Best Rabbit Grooming Products

Generally speaking, rabbits are quite clean animals and avid self-groomers. However, when living in captivity, pet rabbits need help with grooming from their owner: after all, molting doesn’t bother anyone in the forest, but excess shedding might be problematic when you live in a small apartment. Regular grooming routine is a mandatory part of rabbit care and it will include taking care of your bunny’s fur and nails, as well as using the opportunity to check other things such as their dental or eye health, to name a few.

While in their core the grooming practices don’t differ much between various rabbit breeds, there are some important considerations you will have to take into account, depending on whether your pet bunny is a short-haired, satin, rex or a long-haired breed. For instance, if your precious pet is an Angora or a Lionhead, it stands to reason that their lush, silky coats will require a bit more care (and different grooming tools), than, let’s say, a dense and plush fur of the magnificent Rex or the typical short hair of a Dwarf Hotot or an English Lop. Thankfully, you won’t have to wonder what kind of specific grooming requirements your pet rabbit’s breed has: simply hop on over to our extensive breed research tool that will give you all the insight you need on rabbit breeds. Once you know what kind of special care your bunny might need (if they need it in the first place!), you will have an easier time of picking out the grooming tools that will help you keep your pet in ship shape.

Rabbits are self-groomers, which means a lot of the loose hair will end up being swallowed by them, which wouldn’t be such a big deal if bunnies were able to vomit it out. But, because they are literally physically incapable of vomiting, bunnies will poop the hair out- which often leads to large amounts of it getting stuck inside their intestines, causing the potentially lethal GI stasis. This dangerous condition is frequent in rabbits who are not brushed regularly, as they swallow large amounts of hair.

You see, it’s not just about looking good: when it comes to rabbits, a good grooming routine can actually make the difference between life and death. As brushing will be the key part of routine rabbit care, getting the right grooming tools is a must. So, how do you decide? A slicker brush, metal comb, soft brush, rubber brush? PetGuide.com’s buying guides and reviews make sure that you get the right tools to match your pet’s coat type. In addition, fur care in rabbits should involve throughout checkups to locate any external parasites or matting, which will require another set of tools. Find out if flea combs for rabbits can help you keep your pet well-groomed and how to safely remove mats from your rabbit’s coat (and which set of tools you need for it).

Rabbit Grooming Basics

While coat care will make up for the most of your bunny’s grooming routine, keeping their fur mat-free and tidily combed is far from the only thing you’ll need to do. Another important factor is claw care – chances are your bunny won’t be able to file them down even if they get to play outdoors from time to time. To prevent ingrown or overgrown nails that could lead to infection and injuries, you will have to regularly cut your pet’s nails. Special nail clippers for small animals will do the trick, but you’ll have to know how to handle your bunny in a way that will allow your claw grooming session to transpire in a stress-free way.

Other Reasons to Groom Your Rabbit

In addition to brushing and nail clipping which will be the core of your grooming routine, you should use the time spent going through your pet’s fur and handling them to check for any early warning signs of health issues. Grooming time is ideal for picking up on those small things that would go unnoticed another way, such as dandruff and dry skin, eye discharge or even bald skin patches. All of these changes on your pet’s skin and body could be a signal that something is amiss with their health.

While you will have to get your bunny to a rabbit-savvy vet for a final diagnosis and treatment, PetGuide.com’s resources on rabbit health can help you determine if your rabbit’s symptoms could be a sign of a disease or just a common thing- this is especially useful if you’re new at keeping bunnies as pets. Of course, it won’t always be about noticing symptoms of bad health when you groom your rabbit – sometimes, it’s all about those plain (not to say yucky) things. Rabbits have anal scent glands that might need to be cleaned as they have a particularly bad odor and can frequently be “affected” by a poopy but, and you’ll have to inspect their rear each time you groom them. Hey, it’s not all bunny kisses and cute twitchy noses, people.