A soft, full rabbit coat looks beautiful, but it can also require a fair amount of maintenance. Especially long-haired rabbits can quickly suffer from tangles, matting, and skin problems without the right coat care. Regular grooming is therefore not only important for your rabbit’s appearance, but primarily for his or her health and well-being.
At Dierenkliniek Zoo Bijzonder, you can therefore also come to us for professional rabbit grooming. Our veterinarian Karolien is a certified rabbit groomer and combines her knowledge of coat care with her veterinary knowledge of rabbits.
Why is coat care so important for rabbits?
Rabbits spend a lot of time grooming their own coats. Loose hairs are removed with the tongue and subsequently swallowed. Unlike cats, for example, rabbits cannot vomit these hairs up. The hairs must be excreted through the gastrointestinal tract.
Especially during shedding, rabbits can ingest large amounts of loose hair. Proper coat care helps to remove excess loose hair and thereby reduces the amount of hair the rabbit swallows while cleaning itself.
Additionally, tangles and matting can pull on the skin and become painful. Furthermore, the skin can become irritated under a matted coat, leading to sores or infections. Around the hindquarters, urine and feces can get stuck in the fur, which can cause skin problems and increases the risk of flystrike (myiasis).
Proper coat care is therefore certainly not a luxury for a rabbit.
Which rabbits need to be groomed?
Not every rabbit requires the same amount of coat care. For many short-haired rabbits, regular checks and the removal of loose hairs during shedding are sufficient.
For long-haired breeds and crossbreeds, this can be quite different. Think, for example, of Angora-like rabbits, Teddy Dwarfs, Teddy Widders, and other rabbits with a long or very dense coat. Their coat can grow so quickly or tangle so easily that they cannot maintain it properly themselves.
For these rabbits, a regular professional grooming session may be necessary to keep the coat healthy, clean, and comfortable. How often this is needed varies per rabbit and depends, among other things, on coat type, age, health, housing, and how much care is possible at home.
Older rabbits, rabbits with obesity, dental problems, osteoarthritis, or other physical limitations may also have difficulty with their own coat care. A suddenly unkempt or matted coat can therefore also be a signal that there is an underlying medical issue.
Why shouldn’t you let just anyone groom a rabbit?
Grooming a rabbit requires a different approach than grooming a dog or cat. A rabbit’s skin is relatively thin and fragile and can easily be damaged if tangles or matted fur are removed incorrectly.
Furthermore, rabbits are prey animals. They often only show signs of pain, stress, and illness at a late stage. A rabbit that sits very still during a grooming session is therefore not automatically relaxed. It is important that the person treating the rabbit can properly recognize the body language and stress signals of rabbits and knows how to handle a rabbit safely.
Also, simply washing a rabbit or placing it on its back for a long time is generally not a good way to provide coat care. The treatment must be adapted to the individual animal and carried out as calmly and rabbit-friendly as possible.
Certified rabbit groomer and veterinarian
At Dierenkliniek Zoo Bijzonder, the grooming treatments are performed by Karolien. She is not only a veterinarian with extensive experience with rabbits but also a certified rabbit groomer.
That offers an important advantage: during the grooming session, we don’t just look at the coat, but also at the rabbit underneath it.
Abnormal skin, wounds, a dirty rear end, weight loss, abnormal nails, or other peculiarities can be noticed during the treatment. If a poor coat condition potentially has a medical cause, this can be examined from a veterinary perspective.
What can we do during a grooming session?
Depending on the coat and what your rabbit needs, we can, among other things:
- perform a full grooming session;
- remove excess and loose fur and comb out the coat;
- carefully remove tangles and matted fur;
- care for the coat around the hindquarters;
- check and, if necessary, clip the nails;
- perform a general check for any abnormalities.
We assess what is necessary and responsible for each individual rabbit. The goal is not to “style” a rabbit to look as beautiful as possible, but to maintain a healthy, practical, and comfortable coat.
Brushing at home remains important
Even if your rabbit is professionally groomed regularly, coat care at home remains important. How often you need to comb or brush depends heavily on the type of coat. Some long-haired rabbits require grooming several times a week, and sometimes even daily during heavy shedding.
It is wise to let your rabbit get used to being touched, checked, and groomed from a young age. Pay extra attention to areas where tangles easily form, such as around the hindquarters, armpits, groin, and around the neck.
Are you unsure which brush or comb is suitable or how best to maintain the coat? We can advise you on this during a grooming session.
Would you like to make an appointment for your rabbit’s grooming?
Does your rabbit have a long coat, a lot of loose hair, tangles, or matting? Or are you no longer able to keep the coat neat and healthy at home?
Then you can make an appointment at Dierenkliniek Zoo Bijzonder for a professional grooming session with Karolien. Together, we will look at what your rabbit’s coat needs and we can advise you on how to best maintain it at home.
This way, we not only keep the coat beautiful, but above all, keep your rabbit healthy and comfortable.