Grooming
How to hold your rabbit for grooming
It’s important to hold your rabbit correctly when grooming him. After all, the whole experience is supposed to be enjoyable for all concerned, not an ordeal that both parties dread!
***Do not lay your rabbit on its back***
Although your bunny will undoubtedly stay perfectly still, this is not because he is relaxed or hypnotised. This reaction is an instinctive prey animal response to being caught by a predator and is called Tonic Immobility. A tranced rabbit is actually terrified and playing dead. Any noises he makes will be of fear not pleasure. You can read more about TI here - Trancing/Tonic Immobility.
Instead make your bunny comfortable by placing him on a blanket or towel on a firm surface or on your lap, so that he feels secure and comfortable.
See here - Safe Handling for more in depth info on handling.
This video has some VERY good handling techniques that are especially useful for grooming
Why Grooming Your Rabbit is Important
When rabbits groom themselves they tend to swallow a lot of fur, especially when they are moulting. As rabbits cannot vomit, this ingested fur can form hairballs in the rabbit’s intestinal tract. When the hairballs dry out, they cause the gut to become sluggish and can lead to stasis or an obstruction.
Grooming your rabbit helps to get rid of excess fur, gives you the chance to bond with your pet, and also allows you to check him over for early signs of any potential health problems, which we’ll discuss later.
How often should you groom your rabbit?
Short-coated breeds of rabbit should be groomed at least once a week, more frequently during shedding. Breeds with long hair should ideally be groomed every day, especially when they are shedding. Long-haired rabbit breeds are prone to developing mats if their coats are not kept in good condition by regular grooming. Another alternative is to keep your long haired rabbit’s fur clipped/trimmed short. I trim/clip my long haired rabbits every 3-4 weeks.
Checks to make whilst grooming your rabbit
So, before we get into detail on how to groom your rabbit and talk about the best tools for the job, let’s look briefly at a few important health checks that you should include in your pet’s grooming routine.
Scent Glands
Your rabbit has scent glands on either side of their genitals and beneath the chin. Occasionally, you may notice a foul smell emanating from your pet’s rear end. This unpleasant aroma is caused when the scent glands become impacted. This not only smells bad, it is very uncomfortable for your rabbit and can attract flys leading to fly strike.
The other risk with scent glands is that they can become infected. So checking them regularly is essential.
These scent glands became infected with an associated episode of rain scald.
You can read more about Scent Glands and how to go about cleaning them here - Scent Glands
Feet
Keeping your rabbit’s feet in good condition is extremely important. The skin on the soles of the feet is very tender and easily damaged. Injuries can expose the skin to bacteria from urine-soiled bedding, and infection can occur as a result. In addition, mats can form on the foot pads, especially of long-haired breeds. If your rabbit has bald, sore-looking patches on his foot pads - sore hocks, or areas of matted hair, a trip to the vet is called for.
There is more info about sore hocks here - Sore Hocks
Never clip all of the fur off the bottom of a rabbit's feet. This leaves them with no protection and is incredibly painful for them. If the bottoms of the feet are matted follow the approach discussed in Matts section below.
Nails
Check your rabbit’s nails weekly to ensure that they do not become overgrown. Nails that are allowed to become overlong can cause toe injuries and gait issues. You can trim your rabbit’s nails yourself, but always use proper pet nail clippers rather than scissors or human nail clippers. If you do not feel confident in clipping your bunny’s nails, ask your vet nurse to do the job for you. Little and often is the best policy! I clip my rabbits’ nails about once a month. This way only a small amount needs to be taken off each time, reducing the risk of mistakenly cutting the quick of the nail.
How to Clip a Rabbit's Claws - WikiHow
Clipping Your Rabbit’s Nails - My House Rabbit
Rabbit Nails - Rabbit Matters
Parasites
Even house rabbits can occasionally pick up fleas or mites. While grooming your rabbit, look out for dandruff (mites), and part the fur to check for dark matter (flea dirt) on the skin. You may even see fleas crawling around on the rabbit’s skin, typically near his head and face. Frequent scratching and sore, reddened areas on the skin are usually indicative of parasitic infestation or some other skin condition. You can read more about this in the ‘Mites / Fleas / Lice / Fur Loss / Skin Issues’ file.
Shedding/Moulting
The first thing to note about rabbits is that all breeds shed some of their coats, approximately every three months... and some non stop! The shedding usually alternates between light and heavy, and its duration varies between individuals. Some rabbits take two to three weeks to shed, whereas others can do it all in one day! It’s especially important that you groom your rabbit with a rabbit grooming brush daily when he is shedding, in order to avoid the formation of hairballs/blockages.
What are the best tools?
Before you groom your rabbit, you’ll need to equip yourself with the right tools for the job. Once you get into the routine of grooming your pet, you will quickly discover their favourite brushes and approach.
Below is the range of tools that I have settled on using - for my own, my rescues and grooming client's rabbits, after years of trial and error -
Electric Clippers
You can read my recommendations in detail here - Clippers
Slicker Brushes
My favourite is the Shear Magic Moulting Brush For Small Dogs. This has rubber teeth and is really gentle. It massages as you brush whilst removing loose fur and every single rabbit I've ever used it on - and that's a LOT of rabbits, has absolutely loved it. The tines do not dig into the rabbit’s skin at all.
Another style of Slicker brush has rubber head mounted with tines which are made of thin wires. If you choose to use one like this make sure it is puppy sized. It is also essential that the pins/tines that have plastic or rubber end guards/caps to avoid scratching or ripping your rabbit’s skin. Never use a slicker that has unprotected tines.
Both of these brushes can be used on short and long-coated rabbits, removing the loose undercoat - but please use the metal tines brush extremely carefully to avoid scratching or tearing the skin.
Zoom Groom
The ultimate in gentleness the Kong Zoom Groom Flexible Rubber Small Dog Groomer is really good for sensitive buns and those that detest brushing. They are most effective on short coated rabbits and are great for general brushing and stripping out fur during the moult.
Nail Clippers
I prefer to use small dog clippers like these - Shear Magic Nail Clipper For Small To Medium Dogs for my rabbit’s claws.
Combs
I've tried all sorts of combs but find many simply skim through the fur without removing any fur. These are the ones that I feel work best.
The Hair Buster Comb is the gold standard of combs for grooming rabbits.
Gently gripping loose fur to remove it, it is a real asset in your kit. This terrific comb is available in NZ through the One Stop Bunny Shop
The Glamour Puss Moulting Comb
This is effective as well. Used gently on a 45 degree angle it effectively removes the moulting undercoat.
Another option is a Matt Breaking Comb
These combs have rows of sharp, evenly spaced teeth that are designed to gently cut through and tease out any tangled matted areas of fur but with my rabbits I use it to help strip out really dense shedding undercoat.
I've tried lots of brands and the only one that I find to be really effective to use is the cat Le Salon Essentials Matt Breaker Comb. However this comb is no longer sold to the best of my knowledge. I haven’t yet found comparable alternative. When carefully used on short haired rabbits in heavy moult - especially around the rump area where the fur tends to back up - and even more carefully on long coated rabbits, it can help to strip out the coat really effectively.
A Rotating Pin Comb
This is another option that is worth considering. Rotating pin combs are effective in removing the undercoat. However, because the pins rotate, they do not pull on the fur as much so are therefore more gentle.
Scissors
I use a range of scissors. Because I do so much grooming I have invested in professional grooming scissors which are very effective and efficient to use.
Some of my Scissor Collection!
If using scissors, you MUST be very careful, work slowly and extremely carefully so as not to snip your rabbit’s skin. Keep the flat blades of the scissors rotated at 45 degrees - vs having the flat of the blade parallel to the skin, to help avoid cutting the skin. Until you are more confident, you can also keep you fingers between your scissors and the skin or use a comb instead so that the skin is protected at all times.
The scissors that I use frequently in conjunction with my clippers are; Witte Roseline Straight Safety Ball scissors (esp the 4.5”) and more recently I invested in a set of Geib Gator Left Handed Scissors; including a curved scissor. I also have a few pairs of very fine and sharp cuticle scissors.
These are available from All Groom Scissors.
Tweezers
I use these fine tip splinter tweezers as well as fine grip tip forceps to gently tease out and loosen matts a few strands at a time.
Often the matts need their tops of them cut off VERY carefully - making sure to keep away from the skin, first.
And … so to Grooming
Short Coated Breeds
Follow this general approach - start by using a slicker brush to draw any loose hair to the top of the rabbit’s coat. Be sure to brush the fur in the right direction so that it lays flat. For long-haired rabbits, use a wide-toothed comb or mat comb.
Use a Zoom Groom to gently remove the excess fur. Use a stroking motion from behind the rabbit’s ears, along his back to his tail. Repeat the process a few times, taking in the rabbit’s sides and tummy too.
If you have a longer-coated rabbit, part his fur so that you can check for hay seeds and other irritants that may have worked their way down to the skin, especially around his face and eyes.
Now use your slicker brush or comb to go over bunny’s coat, brushing with the direction of growth. This should get rid of any tangles and stubborn loose hair.
Finish off with a soft-bristle brush to smooth the coat.
More info on grooming here -
Grooming - Rabbit wiki
This is the absolute BEST video about how to humanely, safely and gently clip your long coated rabbit that I have found. I highly recommend it.
Grooming Long Coated Rabbits
Many new owners assume that a long coated rabbit’s fur will take care of itself somehow. This is not the case and as is the case for many rabbits the coat - if left, will back up and matt dreadfully causing no end of discomfort and downright suffering for the rabbit. So, the best option is to keep it short - clipping it off every 4-5 weeks. I use both electric clippers as well as a range of grooming scissors to cut the coat off. If using scissors, pick up the fur and put the thumb and forefinger between the rabbit’s skin and the scissors and then cut the fur away all over. It looks a little choppy at first, but after a few days the undercoat fluffs out and it evens out all around.
The alternative is to carefully use electric clippers. You can read more about using clippers here - Clippers
Daily brushing/combing is frequently not something most rabbits will tolerate and with many coats, it can actually cause more matting so I don’t recommend it. How a coat is managed depends on each rabbit’s coat…
This matting is very tight to the skin which is inflamed and sore.
Matts
All rabbits can suffer from matts, but long-haired breeds are especially susceptible. Daily grooming can help to prevent matts from forming, but can also make certain coats matt faster. Many rabbits can also find daily grooming very stressful. If you discover an area of matted hair, you can try the following;
* Try to very gently tease it out with your fingers. Be very careful not to pull on the hair, especially if the mat is close to the skin, as rabbit skin is very delicate and is easily torn.
* Use a special mat splitting comb. This can sometimes be effective if the matts are not too severe, but must be used gently and with caution.
* Use scissors with EXTREME caution. Slip a wide toothed comb between the matt and your rabbit’s skin and then cut the mat off with scissors.
* If a comb can’t slide under the matt easily, feel for your rabbit’s skin and then cut the top off the matt - staying WELL away from the skin. Then use your fingers or some tweezers to carefully tease out the matt working slowly, teasing out a few strands at a time. Work slowly and gently, giving your rabbit plenty of rest breaks.
* Carefully use electric clippers. you can read more about using clippers here - Clippers
Feet - If the bottoms of the feet are matted NEVER clip all of the fur off. Instead reduce the height of the matting by about a 1/2 and then VERY carefully tease out the remaining fur with your finger tips or tweezers a few strands at a time, to loosen and open the matting up. You may need to do this over a week or two.
If you can’t remove the matts yourself, ask your vet nurse, vet or a proven rabbit groomer to do it for you. It is ESSENTIAL to use a proven and safe groomer. Ask the groomer how they would handle various scenarios, if they lay rabbits flat, clip the bottom of feet etc. then they are not a safe option for your rabbit.
Hygiene Trims - Many rabbits benefit from regular hygiene trims, especially the stumpy legged, low slung lops! A hygiene trim removes excess fur which can trap urine, faeces and mud, prevents matting, helps fly strike, keeps the rabbit’s rear end cleaner & drier and makes it easier for the rabbit to groom themself.
Long Coated Rabbits
* Keep the coat trimmed to around 1cm-3cm to prevent mats from forming. This also reduces the risk of wool block, the bunny is more comfortable with short fur and she is better able to reach her cecal droppings. You’ll get better at it over time rest assured.
* If using scissors, use sharp scissors with ball tip for safety. Pick up the fur and cut all over, use a Slika brush or Zoom Groom to remove stray snips of fur. Good, sharp quality scissors are REALLY important! You can keep your fingers between the scissors and the fur, for safety.
* For some rabbits, brushing every day as part of a routine "snuggle session" to remove loose fur is useful. But for most, not so much. If your re going to do this then use a rubber toothed slicker brush, a zoom groom or one of the combs mentioned in this file. It really important to keep in mind that brushing can also make fur/Angora wool matt up faster. Daily brushing or combing can stress the rabbit and affect their relationship with their owner negatively. For this reason, I don’t recommend it.
* One approach if you encounter a large mat, is to snip into the mat carefully, pull the mat apart gently with your hands and then use a comb to gently tease out the fur in the mat while holding the clump at the base by the skin to prevent pulling on and injuring the skin. You can then cut out the long fur that is being combed out. Once the mat is thinner it can be cut out completely. Other approaches are discussed above.
* If the bunny has mats very close to the skin, take as much off the top as you can, tease the top out and let the matt ‘bloom’ and grow out some more so that it can be more safely cut out.
* Make sure to check common problem areas such as the rump, belly, bib, armpits, legs, feet and between the toes.
* For severe matting work for no more than an hour a day (or as long as the bunny can tolerate it) in sections on the body. One day work on the cheeks, the next day on the shoulders, etc. Don't overtire or stress your bunny trying to do it all in one sitting.
* If the bunny is severely matted, she will need to have the mats clipped off with clippers. Make sure that your clipper blade does not overheat - as this can burn your rabbit's skin. Work for only 15-20 minutes and then let the bunny rest for 10 minutes. Work for no more than an hour in total on the rabbit. Watch very carefully for stress levels in the bunny. The better option is to seek an experienced rabbit groomer or if none is available, a rabbit savvy vet and have the rabbit sedated for a full coat clip off. This is much less stressful for the rabbit in the long run.
For the most part I would say - Do not use a groomer unless they are a specialist rabbit groomer and experienced with safely and humanely clipping rabbits - ie they do NOT trance or scruff to access the belly region or do things such as clip all of the fur off the bottom of the feet. A more inexperienced groomer will need two people to groom your rabbit - one to hold the rabbit and the other to use the tools. Your rabbit-savvy vet can also do any shaving and clipping needed to get you started and you can learn on the job from there.
Further reading -
Grooming Long Haired Rabbits - Zooh Corner
An example of how quickly matting can build up in a long coated rabbit -
This is Dennis Hopper and these photos demonstrate just how quickly matting can happen in long coated rabbits. Dennis’ coat backed up into these ‘sheets’ of matts in just 6 weeks... Luckily his human slave knows how to look after him (she had been away on holiday for 6 weeks which is why young Dennis found himself in a bit of trouble) and got him sorted out in short order.
Grooming ‘Difficult’/Wriggly Rabbits
At first, keep sessions very short - even as short as 10 minutes duration. Work somewhere other than their normal space. I clip/groom rabbits on my dedicated grooming table, others use somewhere like the top of a washing machine. I sometimes use my lap because it can be easier to control the wrigglers and I can hold them against my body to keep them still, if needed. I play calming music, use Pet Remedy and talk quietly to them as I work. Keep things chill and calm but work as quickly as you safely can. Offer treats regularly and take frequent breaks for cuddles and pats. Always offer a favourite food when you finish either before returning to their housing or just after... or both!
Please check here - Sitters and Groomers, for those that we recommend. If the groomer is not listed, there is a high chance that we do not recommend them ... for very good reason.
Never bathe your rabbit - find out why here - Bathing your Rabbit - Don't Do it!’
Copyright 2019 - Jen Herd/Westley’s World