Brushing Your Rabbit
How often should I brush my rabbit?
How often you brush your rabbit all depends on breed, fur type, and shedding. Rabbits with fairly "normal type" fur (Holland Lops, Mini Lops, rexes, dutches, etc) should be brushed at least once a week. If they have longer fur like fuzzy lops or lionheads, brushing twice a week wouldn't be a bad thing. Wooly-haired (these breeds would include all variations of the Angora and Jersey Woolys) rabbits should be brushed two - three times a week (simply to avoid mats and tangles) and their hair should be kept trimmed down to no more than an inch long or you will have continuous issues with hairballs.
How often do rabbits shed?
Rabbits shed every three months. Some sheds are lighter than others and some you will not notice at all, but during major seasonal changes, you will notice a bunch of fur floating around. During these heavy sheds, you may find yourself having to brush your rabbit twice a day. You can also remove large amounts of fur while simply pulling (gently) at the fur. Some sheds will last about a week, and some rabbits shed their fur completely in one day. This is why brushing during sheds is extremely important.
What is the best brush for a rabbit?
For rabbits, the main thing you're looking for in a brush is thinner bristles. Something with thick bristles will not properly comb through your rabbit's fur and will be especially ineffective during sheds.
Here is a photo of some appropriate brushes.
Here is a photo of some appropriate brushes.
Cat brushes or combs like these are the most useful for rabbits. (If you have a cat, do not use your cat's brush on your rabbit because it could spread disease or fleas that your cat may have without your knowledge.) These combs are more effective because they are wider and can more easily glide through a rabbit's dense fur without ripping or pulling at the rabbit's delicate skin.
Some combs like these are priced at up to $20, but there are cheaper alternatives as well.
Some combs like these are priced at up to $20, but there are cheaper alternatives as well.
Mats
Rabbits have very thin and delicate skin, so mats should never be clipped off with scissors as you could accidently nick your rabbit's skin. Instead, you should use a mat splitter or mat rake to carefully brush the mat out. This is what a mat splitter looks like:
My rabbit won't stay still so I can brush him! What do I do?
Take your rabbit to a quiet, small enclosure just big enough for you and your bunny to sit in. Put him down gently (wrapped in fleece or a towel) and gently stroke his head as you remove the towel. Don't put him in your lap, put him in front of you. Stroke his head softly and gently, covering his eyes as you cup your hand around his head, moving slowly back toward his ears. This usually helps to calm the rabbit down. When you get to the brushing part, continue to stroke his head. This will have him a constant, calm, stroking sensation and he won't even notice as you start to comb through the hair. Don't press down onto his skin, just move the comb gently through his fur to remove any extra shedded hair or tangles. Try to get it over with quickly if your rabbit gets nervous about being brushed, but don't rush to the point where you make your rabbit nervous.