so maybe he is just a furry rabbit.

[MimzMum]

When Mimzy sheds, his undercoat tends to come out to the surface…all the stuff that looks ‘grainy’ disappears and I’m left with this really soft, downy….there’s no other word for it than, “floofy” fur. It looks a bit a different color too. The consistency is more like eiderdown than animal fur.
I seriously take off about 5 bunnies when I’m brushing him, it’s kinda scary. 0_o

Do you have a current pic of Mocha?

[lashkay]

I think NObunny likes that pulling feeling, their skin is so sensitive – mine sure don’t either, nor the whole brushing business. I’m up against the same thing as you. I brush my two in the big square SPCA carrier I got on eBay. Never have used it as a carrier, use a Celltei for that, but I’m glad I got the SPCA carrier for the grooming. It’s better now that I leave little tidbits on the floor of the carrier for them to find. While they munch, I brush or comb. It was suggested to me, for their gentler experience, to hold the fur you’re combing, against or toward their body, that way they don’t feel any pulling but you get the strands brushed/combed. Another good thing is to comb the tips of the lock of hair first, then start a littler further from the tips until the whole lock of hair has been combed through. Remembering to hold the lock near the body with the other hand while you do the lock ensures the animal won’t feel any pain. You’ll get better at this with practice. I also pet their heads with my free hand once the comb goes through without any more resistance. You can lift the top part of the cheek hair and comb through that, then holding the top part above, draw the comb through the bottom part.

Ditto the treats – I give my double maned lionhead bunnies diced dried papaya – DrsFosterandSmith carries 1 lb bags of pure diced papaya, no sugar, preservatives or other additives. My vet recommended giving ea bunny 2 diced bits per day for babies, a bit more when they’ve matured a little, the papain keeps the hair from binding together with food which can become woolblock.

No-pull Combing/brushing you keep GENTLE, treats, and dried papaya bits should get your bunny to feeling better in time about being groomed.
I’ll try to post some links I found very helpful.

[lashkay]

Here’s the link to the thread I got some great support on….hope it helps:

https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aff/1/aft/112793/afv/topic/Default.aspx

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