Grooming
For the most part, rabbits are very clean animals and rarely
need to be groomed. However, some wooled breeds, such as the
angoras, fuzzy lops and jersey woolies do need a bit of
maintenance work done on their wool.
Grooming Normal Haired Rabbits
Rabbits with normal hair require very little grooming at all.
During a molt though, it's important that you do a bit more
grooming to help remove the old, dead hair. To groom a normal
haired rabbit, molting or not, moisten your hands with a spray
bottle, rub your hands together to remove excess water, and rub
your rabbit form neck to rump, occasionally stroking it from rump
to neck to help loosen any dead fur. ONLY MOISTEN YOUR HANDS - YOU
DO NOT WANT THE RABBIT TO BECOME WET. When a rabbit is in good
coat condition, you'll only notice a few hairs end up on your
hand. During a molt, your hands will be covered with hair. Simply
rub your hands together and the hair will come off. Continue this
process until very little hair comes out on to your hands.
Grooming Wooled Breeds
Wooled breeds are a bit more maintenance. Angoras (English,
French, Giant & Satin) require more brushing than Fuzzy Lops
and Jersey Woolies, because AFL & JW have a more coarser wool
that doesn't mat as easily. However, you will need to brush the
bunnies that do not have their adult coat at least every
other day.
What you'll need to keep on hand if you have a wooled breed:
- Scissors or Mat Splitter (Plastic Envelope Opener w/ metal
blade)
- Slicker Brush
- Flea Comb
- Plastic Bag
- Blower (Optional)
Grooming should be done outside. I'll sit with a rabbit in my
lap and begin brushing the lower hindquarters and sides with the
slicker brush and flea comb to remove any small mats. I'll
then work my way up and forward covering every part of the rabbit.
You need to pay special attention to the neck, lower hind
quarters, and right around the tail as small mats will quickly
form there and can become large problems if not taken care of.
Once the top is done, flip the rabbit over and work on the
belly. I start at the tail and work my way up to the neck. Pay
close attention to the armpit areas and up under the jaw line.
Don't forget the feet! Rabbits with thick fur on their feet can
get mats, which if not taken care of can cause foot problems.
Use the mat splitters or scissors to remove any serious mats
that you can't get through... if you've been brushing on a regular
basis, there shouldn't be any serious mats.
Place any wool you've removed from the rabbit in a plastic bag
or some sort of container. Depending on which breed you raise, you
can keep the wool for spinning, or just store the hair incase a
doe doesn't pull a nest.
Blowers are also a nice tool to have on hand. Professional
blowers run around $100.00 and up. To groom your rabbit with a
blower, place it outside on a groom table. Securely cover your
rabbit's eyes to prevent any dust from getting into them. Start at
the back side of the rabbit and work your way forward. Slowly blow
the rabbit in small circular motions. You will notice the wool
open up all the way to the skin. This is a good way to check for
any mats, skin problems or mites. As you blow you will notice any
webbing that has started to from in the wool eventually loosens
and is blown to the ends of the wool. Blowing should be done
slowly and in a controlled manner. Blowing not only will help to
remove lose hair, it removes dust and dirt from the coat as well.
Stain Removal
Although rabbits are very clean animals, you will get the
occasional stain now and then - especially if the cages aren't
clean. Do not bathe your animal, only spot clean. To remove stains
there are several animal safe products out there. One is
ClassiCoat. A
word of caution though, do not put your rabbit back into it's cage
if it's fur is wet or if the cage is dirty, you'll only end up
getting more stains.
Article written by Mindy Borer
Rabbit Registrar #RR473
www.TranquilAcresRabbitry.com
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