| Bunny Trail Farm |
| Grooming Your Rabbit |
About Grooming Your Rabbit
Dwarf Holland Lops don't require a lot of grooming. Their
short sleek fur will generally keep itself. There are some
things you'll need to do regularly, and some tools to do them.
Your hands: One of the best grooming tools. Petting keeps
the fur sleek, and helps remove dead loose hair. You can
dampen your hands to catch more. The natural oils on your
skin will add gloss. Molting bunnies may have tufts of loose
wool sticking out all over. Just bush the bunny with a brush
to remove loose hair. Giving your bunny a supplement like
petramalt hair ball medicine for cats is a good way to help
the bun pass all that fur he licks. Provide a little extra hay as
well.A wire bristles with an angle at the end is useful for
molting bunnies. It pulls out loose wool very easily. It can
also loosen gunk on soiled fur. Be careful...the bristles are
sharp. Don't dig too hard against the bunny's skin. A softer
brush, such as a small dog/cat brush is good for light
grooming.
Nail clipping: There are many different types of animal nail
clippers. In a pinch, you can use your own fingernail clippers.
A good kind of nail clipper is one made for small dogs/cats
and shaped like scissors. It can be hard to tell where the
quick (the blood vein) is on dark colored nails. It takes some
practice. As a rule, trimming the nail to the fur length on the
toes is safe. For small jrs, just snip off the sharp points as it
can be very hard to see such small nails. If you do draw
blood, don't worry. The bunny won't bleed to death. You can
use flour or cornstarch on the end of the nail, but I just apply
pressure with a clean tissue until the bleeding stops. See
the nail clipping page that contains a video on how to clip
your rabbits nails.
Bath:
Rabbits generally keep themselves clean, but caged bunnies
are subject to conditions they can't always keep up with.
Bucks spray, and this nasty stuff can be reflected off their
cage walls onto themselves or their neighbors. It's especially
frustrating for white fur. It can stain and be nearly impossible
to remove. Clean stained fur as soon as it's noticed. Once
it's set in, it probably won't come out until they molt. Another
issue may be Dirty bottom that could be caused by a bout of
diarrhea. Loose wool from molting can be a cause as well.
Baby bunnies have woolier fur and it tends to hold stuff. .
Manure and urine can become stuck to the fur and will
continue to build up if not removed. It can cause infection.
To remove feces from a soiled bottom, hold a rabbit's tail
under warm running water, and work the mess out with your
fingers. This will usually get most of it. A safe shampoo can
help get the rest. Make sure the rabbit is as dry as possible
before you take it back outside to cooler temps. If it's very
cold, you may want to keep it inside until dry. It's not
recommended to ever completely submerse a rabbit in
water. Using a dry shampoo made for cats/small animals is a
good way to get the bunny smelling fresh without the trauma
of a water bath.
Nail Clipping:
Clipping your rabbit's nails may seem a daunting task. And
many rabbit owners elect to let their veterinarian handle it.
Frequent vet visits can get expensive, however. So here is
some advice on trimming your rabbit's nails yourself.
It is easier to trim your rabbit's nails quickly and effectively
when the rabbit is properly restrained. If possible, ask
someone to assist you and then wrap your bunny in a towel
to reduce movement and to isolate each paw. Examine the
claw to locate the quick, or the vein. Some rabbits' nails are
quite dark, so you will need a small flashlight to see it.
Cutting the quick will cause your pet to experience some
pain, and he/she will bleed. So your objective is to cut just
below the quick. If you do accidentally trim the nails too
short, use flour or styptic powder to stop the bleeding. Some
bunnies are startled by the sound of clipping. In these
situations, you may consider simply filing the nails down, but
this may be a longer process if your rabbit's nails are quite
long.
Dwarf Holland Lops don't require a lot of grooming. Their
short sleek fur will generally keep itself. There are some
things you'll need to do regularly, and some tools to do them.
Your hands: One of the best grooming tools. Petting keeps
the fur sleek, and helps remove dead loose hair. You can
dampen your hands to catch more. The natural oils on your
skin will add gloss. Molting bunnies may have tufts of loose
wool sticking out all over. Just bush the bunny with a brush
to remove loose hair. Giving your bunny a supplement like
petramalt hair ball medicine for cats is a good way to help
the bun pass all that fur he licks. Provide a little extra hay as
well.A wire bristles with an angle at the end is useful for
molting bunnies. It pulls out loose wool very easily. It can
also loosen gunk on soiled fur. Be careful...the bristles are
sharp. Don't dig too hard against the bunny's skin. A softer
brush, such as a small dog/cat brush is good for light
grooming.
Nail clipping: There are many different types of animal nail
clippers. In a pinch, you can use your own fingernail clippers.
A good kind of nail clipper is one made for small dogs/cats
and shaped like scissors. It can be hard to tell where the
quick (the blood vein) is on dark colored nails. It takes some
practice. As a rule, trimming the nail to the fur length on the
toes is safe. For small jrs, just snip off the sharp points as it
can be very hard to see such small nails. If you do draw
blood, don't worry. The bunny won't bleed to death. You can
use flour or cornstarch on the end of the nail, but I just apply
pressure with a clean tissue until the bleeding stops. See
the nail clipping page that contains a video on how to clip
your rabbits nails.
Bath:
Rabbits generally keep themselves clean, but caged bunnies
are subject to conditions they can't always keep up with.
Bucks spray, and this nasty stuff can be reflected off their
cage walls onto themselves or their neighbors. It's especially
frustrating for white fur. It can stain and be nearly impossible
to remove. Clean stained fur as soon as it's noticed. Once
it's set in, it probably won't come out until they molt. Another
issue may be Dirty bottom that could be caused by a bout of
diarrhea. Loose wool from molting can be a cause as well.
Baby bunnies have woolier fur and it tends to hold stuff. .
Manure and urine can become stuck to the fur and will
continue to build up if not removed. It can cause infection.
To remove feces from a soiled bottom, hold a rabbit's tail
under warm running water, and work the mess out with your
fingers. This will usually get most of it. A safe shampoo can
help get the rest. Make sure the rabbit is as dry as possible
before you take it back outside to cooler temps. If it's very
cold, you may want to keep it inside until dry. It's not
recommended to ever completely submerse a rabbit in
water. Using a dry shampoo made for cats/small animals is a
good way to get the bunny smelling fresh without the trauma
of a water bath.
Nail Clipping:
Clipping your rabbit's nails may seem a daunting task. And
many rabbit owners elect to let their veterinarian handle it.
Frequent vet visits can get expensive, however. So here is
some advice on trimming your rabbit's nails yourself.
It is easier to trim your rabbit's nails quickly and effectively
when the rabbit is properly restrained. If possible, ask
someone to assist you and then wrap your bunny in a towel
to reduce movement and to isolate each paw. Examine the
claw to locate the quick, or the vein. Some rabbits' nails are
quite dark, so you will need a small flashlight to see it.
Cutting the quick will cause your pet to experience some
pain, and he/she will bleed. So your objective is to cut just
below the quick. If you do accidentally trim the nails too
short, use flour or styptic powder to stop the bleeding. Some
bunnies are startled by the sound of clipping. In these
situations, you may consider simply filing the nails down, but
this may be a longer process if your rabbit's nails are quite
long.
© 2006-2011 Bunny Trail Farm.
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| Go to U Tube for videos on how to cut a rabbits nails. |