Grooming Tips

This is what I have found that works for me when I groom my rabbits. It is my opinion and if you find something that works differently for you that is ok. I know not everyone will agree with how I groom my rabbits, but I don't care. As I learn, I will update this, but at this time this is what works for me and how I will take care of my rabbits. I only groom my animals about once a week as I find that works for them. It is always good to have some one help with each rabbit so one person can keep the animal calm while the other brushes them out.

I recommend a under-coat rake, a metal tooth comb that you can get at feed stores or pet shop, a pair of nail clippers that you can find for animals that have a guard on the one side so you won't cut the nail to short or hit the quick, a pair of small scissors, a pair of regular barber scissors, some disinfecting wipes and a cat slicker brush for young rabbits. These are the tools I use and got on a tight budget for my grooming supplies at the moment.

I recommend brushing English Angoras at four weeks of age. I say this since my baby rabbits had over an inch of fur on them by that age. I will use a slicker brush on them until they are about four months of age. Brush them out once or twice a week at first so they can get used to being brushed out. I would suggest you brush them when you are holding them at first and slowly putting them down on a rug so they can get used to the rug as their grooming area.

For rabbits four months and older, I would recommend brushing once a week. Always start at the face and get matts around the face out and then brush out and/or trim the face fiber down so they can see without problems if they are for pets even with show you can keep the face fiber short until it is about two months before the show. I put the rabbit on a rug on a hard surface and pet them before I start to calm them down. Then I start with the comb to try and get the matts out it also helps open the fur up so the under-comb rake can be used easier. Then I start brushing them with the under-comb rake. I usually start on the back and slowly work towards the belly and chest. When you are ready for the belly, have someone help turn them over and hold on to them while you work the matts out on the belly and legs. While the rabbit is on its back, trim the toe nails at the same time.

If you plan on cutting the fiber off, use the regular scissors and keep them about an inch away from the skin and slowly cut the fiber off. I recommend cutting the rabbits down during the heat of the summer so they don't over heat. Be careful is the main thing when using scissors on the rabbits. Start at the base of the neck and work towards the rump.

If the animal shows signs of stressing, give them a break and take a break yourself. If you want, let the animal run around inside for a bit and get some water. Or you can take the rabbit back to its cage and let it relax rest of the day and continue grooming it the following day. I would recommend getting the rabbit done at least 24hours before any major weather change so they have time to adjust without over stressing. Enjoy your rabbit and the fiber off them.

When you are done grooming each rabbit, use the disinfecting wipes on the brush comb as well as your scissors. That will help keep them clean and anything from passing from one rabbit to another.