Probably a crazy question but.. shaving/clipping bunnies?

[bunnnnnnie!]

Is this ever done?  Not that I’m considering doing it, I was just wondering!

With their heat intolerance, and some bunnies’ issues with hairballs, it seems like shaving/clipping would be a good idea for some buns.  A long-haired bun living in a hot climate with no air conditioning would probably appreciate getting rid of some hair!  Kind of like how some people shave long-haired dogs in the summer.  I HATE to see Collies and stuff on jogs in the summer with their owners, they look like they’re about to keel over they’re panting so much.

So, is this ever done?  If not, why not?  They shave cats sometimes even, why not a bunny?

[LoveChaCha]

I’ve never heard of shaving/clipping bunnies fur.
It is a reason why bunnies shed so much hair in the spring, so their fur is lighter and thinner.

My friend has a Lionhead and he is fine during the summer. She gives him cold water.

I’ve heard of giving buns a frozen water bottle or even a small fan in front of their cage, so they can cool off.

[Elrohwen]

I know owners of angoras and other wooly breeds will clip them to get rid of a lot of that hair that mats, but it’s not a good idea to shave regular hair bunnies. They have adapted to live in all sorts of conditions with the hair they have, so removing it could impact their health if the weather gets below a certain temp.

Wild bunnies have adapted to live in Australia, which gets extremely hot, so I think our house bunnies will be fine inside during the summer. 

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Brittany on 05/18/2010 10:56 AM
I’ve never heard of shaving/clipping bunnies fur.
It is a reason why bunnies shed so much hair in the spring, so their fur is lighter and thinner.

My friend has a Lionhead and he is fine during the summer. She gives him cold water.

I’ve heard of giving buns a frozen water bottle or even a small fan in front of their cage, so they can cool off.

Zeus already has a fan in front of his cage, I turn it on if it’s going to be in the mid 70s or above.  He loves it!

 

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Elrohwen on 05/18/2010 11:05 AM

I know owners of angoras and other wooly breeds will clip them to get rid of a lot of that hair that mats, but it’s not a good idea to shave regular hair bunnies. They have adapted to live in all sorts of conditions with the hair they have, so removing it could impact their health if the weather gets below a certain temp.

Wild bunnies have adapted to live in Australia, which gets extremely hot, so I think our house bunnies will be fine inside during the summer. 

That makes sense.  Clipped dogs can wear little jackets and sweaters and stuff, I’ve even seen pictures of cats wearing little sweaters.  A bunny would just destroy it, I think.

 

[LoveChaCha]

Hehe.
That makes me remember that I must go to Walmart this week when I get paid to pick up a fan for myself and the bun. Bah. It is already getting warm! My room is upstairs, and the sun goes directly into it.. its too warm at night!!

[Andi]

I had a partially paralyzed bunny who needed regular shavings. I did them myself untill the blades on my clippers died, rabbit fur is so hard on them. After that I paid the vet to clip her once a month for me, and I trimmed it as the fur grew back.

Now the reason for clipping was that this bunny could not move her back end properly, one side was unable to hold her weight from a spinal fracture. So she could only sit on that one side to move around, if she flipped over, she was unable to do anything The clippings were to keep her from getting urine scald (and we used special bedding etc. as well) on the side she sat on 24/7, as it would get very moist. I would coat the shaved area with Bag Balm, to repel the moisture and keep her skin healthy.

So rabbits can be shaved, but  for specific reasons, not b/c they are shedding or you want a poodle looking bunny LOL Rabbtis skin is sensitive so that fur will keep them protected from the sun.

We called Ebony’s shaved area her ‘Go-Go-Boots’, as it looked like she was wearing boots.

 

[Deleted User]

That’s very cool, Andi, to use a barrier ointment right on the rabbit’s skin.
I have to say that Ebony is almost sporting a Poodle’s lion clip.

I would not recommend shaving a rabbit because of heat; at least not to the point of naked. Rabbit skin is very thin and incredibly sensitive, definitely not meant to be unprotected. Clipping or trimming a long-haired angora’s coat is fine but never shave a rabbit down to the skin. it takes a long time to grow back and that skin needs to be protected. There are other ways to keep a rabbit cool, such as offering a bottle of frozen water to the rabbit to lie against, etc.

[Beka27]

A vet might also do a sanitary shave if there are issues with poopy butt and mats, in conjunction with trying to remedy the underlying issue. But I agree, it isn’t something that is a good idea just b/c of normal temperature changes. There are much better ways to keep a bun cool.

[Andi]

When I took her on, she was mostly mobel and then things started going downhill. I had to learn as i went and try a bunch of things to help keep her quality of life good. But from this experiance I have been able to help other rabbit owners who end up having similar problems with elderly bunnies and arthritis or inconstanance. All thanks to my special girl

Do we know if rabbits fur is insulated (hollow) like other animals? That would keep them warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

[Elrohwen]

Andi, I was just wondering that. Lots of animals coats keep them insulated *from* the heat, instead of making them hotter, and I wondered if this was the case with bunnies too.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I agree with the others. I have clipped Kahlua (my double maned lionhead) when it’s really hot. She’s got really long thick fur. I also keep her ‘bangs’ trimmed so she can see
We run the AC 24/7 in summer here but it is still about 21-23 in the house in the summertime and it can feel quite hot sometimes. So I do clip but never ever to nakedness Like petsy brought up their skin is super sensitive, so leaving it naked would not be a good thing -mechanical or chemical irritation could be too much and think about skin that’s never seen the sun seeing the sun-that would be bad. But definitely a little clip that’s not down to the skin, by someone who’s clipped before (re: experienced owner, groomer, vet/vet tech etc) is fine. But normal haired bunnies won’t need it

[bunbunsmom]

i have a lionhead bunny… she is matted around her bottom area.. does anyone know how to do a sanitary shave? i really don’t want to take her to the vet to do something i can prob do myself. any suggestions??     

[cactuspancake]

So this won’t apply to any rabbits unless they are angora. Giant angoras CAN’T shed their coat, and angoras like Franz suffer even at 70F. I bought him his own air conditioner but his fur is like 5+ inches now and not shedding. He is starting to get tummy aches even with the bowl/2 of water he’s drinking a day and the AC! Yes you can shave bunnies but you should only do it on angoras unless sani shaving or something for health purposes. YOU MUST have a “special” clipper. The setup will be around $300 to $400 dollars. Pretty much the clipper has to be 3000RPMS and HAS TO BE QUIET! So no cheap clippers. Also the blade must be the perfect size. I have been recommended Golden Oster A-5 2 speed clippers. They are not cheap. $280 on the site. They are professional and the A-5 is used by vets on rabbits. You cannot cut skin with them (even if you try on yourself). For sanitary shaving the blade #40 leaves 1/100 inch. I have been recommended the blade numbers 7F and 5F. 7F leaves the hair 1/2″ long, and 5F leaves it 1/4″ long so the bunny is nice and fluffy still! Everyone here (and I’m talking HRS educators and rabbit shelters) that has angoras as pets says to shear them down always. I’ve been scared to do it for the obvious reason that scissors are plain scary. I was told through my vet to get a shearing lesson from a woman out west, but I’m still scared of the scissors. The only reason ppl don’t use clippers is because they’re expensive. The blade has to be changed after like 2 uses and it’s $30.

The reasons not to get a cheap clipper is that:
They can burn: the motors run hot
Not fast enough and can catch fur
They can cut skin… because they’re cheap
They are noisy and scare the bunny
The fans blow on the bunny and scares them
blades that leave fur simply don’t work on slow clippers

So… probably not applicable to anyone but the info is here if you want it.

[Stickerbunny]

It isn’t good to shave animals due to the heat, any animal too be honest… you can thin out say a dogs outer coat, but it’s not good to get rid of the under coating. Animals are designed to live with fur.

Some buns do need shaving for medical reasons – I know one person who has to shave her bun bald from about halfway down her back to her tail, including both back legs on her vets suggestion. Her bun does tolerate wearing sweaters though lol and it lives inside, so temperature controlled.

[angelicvampyre]

Rufus stopped grooming himself so we took to shaving (and yes it is winter over here) so he had a personal heater and a coat and he loved it, he would come home from the vet and binky his little arse off untill he litterally fell asleep wherever he happened to land, however as his teeth have gotten better and his pain meds are now working I find that he is back to grooming himself so i would not not shave him again unless I had to. i was grooming him myself every day of the week and still he looked like he has a long haired rabbit and tuffs of fur where coming out all over the place. So that is why I did it.

[cactuspancake]

Fluffy rabbits aren’t natural lol and neither are pomeranians… lhasa apsos… ect. So I had a lhasa and if you don’t cut their fur it will grow and grow. I’ve seen them 3-4 ft. long. I honestly can’t think of any wild animals that are fluffier than a few inches besides maybe arctic musk ox…. anyway we breed them this way and it’s totally unnatural. European rabbits shouldn’t go above 80F and imagine wearing Franz’s coat in the summer having to be confined in front of the AC. That’s so cruel! You have to be careful with the temperature for a few weeks after is all, but you should be careful with it anyway.

[Malp_15]

My Lhasa Apso/Shih Tzu gets shaved in the summer because the hair is too much and his breed isn’t made to handle heat period. So with any animal you have to take into consideration the breed and climate.

[cactuspancake]

Using a combination of sharp scissors and clippers, Franz officially has his summer cut! It’s 1/2 to 1″ long so like a normal bunny! I guess their fur is really hard to cut evenly due to lack of elasticity, but I tried, and he looks like a shaggy baby lamb!! I want to take a cuter pic before I post him. I used clippers on his neck and armpits because there were some hidden mats up against the skin and there was no way I would go there with scissors! We put him on his back between Michael’s legs and he just tranced out and was great! He struggled a bit at first but we just petted his head and mostly didnt have to hold him. It was sooooo adorable!

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