Brushing

[KimandCocoa]

I was wondering, how important is it to brushyour bunny?? Cocoa has pretty short fur, and he seems to do agood job grooming himself. I try to brush him every now andthen, but he doesn't like it. Plus the brush that I have is asoft bristle one and doesn't do much.

 

[Rogue]

It's most important to brush when they'remoulting. Bunnies can get hair lodged in their gut and causeblockages. I think they moult around every three months andalternate either a heavy shed (very noticeable moult) or a light shed(you may not even realise). Personally, I would give aregular groom especially during the moulting seasons because it getsyour bunny used to being handled and touched all over.

 

[naturestee]

I only brush when they're molting. Itcan be really important then because if they swallow too much they canend up with GI stasis. I use a Zoom Groom, which is a rubberbrush for cats and dogs. It's fabulous! Fur flieseverywhere, but I don't care because it even gets out loose undercoatfur that many other brushes don't.

 

[Bassetluv]

naturestee wrote:

I use a Zoom Groom, which is a rubber brush for cats anddogs. It's fabulous!

Naturestee, I've never heard of a Zoom Groom. Is it anything like a curry comb for horses? And where would you purchase one?

 

[HoneyPot]

The cat or dog section of most pet stores havethe Zoom Groom bassetluv. I bought mine at Petsmart, but Ihave seen them at smaller pet stores too.

_________
Nadia

 

[Bassetluv]

Okay, thanks Honeypot...I'd never seen them atthe PetSmart here, but then again, I hadn't been looking for a newbrush. I have a small cat brush for my two rabbits, but it doesn't dothe best at removing all the loose undercoat. Will have to take a looknext time I go there! They sound like agreatidea...

 

[nuttinbutrouble]

Another grooming option is agrooming block. They're marketed for horses but they work for pet hairtoo. You can generally find them for under $3.00 at tack and feedstores. If your local PetSmart has State Line Tack you can purchasegrooming blocks there, too, or you can order them from the PetSmartsite.

Heather

 

[Bassetluv]

What is that made of, Heather? In the pic itlooks like some sort of lava stone. Is it actually good for undercoats?Raph's fur isvery dense at his rear, so he needs somethingthat gets the thick loose underfur out...

 

[nuttinbutrouble]

Bassetluv wrote:

What is that made of, Heather? In the pic it looks like somesort of lava stone. Is it actually good for undercoats? Raph's furisvery dense at his rear, so he needs something that gets thethick loose underfur out...

They're actually made out of fiberglass, but it does look similar to atype of stone. It has little "craters" that grab the hair and help withthe shedding. Depending on the thickness of the undercoat, it may ormay not work. I knowseveral people that use them to groomstandard and mini rex, but their undercoat is a little different thanmost breeds.

I've been wondering if an undercoat rake for dogs would work well onbunny undercoats as well, or if the tines would be too harsh for theirskin. Has anyone ever tried one?



Heather

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Bassetluv wrote:

I've never heard of a Zoom Groom.

When I Zoom Groom Pebbles,I have the vacuumrunning, and I justhold the brush bythe vacuum tubetotake the hair off the brush.

The Cat Zoom Groomwas cheaper than theDog Zoom Groom eventhough it was the samething. :?

Rainbows!

 

[cheryl]

Haha it's amazing that we have those zoom groombrushes over here,i had never seen them before until i was in the vetswith Chocolate Bunny and i spotted that brush so i bought it and itworks great

I also use a brush,i think it is something like a slicker brush,it haslike wire bristles,i have also found that to be good,but be carefulwhen you go to pull the fur from the brush,those bristles hurt,i havejabbed myself many times and it hurts,especially when it gets you justunderneath your fingernail lol



cheryl

 

[nuttinbutrouble]

cheryl13 wrote:

I also use a brush,i think it is something like a slickerbrush,it has like wire bristles,i have also found that to be good,butbe careful when you go to pull the fur from the brush,those bristleshurt,i have jabbed myself many times and it hurts,especially when itgets you just underneath your fingernail lol



cheryl

A good thing to use to remove the hair from slicker brushes is aregular comb. It makes pulling the fur out much less painful.



Heather

 

[cheryl]

nuttinbutrouble wrote:

cheryl13 wrote:

I also use abrush,i think it is something like a slicker brush,it has like wirebristles,i have also found that to be good,but be careful when you goto pull the fur from the brush,those bristles hurt,i have jabbed myselfmany times and it hurts,especially when it gets you just underneathyour fingernail lol



cheryl

A good thing to use to remove the hair from slicker brushes is aregular comb. It makes pulling the fur out much less painful.



Heather

ohh i didn't think of using a comb to pull the fur out, thanks!,i havejust started to use a long nail that i found hanging around,i got sickand tired of hurting my fingers lol,for a little thing like thosebristles,boy they can hurt



cheryl

 

[HoneyPot]

Yeah, the Zoom Groom is awesome (bought it after seeing that pic of pebbles in another thread!).

One thing to look out for - it's made of rubber... a rabbit's favoritetreat. I've lost 3 Zoom Grooms so far to Misty who will findit WHEREVER I store it and bite all the little nubbies off.She doesn't eat them, but apparently it's a heck of a good time to biteall the spikes off before I catch her.

_____
Nadia

 

[naturestee]

Ha ha! I know! I've onlymanaged to loose one nub so far. Loki actually gets furiousat just the sight of it, I don't know why. He doesn't mindhow it feels if I sneak it in during a petting session. Butif he sees it he grunts, charges, and latches on!:shock:

Heather, rabbit skin is much more sensitive and thin than dog skin oreven cat skin. I don't think I'd try anything scratchy orhard, except for longhairs that need combing to prevent mats.

As for that grooming block, if I'm only trying to remove loose hairsfrom the overcoat I just get my hand slightly wet, then pet thebunny. Voila! A hand full of fur that rubs rightoff, the bunny looks smooth, and I didn't spend a thing!