Grooming a rabbit is an important part of their everyday care. Grooming prevents mats and tangles from developing and maintains a healthy shiny coat. Here are some dos and don’ts and handy tips when it comes to grooming your furry friend…

Can You Groom a Rabbit?

Absolutely! Even though rabbits are great at grooming themselves, they’ll still need some help to keep their coat gleaming.

Start grooming your rabbit from a young age and they’ll soon get used to it. It’s also the perfect way to build a bond with your rabbit and check them over for any signs of skin problems, parasites or other health problems.

Grooming prevents matting of your rabbit’s coat, especially in rabbits with long hair. Even short-haired breeds like a Miniature Lop or Netherland Dwarf will benefit from regular grooming. Grooming also removes any hair that can cause hairballs and obstructions in their tummy from grooming themselves.

Short haired rabbits need to be brushed at least twice a week, while grooming long haired rabbits requires daily brushing to maintain their coats.

Rabbit Grooming Kit

Having a special grooming kit just for your rabbit is a must! Rabbit grooming brushes and tools are small and perfectly designed for doing the job. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Medium to soft grooming brush
• Soft rubber grooming glove or brush
• Fine tooth combs
• Wide toothed comb
• Splitter or mat rake
• Rabbit flea comb
• Cotton wool
• Towel
• Nail clippers
• Styptic powder or pencil

How to Groom a Rabbit

When you brush your rabbit, pop them on a non-slip surface or sit on the floor and hold them on your lap. Don’t groom on a high surface, just in case they struggle to get away! Avoid any stress for you rabbit by starting off brushing them for short grooming sessions until they get used to it. Let your rabbit have a sniff of the brushes before you start.

Hold your rabbit firmly but gently and talk to them to put them at ease. Brush their back from head to tail and then go down their sides. To brush their belly, gently hold up their front end. Check for any dirt under their tail and check their skin for any bald patches, fleas or wounds by brushing their fur backwards.

Rabbit skin is extremely thin and delicate and tears easily. Never tug on rabbit fur while grooming. Take extra care to ease out any matted fur with a wide toothed comb and use a finer comb to brush the rest of their coat. Never use scissors to cut out any matted fur as you could cause injury.

If your rabbit has a lot of matting or is difficult to groom, take your bunny to a rabbit savvy vet so they can carefully clip them out. Some long-haired breeds like the Angora Rabbits may need regular trimming with clippers. Contact your vet or a professional groomer as they will have specialist equipment and experience needed to do this safely.

Do Rabbits Like Being Groomed?

Most enjoy being groomed, but as their skin is delicate some sensitive rabbits may object. A soft rubber grooming glove or soft bristled brush may be helpful in these situations. A rubber brush won’t pull their fur, or scratch their skin if they get restless.

During grooming, check them over for any discharge from the eyes, nose or mouth. Check their skin for any injuries, fleas or lice. Check your rabbit's teeth for any problems and look inside their ears for excessive ear wax or ear mites. Rabbit ear mites need treatment by a vet, and if a secondary bacterial infection has developed, antibiotics may be needed.

If your bunny has crusts in their ears, don’t pick them off when grooming as it will be very painful for them. Once the mites are treated, the crusts will fall off naturally over time. If you notice any parasites on your rabbit, call your vet for advice on the best form of treatment.

Ears and any particularly dirty areas of fur can be cleaned using a cotton ball and warm water. Then dry them thoroughly with a soft, clean towel.

How Do You Clip a Rabbit's Nails?

If your rabbit’s nails are long, they’ll need to be clipped. For safety, wrap your rabbit in a towel and ask someone to hold them while you clip their nails. Ask your vet or groomer to do this for you if you’re struggling.

Never use scissors or other tools to clip your rabbit’s nails. Hold their foot with one hand and use rabbit clippers to clip the nail in one cut. If you cut the nail too short, it will bleed. If your rabbit has light coloured nails, you’ll be able to see the ‘quick’ (blood supply to the nail) quite easily - this isn’t possible with dark nails.

Clip your rabbit's nails about 2 mm below the quick. If you do cut the quick, use a styptic pencil or powder, or a piece of damp cotton wool if you don’t have either of these. Hold it on the nail for a few minutes to stop the bleeding. If the bleeding won’t stop or the nail is bleeding profusely, call your vet for advice.

What Else Do I Need to Know About Rabbit Grooming?

Rabbit hairballs can also be a problem, especially in long-haired breeds. As well as grooming themselves, rabbits also groom their companions. Inevitably, they swallow some hair. Normally this goes through their digestive system without any problems but, if too much hair is swallowed at time of moulting or if your rabbit overgrooms, it will cause a blockage.

Regular grooming can help prevent the formation of hairballs while they’re moulting. If your rabbit is overgrooming, it’s often a sign of stress. The source of stress needs to be identified and rectified in an attempt to prevent this behaviour. If you can’t work out why your rabbit is overgrooming, call your vet for advice.

Grooming your rabbit is an important part of their everyday care. Knowing how to groom them correctly will keep their coat looking shiny and healthy and help with their overall health and wellbeing. It can be a tricky business if your bunny won’t play ball, but there’s always help at hand. 

Everypaw Rabbit Insurance

Here at Everypaw, we want to help you keep your bunny healthy and in tip top shape. So, when it comes to your young rabbit’s care, Everypaw’s Rabbit Insurance could be just the cover to look after your little thumper.

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Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Lapis – www.vetlexicon.com/treat/lapis

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