| Rabbit Grooming |
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Grooming a Rabbit to Keep it Healthy As well as being an enjoyable experience for you and your pet rabbit, it is important to groom your rabbit regularly to keep it healthy. Grooming also gives you an opportunity to check for fleas, ticks and any injuries your rabbit may have. We have included some tips on how to groom your rabbit. However we do suggest that if you are unsure at all, to check with your veterinarian as they can best advise you on how to care for your pet rabbit. 1. Brushing a Rabbit Brush your rabbit regularly to remove excess dead hair. Rabbits can get fur balls, however they are not like cats and are unable to vomit their fur up and will become very sick if they swallow fur balls. The main aim when brushing your rabbit is to remove any loose and dead hair to avoid fur balls and also to keep your rabbit clean and healthy. When brushing your rabbit's hair, use a brush designed for rabbits and be gentle as their skin can get damaged easily. 2. Trimming Your Rabbit's Nails Trim their nails regularly as they can become very sharp and can easily scratch you and your family. It is also better to keep your rabbit's nails short so you can also avoid their nails ripping and catching. Some rabbits may need their nails trimmed weekly depending upon their activity and whether they live inside or outside. If you are not sure how to trim their nails please check with your veterinarian or rabbit expert first on how to clip their nails to avoid hurting your rabbit. 3. Healthy Rabbit Teeth Keep their teeth healthy by having regular veterinarian checks and giving your rabbit crunchy food. If the rabbit's teeth grow incorrectly, they can have difficulty eating and starve. If your rabbit's teeth are growing crookedly you should have your veterinarian clip their teeth, or show you how to correctly clip the teeth. 4. Trimming Rabbit Hair Long haired rabbits are beautiful but they require a lot of grooming. If you have a long haired rabbit you will often need to regularly cut their hair as well as brushing. This helps to reduce tangling as well as reducing fur balls. As a guide, if you have a long haired rabbit, their hair can be trimmed to about one inch long. 5. Bathing Your Rabbit Most rabbits will not need to be bathed and do find bathing stressful. However if they require a bath, it is better to: - use warm water; - use rabbit friendly shampoos; - blow dry their hair carefully, using a cool rather than hot setting on your dryer; - brush their hair gently when dry. 6. Rabbit Ear Cleaning Your rabbit's ears need to be checked for dirt and wax. Their ears need to be cleaned very carefully so you do not push wax into their ear canal. Their ear wax can be lifted out gently using a cotton swab. Always be careful when cleaning your rabbit's ears to not go too deep into their ear canal. 7. Rabbit Eyes If your rabbits have any discharge or watery eyes we suggest you see a vet, there are saline solutions that can be used, again your vet should advise you on the best product. Add your comment
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| Last Updated on Monday, 29 December 2008 12:50 |