Rex and Mini-Rex fur: What do you do?!?

[Cottontail]

I’ve neglected my other threads, but for a good cause.  In addition to moving, we have picked up  3 unexpected fosters.  While we are trying to place them in a foster and adoption program, we are faced with new challenges; such as how the heck do you brush rex fur?  Their fur is literally so thick and velvety that water beads on it and rolls off!  I’m afraid that if I do penetrate their fur that it will either scare them or pull chunks of fur out, but if I simply pet them that nothing will come lose because it’s so tight to begin with. 

My question for Rex People: 

• How do you groom your bunnies?
  
• What do you use? 
• How does their normal shed go, from your experience?

[Cottontail]

I found an older thread from 2011 with recommendations of furbusters and lint-rollers, but knowing that i killed a lint-roller on Tilly, I can just imagine how fast I’d be going through them with 3 rexes!

I don’t have a fur-buster, but I think my vet may have them… Is the comb really worth it, though?

[lillian]

I’m one of the ones who uses a lint roller and usually suggest it to my friends lol. If your rex’s have fine fur, the comb isn’t worth it. We spent about $70 on different combs and none of them worked as my buns fur just slid right through it. We tried every different type we could find. I have dwarfs who luckily aren’t quite as furry, but their fur isn’t tightly packed so they shed quite a bit. We used to joke that in one shedding we could make a second bunny purely out of fur. Honestly, being the cheap person I am (lol) I have found lint rollers to work the best. I get the cheap generic ones and they go for quite a bit.

By furbuster Im not sure what you mean, as I see both combs, rollers, and gloves with that name. My old vet used what looked like a glove that was supposed to grab the loose fur off the bun and cling to the glove, but, he was in for a surprise when he ended up with more fur in his face than on the glove! Ive also seen sticky rollers that are supposed to work similar to a lint roller, but I guess its washable with water? That might be worth a try!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I used a furminator of my little Bridge Rex, Stormy. It was the only thing that would work on him. Small Animal Furminator followed by wet hands grooming. He needed grooming pretty much every day. He was always shedding a little and then he would go through a massive molt several times a year.

[Cottontail]

I’ll probably try a lint roller and pick up one of the combs while I’m at the vet tomorrow… I can tell that they’re shedding a bit due to the fur in their poop, but nothing comes loose just from petting. They don’t even feel like real bunnies.

The fur is not really fine, it’s ultra-thick/dense though! it’s like they grey enough fur for a 10lb bunny, but then put it on the skin of a 2-3lb bunny instead! The little guy isn’t as bad, but the female is the worst when it comes to dense coat.

Also, never having had a rex before, are they always so muscular? I’ve never felt a bunny so muscular that wasn’t a cottontail… they’re all thick short rolling coat and muscle.

[The Law Bun]

Cottontail,

Though I cannot actually lend any advice to you (sorry :/), I can confidently say I am SOOO excited for pictures haha! Your house must be crazy now with 5 buns!

[jerseygirl]

Wow! You have your hands full.

I’ve heard using a pumice stone on rex fur is good.

[Toni]

Rex fur is my absolute favorite……sooooo velvety! It is quite alien in comparison to regular fur though and takes some getting used to. With my 2 former Rex bunnies, this was what I learned. First… I noticed with both rabbits….when they were young they were able to shed completelyon their own for the most part gradually. It was a gradual pattern fur loss shed. As they got older and older….. they needed more and more help shedding and removing loose fur. When they were seniors, they couldn’t even bend/stretch to get to some areas all-together and needed a LOT of help removing the loose fur – and the fur would come out in larger sections/chunks at a time as opposed to an all-over puffing shed like when they were young.

While I’m sure everyone has different techniques that work for them, I personally would do regular hand-plucking and gentle rubbing/scratching during their molts (I did this outside, and always face downwind or I would be covered in fur) …… once the shed was over I honestly have never done anything special. They groom so often, they would keep their coats in great shape on their own… and I found that just the regular petting/body rubs and scratches my 2 liked so much would keep their coats in good shape. During any molts… I’d be continuously removing the loose fur to keep them from ingesting much of it (I use papaya tablets during molts). I’d just sort of gently pinch the loose looking fur between my fingers and gently pull away…all loose fur would come out. They really enjoyed the grooming. Mine hated brushes, would get aggravated with me over them, but enjoyed the hand grooming.

I know just what you are going through…. I just found myself in a sudden and unexpected possession of an Angora. Talk about having to learn a completely different grooming style! Good luck with the fosters!

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