Can I give my bunny a trim?

Hi all

I have a male lionhead bunny who gets very a matted tummy and legs despite grooming 2-3 times a week. Do you think it would be ok to give him a little trim around his back legs and bottom during the summer as I am worried about flystrike with all that fur?

Thanks


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My lion head gets the occasional dreadlock behind his ears...I cut them off as they can pull on their skin if left. Obviously you have to be careful but he always looks fine after. As long as you don't cut the skin it's not going to be detrimental to their health...although if you get a it scissor-happy he might look like he's had a fight with a lawnmower!

Louwillis said:

Hi all

I have a male lionhead bunny who gets very a matted tummy and legs despite grooming 2-3 times a week. Do you think it would be ok to give him a little trim around his back legs and bottom during the summer as I am worried about flystrike with all that fur?

Thanks


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Yes you can give him a trim, so long as he stays still and lets you! I would get the comb between his body and the scissors, and trim like a hairdresser! If he's a wriggly bun, take him to the vet nurse and let them do it and show you how to do it next time.

Yes you are right to be concerned about flystrike - good precaution to take :thumb:

Louwillis said:

Hi all

I have a male lionhead bunny who gets very a matted tummy and legs despite grooming 2-3 times a week. Do you think it would be ok to give him a little trim around his back legs and bottom during the summer as I am worried about flystrike with all that fur?

Thanks


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If your Bunny is calm and co-operative about being groomed then you could carefully trim off the long fur. But it is important to be extremely careful as Rabbit skin is very thin and one unexpected move from Bunny might cause a mishap. In the first instance I would advise you to seek help from another experienced Rabbit handler, so there will be two pairs of 'Rabbit savvy' hands on the job. Sometimes Vet Nurses will offer appointments at the Surgery for general grooming help. You could perhaps opt to do this on the first occasion if you think your Bunny may be a bit too wriggly for you to trim him safely yourself and you do not have any 'Rabbit Savvy' friends who could assist you

My four lionheads get trimmed, as long as you're very careful about pulling/catching their delicate skin and bun stays still it should be fine (I bribe mine with treats). If you're concerned or bunny is wriggly I'd make an appointment at the vets to get assistance.

Thanks everyone he is fine when being groomed and sits nice and still will definitely take the advice of using comb between his skin and the scissors thought [emoji106]


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Louwillis said:

Thanks everyone he is fine when being groomed and sits nice and still will definitely take the advice of using comb between his skin and the scissors thought [emoji106]


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You're welcome! You'll soon become an expert, I'm sure

Louwillis said:

Hi all

I have a male lionhead bunny who gets very a matted tummy and legs despite grooming 2-3 times a week. Do you think it would be ok to give him a little trim around his back legs and bottom during the summer as I am worried about flystrike with all that fur?

Thanks


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Click to expand...

You can carefully trim the bunnies fur.
If the fur is already matted close to the skin, you will need to be very careful not to cut the skin along with the matts. In my experience, if the matt is close to the skin, you can shorten the matt and it will be easier for your rabbit or you to remove the remainder through regular grooming. If the tummy has a lot of matting, you may need to spread the trim over a couple sessions.

I just saw the other post about putting a comb between the skin and the scissors and that is good advice.

I forgot to mention I would do this on the floor so the bunny could run away without getting hurt when they had enough.