Rabbit groomers, advice on shedding wanted?

Question

My lionhead rabbit is starting to shed out her summer coat ready for winter. whenever she sheds it seems to take ages and nomatter how much i brush her Loads more fur comes out when she is stroked or on the sofa (its getting every where).
i have loads of diffrent brushes, mits and combs but is was wondering if a shedding blade would be a good idea.
Im not sure if it would be safe to use it on her or not as i have only seen ones for dogs. so thought that i would ask on hear rather than just getting one and trying it, as i dont want to hurt her. i asked my mate who is a dog groomer in training but she didnt know.

Answer 1

Most rabbit breeders like myself that show rabbits quite a bit don't use a brush. The only rabbit breeders that usually use a brush are rabbit breeders that raise wool breeds such as Angoras and Jersey Woollies.

The best method for grooming a rabbit is to use slightly wet hands. Many use a damp cloth to grab with their hands. I like to dip the tip of my fingers in a bowl of water then kind of rub my hands together and wipe off a little bit of the excess water on a towel or my pants. Then I take my hands and brush with my hands front from to back. The loose hair will stick to your hands. Then you just rub your hands together and the loose hair will ball up and fall off your hands. When I groom them I groom them on a small sample carpet pad to catch the excess fur that flies off and I like to have a trash can nearby to rub the fur from my hands off into. You can come back with your hands in the opposite direction from back to front to help get a little more loose fur out, but you don't want to do that too much because it can break some of the fur hair follicles. Just make sure that you don't use so much water that the fur starts looking wet or spike. If it does, stop brushing your rabbit or get a towel and kind of dry it off a little (just remember...front to back).

There are two main reasons why brushes and shedding blades aren't used very often by people who professionally show rabbits. The first reason is that they tend to break the hair follicles. The second reason is because they tend to pull out follicles that aren't loose and you don't want to pull out follicles that aren't loose.

Brushing your rabbit for about 2-3 minutes each day over about 4-6 weeks should help bring it into a good coat of fur.

Some other suggestions:

I have a few other suggestions you should consider besides just brushing.

The first other suggestion that I have is to treat your rabbit for fur mites and fleas by giving it a shot of ivermectin. You wouldn't believe the difference that can make if that is a problem. Fur mites can be easy to detect because of the white flakey stuff they produce like dandruff. However fleas don't do that and they can be very hard to see.

My second suggestion is to watch your rabbit's diet, especially during the summer. Their diet is very important as far as how much they shed. If their diet is too high in energy they will tend to get fat and shed much more. Watch giving them snacks, vegetables, fruit, grass, etc...that can increase the energy level of their diet. So can anything fatty or oily. In the summer, they don't need as much energy as the winter. On occasion the rabbit pellets themselves can have too much energy if it is a poor quality rabbit pellet.

Make sure your rabbit gets plenty of water. If a rabbit doesn't get enough water it can raise the metabolism of the fur follicles and thus cause the rabbit to molt.

Be careful about switching feeds or moving the rabbit around too much. Changes can cause stress which can lead to the rabbit molting.

Finally, if you are breeding and raising rabbits to show, watch the genetics of the rabbit. The traits that rabbit has, it will pass down to its babies. As far as genetics go, I like to see my New Zealands have good fur almost from the time they are in the nestbox. Some of them you can grab out of the nestbox and roll the fur back and see a prime line on them even when they are in the nestbox. You want to look at the hair follicles also. For my New Zealands, I like the hair follicles to be short and straight. If the hair follicles are long or curl/curve on my New Zealands, I know the chance is pretty high that they won't have very good fur later on. I also don't like the fur to be too dense. Good fur density can make the fur feel really good, but one rabbit breed told me that if the fur gets too dense it can prevent oxygen from getting down to the rabbit's skin and can cause the rabbit to molt more. I think that holds a little bit of truth to it.

We all know the weather does somewhat affect their fur, but a lot of people don't consider how hormones also affect their fur. If you raise rabbits, check to see how the fur looks of the rabbits that are bred or that have babies. Ever see many with bad fur? You shouldn't. The increased hormone level of the doe helps the female to have good fur. That's one reason why some rabbit breeders will breed their senior does a week or two before a large show.

I've been raising and showing rabbits for 25 years. That's a lot more information about how to get good rabbit fur than most any professional rabbit breeder would tell you. So start jotting notes down and use the many good tips I gave you. I've won plenty enough Best-in-Shows to know what I'm talking about.

PS - Don't pick your rabbit up by the back of the neck. Any good rabbit judge can tell if you have recently. It leaves finger imprints where you picked it up in the fur. Also it stretches the hide there. Instead, pick it up by putting one hand under the chest and the other on it's rear end.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Rabbit Groomers

Answer 4

A shedding blade won't stop her hair from falling out, so while it might reduce the amount of detached fur in her coat, you're still going to have hair all over the place. Unfortunately, because bunnies have such thick coats, they can shed a LOT of fur! I have had rabbits for years (mainly angoras but I have lops as well) and the lops shed & shed like crazy. I just keep up with the brushing. Do you have a slicker brush? I have one designed for cats & small animals - it has a small ball of plastic on the end of each bristle to stop it from scratching the skin, and when I use it daily, it does make a significant difference. I do think however that you're pretty much stuck with the hair problem until shedding season is over. A shedding blade designed for cats may be something worth trying though - just be careful not to scratch or tear the bunny's skin, as they look like they could hurt if you aren't really careful. You'll know when you use it if it's going to be useful or not, but I don't see any reason for not trying it out.

Answer 5

I am not an expert, but I have had several rabbits. You can keep him outside but he has to have some shade at all times. You have to keep an eye on his nails (or whatever rabbits' nails are called). Some people advise providing wood that they can scratch/claw on, and maybe that helps, but even with wood, I've had to take mine to the vet's to have their nails clipped. It's possible that this can be done at home; I don't know. The nails, if left to grow, begin to grow around and back toward the rabbit's hand/paw. They are very sweet, but they need tending to on a daily basis. You can't just let them fend for themselves. He needs a cage big enough to walk around in. Some have a metal tray that you remove and clean. If you have a big enough yard and enough shade, you can put it on the grass. A pet store clerk could advise you on this, or look online.

Answer 6

I wouldnt use a shedding blade as their skin is very thin and delicate and a shedding blade will be harsh on them/

I raise fuzzy lops, much like your lionhead and I use a slicker brush.
The kind that is usually used on cats with long hair, it has a pad with all the little wires.
That is always what worked best for me.

Dont over brush your bunny, that can happen and your bunnies hair will not come in as full and thick as it normally would.
Brush him everyday for maybe 5 mins.

Good Luck

Answer 7

Unless you’re an expert, it’s better not to use a shedding blade or metal loop as they can trim fur too close to the skin and may possibly cut the animal. Frequent brushing with a stiff brush, that won't pull the rabbit's fur is the best. Just keep cleaning up the fur. It will stop.

Answer 8

Rabbits Shed A LOT! And it takes awhile. As long as you brush her, vacuum a lot (not while she's in the room), and you're not allergic you just have to live with it. Shaving a rabbit sounds a little dangerous.

Answer 9

Usually, that is too long for me. I think it depends on the guy and his face though. Certain guys can easily pull off long hair and others can't.

Answer 10

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