A complete guide for grooming your rabbit

Rabbits, especially long-haired bunnies, need more attention to keep their coats in excellent condition. Long coats tend to hide problems your rabbit may have like overgrown nails, skin issues, and even lumps. Creating a grooming routine makes your rabbit look great and offers the chance for a medical check. Short-haired rabbits can keep themselves clean and need less assistance but they too require a weekly appointment for brushing, nail and ear care.

Apart from grooming and health checks, these sessions also serve as bonding. Most importantly, rabbits cannot cough up hairballs like cats. Combing your rabbit's hair will help prevent hair from clogging down your rabbit's digestive system—and your house.

How To Keep Your Rabbit Calm During Grooming

A Lot of rabbits have an instinctive desire to start kicking frantically when you haul them off their feet. Your rabbit must stay calm during grooming, especially when its nails are being clipped. Building this kind of trust with your bunny friend would take some time, repetitive handling, and working within your rabbit's emotional limits. Ultimately, the animal learns there is no danger and allows for a more thorough grooming.

How To Lift Your Rabbit For Grooming

If your rabbit feels safe, it won't struggle. You can pick it up in any way that supports its body without pain or fear. You can achieve this by;

1. Introducing a calm encounter by greeting your pet with gentle scratches on the head or any spot it loves being petted or allowing your rabbit to nibble a small snack from your fingers.
2. Slide your hand down your pet's side and under its chest. At the same time, move your other hand to support its bum.
3. While supporting your pet's chest and hindquarters, lift your bunny, hold it against you not too tightly then stand up slowly.

Tools For Grooming Your Rabbit

You can make use of the following tools to groom your rabbit:

1. Pin brush: This is a small brush with straight metal pins. It can be used to remove loose hair.
2. Flea comb: This is a multi-use tool that removes fleas and their feces, untangles the coat, and reduces loose hair.
3. Wide-tooth comb: This helps in the prevention of matting, and can be used after the pin brush.
4. Bristle brush: They are usually soft nylon bristles. This is used to finish up the combing process, remove hair, and shine your pet's coat.
5. Mat rake: This helps in the removal of severely matted hair.
6. Toenail clippers: Only use one designated for your rabbit. Do not use clippers designed for humans.
7. Flashlight: it is needed to see the quickness of nails.
8. Styptic powder: This powder helps in stopping the blood in case you accidentally snip the quick and the nail bleeds.
9. Cotton: This can be used to apply styptic powder, and the cotton-tipped swabs can be used to clean eyes and ears.

Check out the latest addition to our Rabbit Health Care & Cleaning products

Grooming Routine

 The areas your rabbit needs grooming includes its fur, nails, and ears.

1. Avoid bathing your rabbits. Most rabbits struggle away from water and could hurt themselves if they slip from your grasp

There are times your rabbit needs a wash, especially when they have soiled their hindquarters with stool or urine.

Get a container and fill the container with two inches of lukewarm water and dip the soiled part inside.

1. While you groom, look for parasites, and abnormalities like sores and lumps. Check for healthy eyes, examine the teeth and check the jawline for bumps, and investigate foot sores.

1. Ensure your rabbits get a weekly examination

1. Your bunny only needs a manicure every six to eight weeks.