Do you brush your rabbits??

[Katie94]

Hello

I noticed Derwin is moulting at the moment I can see the moult lines in his fur, I was wondering if I should try brushing him. He’s not a long hair breed when it is more of a necessity than a pleasure but does anyone else groom there rabbit and do they enjoy it? Thanks

 

[Blue eyes]

Your rabbit's fur looks like one of mine (in avatar). He's shedding like crazy right now. Not an hour ago, I sat with him and used my hand to pet/pluck a bunch of loose fur. I was going to take a photo of how much fur came out . I ended up with a softball-sized pile. I first tried a comb, but it seemed more productive to just use my hand.

 

[Katie94]

I’m really surprised how much they moult actually I spend a lot of time sweeping or vacuuming fur from the enclosures. Aww yours does look like mine Derwin has a twin brother who gets a little tufty around his rump during a moult but Derwin seems to show it all over his back. I just sat out in the garden and tried to get rid of some of the loose bits it came of in clouds!

 

[Mehidk]

I brush my rabbit weekly but when she molts, I do it almost every other day. It's crazy how much fur comes off these little hoppers. During a heavy molt, I brush off a handful of fur (probably the size of a softball as @Blue eyes mentioned).

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I only brush them during molt--rest of time they seem alright--neither likes being brushed, but it's my choice, not theirs and doesn't take very long.

 

[Satrevino]

I also only brush during the time they molt because they don't like it very much, but if I don't I will have fur everywhere.

 

[Catlyn]

I used to brush Musti out of nescessity almost daily for moults but also once a week just because, he seemed to rather enjoy it.
I try to get Storm and Lümi used to weekly brushing too so they would have it easier later on but moult season has dawned on us and they are very skirmish to accept any combing, even if it's just hand-plucking looser strands. I managed to get a good groom out of Storm once and as mentioned above, that pile made up a floofy softball.

 

[Diane R]

I brush every day, twice a day when moulting. She can always get away when she wants but often she'll stay for quite a while and purrs.

 

[Katie94]

Thanks everyone I did buy a small soft brush to try him with this week so far he was less than amused but will see if he gets used to it. At least his coat is short so I can manage to get the worst off when I stroke him.

 

[Diane R]

Thanks everyone I did buy a small soft brush to try him with this week so far he was less than amused but will see if he gets used to it. At least his coat is short so I can manage to get the worst off when I stroke him.

Zoom Groom is good. Even better if you wet it a little. First step is to get bunny to like stroking. Maybe he does already? Then start stroking with one hand and gently brush with the other. Let him run away whenever he wants and try again a bit later. Good luck!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

One has learned to tolerate it and our newest loves the attention and is co-operative.

 

[RunnyBabbit]

Usually they should be brushed every couple of days, more so when molting. It's important to brush them because when they groom themselves they can sometimes ingest the fur, which is not good. Keeping them groomed will also help keep them cool in warmer seasons.
The less handling the better. A lot of rabbits like it since it feels like they're being pet.
Some people only groom them once a month but brush them for an hour or so, and some do it regularly for shorter periods of time. But it should be more often when molting

 

[samoth]

does anyone else groom there rabbit and do they enjoy it?

My doe loves attention & being groomed.

My buck, however, doesn't. He'll just growl at me and hop away. The best I can do is try to pet/goom him during their nightly grooming sessions when he's more relaxed and get some of the loose fur off. He's currently in the process of blowing his entire coat and looks a mess, but he doesn't seem to mind -- other than being a bit more crabby than usual

 

[Katie94]

So far he doesn’t seem to hate being brushed but won’t sit still long enough to let me really do it properly. He has since got this funny little moult line right across his face now

 

[Catlyn]

So far he doesn’t seem to hate being brushed but won’t sit still long enough to let me really do it properly. He has since got this funny little moult line right across his face now

Storm also had that, so he looked like a grumpy old man! It's completely normal and can be funny for us!

 

[Diane R]

So far he doesn’t seem to hate being brushed but won’t sit still long enough to let me really do it properly. He has since got this funny little moult line right across his face now

He's very cute! Just keep going with the brushing, let him run away whenever he wants. He will learn to love it.

 

[Anna R.]

My Rex molts so much I feel like she is losing all her fur sometimes; but, it hardly shows at all. I can't brush her at all, she thinks the brush is a game and then chases it. She will run in circles trying to catch the brush and I end up laughing so hard I can't brush her. What I've done is bought a few different kinds of those gloves that brush as you pet. She will even go after those if she sees them. So, I start petting her normally and get her distracted. then I start with the other hand with the glove (or mitten). She doesn't even notice so I can get a pretty good "brush" in with the glove. She also molts on her face and I've gotten a few swipes there before she realizes that I am wearing the glove. They are pretty inexpensive, you might want to give them a try. I have a few different types as I didn't know what would work best. You just can't press too hard with your hand with them or I feel like I am hurting her skin, depending on the glove. Good luck, I know the challenges with brushing.

 

[boisterous]

We brush our rabbit at least once a week, often twice. He sheds a fair bit, nothing uncontrollable, but rather it be stuck to the glove than all over the floor. We use a product called the Magic Coat glove, it works really well.