Best brush?

[allenstacy74]

Hi, my bunny sheds so much fur, and i brush and brush and it’s just never ending, I’ve tried different brushes ranging from the “wire combs” to rubber mits and it never seems to get it all. All year long he seems to never stop shedding and I’m worried about him swallowing fur when grooming himself, I can brush him as much as he’ll let me (he doesn’t really like being groomed) and I’ll wake up the next day to him being all covered in loose fur again??. Please recommend some brushes or other tricks to remove the loose hair.

 

[James + Ted]

I brush Ted on a regular basis. He loves it, and comes running when he sees me holding the brush. I like it too, it’s a good bonding exercise. Also there is a financial incentive to brushing him. I spent $7000 last year to have a hairball surgically removed from his gut. Would like to avoid doing that again, in the future.

attached are pics of the brush I use, the same one the local pet groomer uses. the size is about 1” x 2” . It works pretty well. I spend a lot of time gently brushing his nose and forehead because he likes it, not because he needs it done there. I brush harder on the rest of his body, and usually get good results, removing loose fur. Also I am constantly talking to him or sometimes singing, he seems to like it.

 

[allenstacy74]

I brush Ted on a regular basis. He loves it, and comes running when he sees me holding the brush. I like it too, it’s a good bonding exercise. Also there is a financial incentive to brushing him. I spent $7000 last year to have a hairball surgically removed from his gut. Would like to avoid doing that again, in the future.

attached are pics of the brush I use, the same one the local pet groomer uses. the size is about 1” x 2” . It works pretty well. I spend a lot of time gently brushing his nose and forehead because he likes it, not because he needs it done there. I brush harder on the rest of his body, and usually get good results, removing loose fur. Also I am constantly talking to him or sometimes singing, he seems to like it.

Thank you for the reply, I’ll have to purchase one of these brushes, I’ve had my bunny for almost 3 years not and I groom him regularly but the fur is so much! And as I said have been through many different brushes, I’ve also read a lot about certain brushes causing damage to the bunny’s skin etc, so I will try this brush that you have recommended, thank you

 

[Blue eyes]

Thank you for the reply, I’ll have to purchase one of these brushes, I’ve had my bunny for almost 3 years not and I groom him regularly but the fur is so much! And as I said have been through many different brushes, I’ve also read a lot about certain brushes causing damage to the bunny’s skin etc, so I will try this brush that you have recommended, thank you

Actually I would not recommend that kind of pin brush. I'm quite surprised it has not caused any damage to @James + Ted rabbit's skin. Pin brushes are not recommended unless they are the ones that have a rounded ball tip on the end of each pin. Those rounded balls protect the thin skin from getting scratched/scraped. I'll see if I can find an example photo. Bristle brushes are another option if the bristles are very soft (soft as those made for human infants). Any brush you use should be one that you can brush across your lower arm (with pressure) from your wrist toward your inner elbow (palm facing up) without any discomfort.

Another option is the hairbuster comb.

 

[James + Ted]

Actually I would not recommend that kind of pin brush. I'm quite surprised it has not caused any damage to @James + Ted rabbit's skin. Pin brushes are not recommended unless they are the ones that have a rounded ball tip on the end of each pin. Those rounded balls protect the thin skin from getting scratched/scraped. I'll see if I can find an example photo. Bristle brushes are another option if the bristles are very soft (soft as those made for human infants). Any brush you use should be one that you can brush across your lower arm (with pressure) from your wrist toward your inner elbow (palm facing up) without any discomfort.

Another option is the hairbuster comb.

yes my brush has the ball tips also

here’s another pic so maybe you can see it better

 

[Blue eyes]

yes my brush has the ball tips also

here’s another pic so maybe you can see it better

Aaah. That's great. You are correct. I could not see that in the prior photos. My apologies.

 

[James + Ted]

No worries, the clarification was helpful

 

[James + Ted]

I brush Ted once or twice every day. I’ve saved his fur from the last 10 days of brushing, just to see how much he actually sheds . It‘s a big ol’ hairball!

It’s so much better to pull the loose fur off of him, before he grooms himself and gets it in his gut.

@allenstacy74 i hope you found a good brush for your bunny

 

[rabbit_friend]

I know this is rather late, but just wanted to say that constant shedding could have a number of causes, and it might be useful to look into those. It could be a medical condition, or frequent stress, or an upset circadian rhythm due to bright lights at night and/or staying up too late. I stay up past midnight, but always make sure the lights are dim after 9 pm.

As for brushes, I may get in trouble for saying this, but I use a lint roller when my bunnies get really bad. BUT ONLY WITH THE FOLLOWING PRECAUTIONS:
1. I stay away from head and ears, and use it only on back and sides.
2. I always reduce stickiness of the lint roller first by rolling over my arms and t-shirt. I then test it to make sure it’s not too aggressive.
3. I go very slowly so as to get only the loose hairs and not mess with attached fur.
4. I would NOT try this with long-haired bunnies, since it’s too likely that attached hair will roll around the roller and create a huge problem. My bunnies all have short hair.
Try this at your own risk. Even if you don’t want to use it on your bunny, a lint roller is great for cleaning hair off the counter and everywhere else surrounding the bunny after you’re done brushing, including you ;-)