Silk angora hyper stressed from brushing…help!

[Lilli]

I have a lovely silk angora boy who has just turned 1 years old. Hes got a pretty fiesty dominant personality, but he is my lovely radiant boye and I adore him.

Because hes angora, he creates wool. Because hes silk angora, its supposed to be brushed out. The first time I harvested his wool was October of last year, because he was still a baby, and had to grow it out. I gave him light brushes every day to just keep him luxurious, and he didnt mind. The full harvest in October, though, took me a couple hours over a couple days. Somehow I dont think thats right.

The second time I brushed him was in January, and I only brushed him half way because I was an hour in and the poor boy wouldnt hold still and seemed stressed. A couple of days later his G.I. tract froze and I had to take him to the vet. We got some Critical Care and he was alright. A couple weeks later I tried to finish the brushing, and decided to cut corners by cutting the wool so that I could finish faster and not stress him out as much. A couple days later his G.I. tract froze again and I got him back on Critical Care. Maybe it was coincidence, but I see a pattern.

I preemptively bought some Critical Care and brushed him today, and Im going to be feeding him that for the next couple of days. I only brushed him for about half an hour today, he wouldnt sit still and seemed very stressed. I take short breaks and give him treats, because I dont want the poor thing to be upset, but as an angora he needs to be brushed!

I dont know if Im doing something wrong or if I just have the worlds biggest crybaby… I use two large toothed combs and sit him on a chair at about 4.5 feet tall. If it turns out Ive been abusin my rabbit, please spare my your harsh words. Ill be providing plenty of that from myself and wont need your contribution. Just educate me on ehat Im doing and leave it there. He may be a brat at times but I adore him, and it kills me to know that Im stressing him out.

If you need any additional information or pictures let me know. Thank you for your help.

[kurottabun]

Some bunnies are just more prone to stress than others and there are many who hate being brushed as well.

Have you tried brushing him while he’s resting or eating? That’s how I brush my bunny since he’s not a fan of being placed in “high” places (chairs, tables, even couches etc), so I have to do it while he’s being distracted by food or when he’s too tired to care.

There should be certain times of the day your bunny feels sluggish and sleepy too so you might be able to sneak in some grooming

[Lilli]

I have to put him high up or he will run when he was a lot younger he would let me lightly brush him while he was munching lettuce, and then he decided he didnt like that and would bolt from the lettuce and go mark a spot that isnt his. Keeping him up high, while I know he doesnt like it, keeps him in place.

Half tempted to thwack him over the head and brush him while hes out cold!
(HEAVY SARCASM)

[Bam]

If you harvested in October, isn’t it time for another harvest now? Or is that not until they are older? From what I’ve read about angoras, silk angoras need harvesting 3 times per year, normal angoras 4 times.

I have a teddy lionhead bun with lots of fur. When I got him he had had his hair cut so it was reasonably short and htolerated brushing well. Now his hair is long and he doesn’t like being brushed. I have to brush him though, so I bribe him with small pieces of dried fruit and his favourite pellets.

[Lilli]

Yes, it is time to brush him, I tried back in January and tried again yesterday. He still has a skirt of angora on him because I couldnt finish, but his back is all brushed out. Still cant see his tail through the floof. I might just have to cut it to make things easier, but thats infinitely messier.

[FlemishDad]

I get a lot of mileage from food rewards. Try giving treats and pellets only after a bit of brushing. Also, maybe you could find a brush with extra soft tips.

[Lilli]

So I suppose the consesus is that I just have a big whiney crybaby? *sigh* I guess Ill just have to keep experimenting with harvesting. For as dramatic as he was a few days ago, his G.I. tract still seems to be functioning well…
Thanks for the second opinion guys. My radiant boye really is a very independant soul, which is both infuriating and endearing, and Ill just have to find the way that works best for both of us.

Add edit to Flemishdad, one of the wide toothed combs I use is just 5 fat blunt tips. Im sure its the discomfort of having the wool pulled out.

[Bam]

Have you considered harvesting by cutting his fur with scissors? If pulling the wool out hurts him, maybe scissors are a better option for him? From what I’ve heard, 6 cm (about 2.5 inches) is the lenght the wool needs to have in order to be spun, but you can needle felt with shorter hair.

[Lord Bonton]

My fuzzy lop doesnt care much for being plucked, or brushed, so he gets trimmed of his wool wit ha small scissors. He seems to tolerate that better and just sits for petting. Usually after its trimmed the lose fur will come out easier for a couple days. Lucky for us his wool is white, and his top coat is chocolate, so we can see a definitive fur line moving down his body and where to trim. We are just about done harvesting his fur right now(started beginning of february) and its all the way down to his butt now lol.

[Author]

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