Grooming your rabbit

How often should I groom my rabbit?

Rabbits with a short coat should be brushed at least once a week, but rabbits with long hair will need brushing once a day to prevent matting.

You will need to groom your rabbit more often when they are moulting to prevent them from swallowing their fur. Older rabbits, or rabbits who are suffering with arthritis or dental problems, may also need to be groomed more frequently.

Rabbit moulting

Adult rabbits moult twice a year during spring and autumn. This helps them to adjust to the warmer or cooler weather.

During this time, your rabbit's fur can come out in handfuls and bald patches may appear. Moulting often starts on their head and spreads down the back to their tummy.

When your rabbit is moulting, it's essential to groom them more frequently to prevent them from swallowing fur when grooming themselves. If your rabbit swallows too much fur, it can lead to a dangerous blockage in their tummy causing their gut to slow down (GI stasis).

During a moult, it's important to keep an eye out for signs of GI stasis. If you are concerned about your rabbit, contact your vet for advice.

Grooming your rabbit during a moult

While your rabbit is moulting, you may need to brush them multiple times a day. Smaller grooming sessions can make the process less stressful for them.

The easiest way to remove loose fur is by brushing. You can also gently remove the hair with your fingers. Or you can dampen your hands and run them along your rabbit's back to remove the loose coat.

You'll also need to gently brush down to your rabbit's skin, parting the fur as you go. This will help to remove the loose undercoat and prevent matting.

Checking your rabbit's coat

Grooming your rabbit is a good opportunity to check that their coat is in a healthy condition.

When brushing your rabbit, check their coat for fly strike, lumps, dandruff, mites, fleas or itchy sores. If you notice any abnormalities, speak to your vet for advice.

Mites

The most common type of mites in rabbits are called cheyletiella (known as walking dandruff). If your rabbit has mites, they may have excessive dandruff and their coat will look scruffy – especially along their back. Many rabbits do not show signs of itchiness unless the mites are left untreated.

If you spot dandruff in your rabbit's coat speak to your vet.

Fleas

While fleas in rabbits are uncommon, they can be passed on from cats or dogs. If you spot fleas while grooming your rabbit, contact your vet for advice. They'll be able to recommend a product that's safe for your rabbit.

If your rabbit has fleas, remember that their housing will need to be treated too.

Ticks

Ticks are spider like creatures that can attach to your rabbit and feed off their blood. This can be dangerous as ticks can carry harmful diseases.

They're often found around a rabbit's ears, face and legs. They can also be more difficult to spot on long-haired rabbits, so remember to feel for lumps in their coat.

If you find a tick, we recommend contacting your vet for advice and help removing the tick. After it has been removed, monitor your rabbit for any signs of infection or illness.

How to groom your rabbit

Many rabbits will find the process of grooming to be stressful. Before you start grooming your rabbit, it's important to gently help them get used to being stroked handled.

How to get your rabbit used to being handled

1. Start by interacting with your rabbit on their own level. Rabbits prefer interaction without being picked up, so a good place to start is sitting down on the floor in their housing. This allows your rabbit to approach you when they are ready.
2. Keep movements very slow and talk quietly at first. Predators are never chatty, so a quiet, constant noise will be more reassuring to your rabbit than total silence.
3. Pair your appearance with tasty food. This way, your rabbit will come to expect good things when you are around. They will also start to build positive associations with the sound of your voice or the rustle of a food packet.
4. Once your rabbit is used to your presence, try sitting in their housing and scattering food on or around you. This will help them to feel comfortable with your sound, smell, and movement. Let your rabbit approach you, rather than you approaching them.
5. When your rabbit has become comfortable with your presence, you can begin gently stroking them while they are preoccupied with tasty food. Most rabbits prefer being stroked on the forehead or gently on the ears.
6. When your rabbit is comfortable with being touched, you can begin to introduce a small amount of handling. Simply lift your rabbit’s hindquarters slightly off the floor. Repeat this over a period of days until they are comfortable with this process. Then, you can gradually introduce more lifting. Remember to always combine this process with a pleasant experience, such as a a large handful of grass, herbs or veg.
7. Eventually start lifting your rabbit onto your lap for a generous supply of their favourite food. This stage should be reached very gradually.
8. Once your rabbit is used to being handled, you can slowly begin to introduce their grooming routine

Grooming your rabbit

Once your rabbit is used to being handled, you can begin grooming sessions. It's important to build the sessions up over time and keep them short to avoid making your rabbit feel stressed.

1. Place your rabbit on your lap, or if your rabbit finds it stressful to be picked up, you can groom them on the floor of their enclosure. You may find it helpful if someone gently holds your rabbit while you groom.
2. Using a suitable brush, brush their fur in the direction that it grows. Brushing in the opposite direction can be uncomfortable for your rabbit. Rabbits' skin is sensitive and delicate so remember to careful.
3. As you go, part their fur and gently brush down to their skin to remove any loose undercoat. If your rabbit is moulting, you may need to use a comb or your fingers to remove the fur.
4. While grooming, check your rabbit's coat and weight, and give them an overall health check. If their nails are too long, this is also a good opportunity to cut them.

There are many different types of brushes that you can include in your rabbits' grooming kit. Speak with your vet or local pet shop to help you decide which is best suited to your rabbit's coat.

Cutting your rabbit's nails

You can trim your rabbit's nails at home by using rabbit claw scissors. You will need to avoid the quick (the pink bit in the middle of the nail), as it's painful and will bleed if cut.

If you're not sure how to cut your rabbit's nails, your vet or vet nurse will show you how. Your rabbit may also naturally wear their nails down when exercising on hard surfaces.