Name for rabbit grooming service?

I know there are a lot of people in my village with rabbits, many have overgrown claws and some very matted fur. I want to help these rabbits so me and a friend have decided to set up a rabbit (And guinea pig) grooming service.

First of all, we need a good name. It dosen't have to be something to do with guinea pigs but it has to realate to rabbits.

And secondly, we go to them and we have had to buy lots of this grooming equipment. Its mainly for the enjoyment and to help rabbits, but we will have to charge a little. How much would you be willing to pay for nail clipping/a full groom/nail clipping and full groom?

Thanks

EDIT: And for all the clueless rabbit owners in my area, I could do sexing and health checks too. And free advice. What do you think?

Good idea but check out what type of insurance you may need..for such occurrances as owners who over react if you catch a quick or similar?

Thats the thing, its mainly for enjoyment and we can't be buying loads of insurance and such. I would have to explain to the owner, about nail clipping and what we would do if we hit a quick.

Bunny buffers :lol:

Rabbit refurbs :lol:

Little paws makeovers

Bobtails beauty :lol:

You deffinitely do need insurance. What if a rabbit fits and dies on you and the owners blame you for the death? Or if you cut or clip out mats or knots making them bleed or need vet attention and the owners want you to pay the vets bills? The list of things that could happen is endless and the people who at first seem reasonable won't be reasonable if anything happens, even if it's not your fault.

I personally wouldn't run any buisiness without insurance. Generally if people are expected to pay for something even if it is as little as a pound, they will expect everything that they would get from a company if they were also paying a lot more.

What happens if they bleed and it drips on to their nice new cream carpet. If you are offering health checks you would need to be able to spot dental problems and many other conditions unless you listed in writing the ones you covered and the ones you didnt. Ideally you would need a recognised certificate in care.

public liability insurance would be ok i would imagine? my mum is covered for 1 million£££ for £15 per month

If a rabbit looked very nervous, i wouldnt even consider grooming or nail clipping that bunny anyway. I would refer them to a vets, or show them how to do it themselves.

I would think that it would not be a good thing for an untrained person to offer health checks. You have to have training to do this (ie be a vet nurse or vet) and you could get yourself into trouble by firstly offering it at all, but worse, getting it wrong. I would just mention anything you see that seems out of the ordinary or could be a potential problem and advise a trip to the vet. I wouldn't put in writing that you offer health checks.

Demismith said:

If a rabbit looked very nervous, i wouldnt even consider grooming or nail clipping that bunny anyway. I would refer them to a vets, or show them how to do it themselves.

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This is where experience comes in. If a rabbit is matted it will be because the owners don't brush it, therefore it stands a very strong chance it will not react well to you doing it and most will be nervous.

The other thing I would do to cover yourself is design a form and get the cutomer to sign a disclaimer form agreeing to the treatment and taking responsibility and giving you permission to perfom this in their own home whilst they are present. I would think if they are present and on their own property surely they still have reponsibility for their pet and they need to give you authority to do anything :wave::wave:

Ok, I wont offer health checks but if I do go and see a rabbit, i will do a quick one just incase. And for matted bunnies, again I will quickly show the owner how to do it if the rabbit seems stressed.

And also, I can de-flea rabbits. I use this powder thing which works really well but you have to stop the rabbit grooming itself for half an hour!

Demismith said:

Ok, I wont offer health checks but if I do go and see a rabbit, i will do a quick one just incase. And for matted bunnies, again I will quickly show the owner how to do it if the rabbit seems stressed.

And also, I can de-flea rabbits. I use this powder thing which works really well but you have to stop the rabbit grooming itself for half an hour!

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Do the powders work effectively as I've never found one that does, the spot on treatments are usually the only ones that will effectively clear fleas.

dont mean to sound rude but are you at all qualified? I dont really think you can offer services like these if your just joe bloggs,one of our buns got an allergic reaction to flea treatment,you need experience to carry out treatment for other people and charge for it.I would think of an different idea or just make a leaflet to post on care issues.

Demismith said:

Ok, I wont offer health checks but if I do go and see a rabbit, i will do a quick one just incase. And for matted bunnies, again I will quickly show the owner how to do it if the rabbit seems stressed.

And also, I can de-flea rabbits. I use this powder thing which works really well but you have to stop the rabbit grooming itself for half an hour!

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:wave: Hi what a lovely idea. Only thing i would say in agreement with lucy is the fact that unless qualified you can't offer health checks. But as you say you could advise there may be a problem ie with overgrown teeth etc if spotted then leave it to the owners discretion as to whether or not they take their pet to the vets... at the same time though if they chose not to take your advice you could contact the RSPCA or your own vet if you were worried a pet was suffering. Although not exactly the same the groomers where my mum takes her dogs advise her if they notice skin infections or fleas, ear problems etc. They have offered complimently treatments for one of my mum's dogs as it has a skin allergy but they always advise to check with her own vet first.

As for using flea powder again i would say offer it as complimentry but always get them to check with there own vet first.

I would like to do the same sort of thing in my area as i find grooming bunnies very relaxing [well with my two i do as they love it :lol:] don't know if it would work down here in the south west as much though as people around here [except jazzy b] don't seem that interested in rabbits :roll:

Anyway good luck and hope it works out for you. Think it is a lovely idea. Perhaps you could offer the service to a local rescue free of charge just to get some more experience before you start charging people :wave:

Demismith said:

And also, I can de-flea rabbits. I use this powder thing which works really well but you have to stop the rabbit grooming itself for half an hour!

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:shock: I assume from what you are writing that you are not a qualified vet. If you have no insurance and administer something which is not prescribed to someone elses rabbit and they either have a skin reaction or fit or die as a result you would find yourself being sued. Legally unless you are qualified you cannot prescribe any form of medication to someone elses animal. again if there was a problem you would be liable to be sued ... please dont go down this route

To de-flea rabbits, I use a simple powder that can be purchased from most pet shops, which is safe for any owner to use if they follow instructions. What i ment by de-fleaing is basically selling them this product (Which they would be able to anyway at pet shops) and follow the instructions.

Rather than selling the products, perhaps highlighting and education of general bunny care would be a better way to go? You could do the grooming bit and maybe obtain leaflets from the RWA that people could take away and read, or while chatting to the clients, you could mention seasonal treatments and preventative care for buns that they may not be aware of, maybe something like, ' I notice you have lionheads, did you know they may be a little more susceptible to flystrike in the warmer months? do you know how to check them?' and then offer the leaflets to them to take away. Also I would write down the services you provide, so the clients know exactly what you will do, so there are no unexpected expectations on you and no misunderstandings. Unfortunately insurance is a must, most public libility offers a £5m minimum ( that's what I have) and it's not too extortionate!

'Jhonsons Insecticidal Powder for small animals' (A mild non-irritant insecticidal powder containing natural biodegradeable Pyrethrins to kill common external parasites on animals over 12 weeks of age)

- Any person of any age can buy this from pet shops, not just vets

I personally would not trust any one other than a qualified vet to put medical treatment on my pets.
If ypou get the one in a million bun that has an allergic reaction and you do not have insurance, you are in a word, screwed.
I'd offer leaflets on ivermectin instead.