Tips for brushing a bun who hates being brushed?

[Rae]

Hi all,

I recently made the goal to begin brushing Gus after realizing he was starting to get a mini mat on his back.

He has never had mats anywhere outside of the groin, which we go to the vet for, so I had figured brushing wasn’t necessary. Seeing the mat made me realize it is, at least now, important to brush him.

Thing is, he hates it, especially near his rump/directly above the tail, which is where he is shedding so, so bad.

Current method is feeding him his veggies, petting his head while he eats (distraction), and going in with the brush which resulted in about one to two minutes of grooming where I was able to get the mat out before he ran away from me.

Any tips/advice?

 

[BrunosMama]

Some buns with tolerate a lint roller. If his fur is shedding, this usually works pretty well because it won’t stick to the “attached” fur. I have had buns it worked like a charm for, others hated it more than being brushed. My one poor bun, Cinnabon, was not a good candidate for lint rollers, because for some reason, they just glued to his fur. That was not a pleasant discovery for either of us lol.

You could also try plucking tufts by hand. I usually end up doing this the most, because you can disguise it as petting. 🙂

They make a brush “glove” that has softer rubber bristles on the palm. Its nice because it combines brush and petting. Most of my buns liked it. 🙂 Here’s something like what I had (it died to a bun. She chewed off the tips and bristles of several spots. Sigh.)

https://www.chewy.com/mr-peanuts-hand-gloves-dog-cat/dp/180949?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20203340297&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20198661774&gbraid=0AAAAADmQ2V1-wCc5MVujrNGmEkZJ3EafF&gclid=CjwKCAjwiNXFBhBKEiwAPSaPCfnyZuV-hXi8ckKERs9fp34mqaQKrc6KJi-46yZmdJCZlhcE00CuMhoCS9MQAvD_BwE

You may also try a different type of brush. Ones that don’t have the sharp metal bristles seem best, but even a comb might work.

[LBJ10]

I feel your pain. Brush – nope. Lint roller – nope. Love Glove – Oh hell no. Plucking – Only if I sneak it and then I only get a single tuft.

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