Is there any such thing as a rabbit groomer??

[morganforte]

I have a Mini Lop who has issues cleaning his bottom. He doesn't get poopie butt so much as he just drags his long fur through his pee. His bottom seems to always be wet and I dont want him getting sick. I groom my rabbits daily (just a simple brushing) and try to get his underneath as well as possible, but it really upsets him when I try to brush it.
I've heard of rabbit groomers who can put your rabbit under to get their bottoms cleaned really well without stressing out your rabbit. I think this is what he really needs at this point. I just dont want him to get sick.

So, is this just a rumor, or are there really places that can do this? And do you know how I could get in contact with someone? I've tried searching it on google for groomers nearby, but i've found nothing yet and it seems like such an odd request. (I live in SC about 30 mins south of the Charlotte, NC area if this helps.)

If you dont think these are common, can you tell me how I can somehow calm my bunny down long enough to clean him up well down there? I dont want to stress him out.

Thank you!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

There are rabbit groomers, but they may be few and far between. You could try contacting a local rabbit rescue to see of they know of anyone who can help. A rabbit savvy vet can be a good option as well, but may be more expensive. If you really can't find anyone, a cat groomer could be helpful, but you should be there to handler you rabbit while they work on the grooming.
The rabbit really should not need to be put under. It may take 2 people, one to hold and the other to groom, but can be done. The area may need to be shaved down, but could also just be trimmed, it would really depend on the condition. It sounds like he may just need to be trimmed down to keep the long fur from dragging around.

 

[JBun]

How is your bun coming in contact with his urine? Is he an intact buck and he sprays, has pee accidents, from sitting in the litter box, dribbling urine? What is his cage and/or litter box set up like? Normally a healthy rabbit with a good set up shouldn't get much if any urine on it's fur(with the exception of an unneutered buck that likes to spray), so there may be something else going on that you may need to address besides getting him clipped.

 

[morganforte]

How is your bun coming in contact with his urine? Is he an intact buck and he sprays, has pee accidents, from sitting in the litter box, dribbling urine? What is his cage and/or litter box set up like? Normally a healthy rabbit with a good set up shouldn't get much if any urine on it's fur(with the exception of an unneutered buck that likes to spray), so there may be something else going on that you may need to address besides getting him clipped.

He is neutered, has two large cat litter boxes set up around my room where he free ranges. Has lots of hay in the hay racks above the boxes, and fresh litter every day. I think,he's just been sitting in the litter box and getting the pee on his belly.

 

[JBun]

What type of litter do you use in the boxes and how thick do you layer it? If you have a nice thick layer of absorbent litter that is changed out frequently, this should be draining away the urine when the rabbit pees, so that they never come in contact with their urine and it won't be able to get their fur wet.

 

[morganforte]

I use pine horse litter (they are basically wood stove pellets). I layer it pretty thickly. I guess I could try adding some more and see if that helps at all.

 

[Blue eyes]

Put hay on top of the pellets. That will allow the urine to seep down to the pellets and the hay will be dry. This prevents bunny from being in contact with anything wet.
I put fresh hay on a couple times per day.

Just adding more pellets won't help because the pellets will just get wet.

 

[Blue eyes]

Also, if you put the hay on top, you won't have to change the pellets every day. I only need to change mine twice per week. I can actually stretch it to about 4-5 days without any smell.

 

[JBun]

If you have a good thick layer of wood pellets, that allows the urine to drain away as your rabbit pees, and your bun is still getting a urine soaked bottom, I would suspect an underlying health problem as the cause. A healthy rabbit will position themselves so that the pee doesn't come in contact with their fur as they urinate. And as long as the litter box is set up for the urine to drain away as the rabbit pees, then there should be no urine coming in contact with the rabbits fur or skin.

There are some health issues that can cause this urinary problem to happen. Rabbits can get arthritis, especially older buns, that can cause them pain and cause them not to take the correct posture when peeing, leading to urine soaking the fur. Then there is the possibility of a UTI or bladder sludge/stones causing urine dribbling and incontinence, resulting in urine dribbling onto the fur and soaking it.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

I would suggest getting your bun checked out by a rabbit savvy vet, to check for a possible health problem causing this, as continued urine soaking can lead to urine scalding of the skin, not to mention the health problems associated with the cause itself.
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21