Angora who doesn't like being brushed !!

Hi

This is my first time here.

I have an angora rabbit called Chester. My problem is he hates being brushed always has done since I had him at around 6 mths.

He has a big knot under his chin that I just can't get.

He keeps getting a messy bottom don't think he's ill, he's eating & running around the garden. I was him a couple of times a week but again he hates it & get really stressed.

I can't find any help on what to do just keep getting told I shouldn't have him, (I was sold him by a pet shop who said he would need just a little bit more brushing than a short haired rabbit) which isn't any use to me now.
Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks
Donna

what part of the country are u in?
Adele is probably one of the best people to give advice about angoras as she has quite a few.
I have 2 very very fuzzy lionheads, one is more woolly than the other and i use a cat flea comb and another one with slightly wider teeth to get through the thick woolly fur.
Have you tried wrapping him in a towel to get to the knot under his chin? If you can get him to lay on his back with his head under your armpit you may be able to get to it.. if you have someoen who can help you with it.. maybe you can use some rounded ended scissors to snip the knot away.

Just saw you said you wash him.. do u mean his bottom? If so I do this by putting a small amount of water in a sink or bowl and holding their front end i put their bottom into the water (needs to be warm) and use the other hand to swish around the bottom area.. I also use babywipes on the bottom area to get off any soiling each day.

Hiya,

Don't worry we'll be happy to give you lots of advice on how to cope with him

One solution is to keep his fur clipped short, just because it grows long doesn't mean you have to keep it that way and its then much easier to cope with

I'll let the long haired bun owners give some more tips on grooming.

Whats his current diet? Usually if a bun is getting a messy bun its because the diet isn't quite right. To start with the solution is usually to cut back or remove together everything apart from hay for a week or so and they you can reintroduce a small amount of high fibre pellets.

Welcome to the forum!

Tamsin

I don't have any angoras but one of my buns has really thick fur and he kicks up a MASSIVE fuss when I try to brush him. He also gets matted bits - I find the matted bits are worse if I wash him so the sooner you can get your buns messy bun sorted the better. Charlie has a v delicate tum so suffers from this too - he is basically only fed timothy grass, and about a quarter of the recommended amount of supa rabbit.

As for brushing him - I've tried all different brushes and combs, have found the easiest is a metal dog comb - I have two different sizes one with fine teeth and one with the teeth wider apart. I find its easiest to do it if my partner (steve) holds charlie on a towel on his lap and I do the brushing. Now, this bit is going to sound odd but when he starts to make lots of squeaking noises and being a big girl about it, I get the vacuum, put the brush on the end of the hose and we vacuum him. Steve rubs his hands over Charlie and I vacuum the fur as it comes out. Charlie loves it, it makes his fur go cold and I think thats part of the reason he doesn't like being brushed - cos he gets too warm! The noise doesn't bother him but he's a house bunny and has never been bothered by the vacuum.

We cut the matted bits out with small blunt ended scissors.

Good luck with your bun, you'll work it out, and don't believe anyone who says that your shouldn't have Chester!

Hiya, to avoid our Angoras getting stressed out by grooming, we clip ours once a week with safety scissors, just gently trim their fur and keep it short constantly.
This way the fur never gets long enough to form matts, and we can just brush over the short fur daily with a metal brush.

I have a angora cross and if you dont want to show him clipping is best. I have to groom mine every day. :roll: Please dont bath him because bunnies dont like being bathed it really stresses them out and rabbits can go into shock, spot washing is ok if really nesseary. I rescued my bun and he was in a very bad way when I got him. :evil: I would start by cutting out any bad mats. I groom with a stickle brush, but be gentle because a rabbits skin is very thin and can tear. If you have help start by brushing the stomach lay your bun on his back hold on to his ears gently but firmly. If you have help get someone else to do this if not lay the rabbit on your lap and hold the ears between your knees. dont worry if your gentle but firm you wont harm him. Matts tend to happen around the rear and behind the elbows. Then groom the top of your bun start at the rear and take secitons of fur and brush, working your way up untill youve brushed all the bun do not brush the rabbits face or ears with a stickle brush use a soft bristle brush{this brush is no good on the rest of the coat as it does'nt get down through the fur} If you have a hair drier with a cool setting use this on ythe body only to see if you have got all the matts out, if you havent the fur will appear to be clumped. Dont forget to give you and your bun a break from brushing, its best to do it in stages if the fur is bad. With a long coated bunnie you need to care for it slightly differently, dont bed it down on any type of sawdust/shavings because it gets trapped in buns fur, the same goes for hay straw etc. put hay in a hay rack, and sredded paper is best for bedding. Clean your bun out at least every other day, because an excess of droppings will get stuck in his fur. To groom a angora of show quality takes around 40 minutes, so pet stores are naughty for saying that theres not much difference. I hope this helps and if you have any questions please ask.

Adele said:

Hiya, to avoid our Angoras getting stressed out by grooming, we clip ours once a week with safety scissors, just gently trim their fur and keep it short constantly.
This way the fur never gets long enough to form matts, and we can just brush over the short fur daily with a metal brush.

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This is what I do with Ted. Much easier keepng him this way then having to brush a full coat out everyday.

Louise

I dont want to offend anyone but can someone explain to me why people have a long haired rabbit and then clip its fur? I can understand people who use the wool for spinning clipping there buns, I can also understand breeders clipping there breeding rabbits {that arnt for showing} as they would have so many they wouldnt have time to brush them properly. But why have a long haired bun as a pet then cut its fur off? why not have a short haired bun? People must choose a long haired bun for the way they look, so why not keep it that way, is it because of lazyness ?

Lots of reasons:

They are misinformed when they get the rabbit about the care the coat needs and find it difficult to maintain, in that situation they either have it clipped short or rehome the rabbit.

Its not necessarily lazyness, as you can see from the questions on the forum many people do want to care for their rabbits, it not time thats the issues its the difficulty grooming itself presents. Its not easy to do especially if the rabbit isn't keen on cooperating.

Long haired rabbits in rescue are often hard to rehome because of the difficulty grooming persents so keeping them clipped short gives them a better chance of finding a home.

In many cases the rabbit isn't happy about being groomed so keeping it clipped short prevents it going through stressful daily grooming.

It reduces the likely-hood of hair balls and allows the rabbit to groom itself much easier. It also stopps bedding getting tangled.

In some cases people with just trim areas of the rabbit such as the feet, under the tail as these are most likely to get messy.

Alot of people choose a rabbit because of its personality, clipping the coat is often better for the rabbit and most people find their pet just as beautiful.

I think the real problem is selling of long haired rabbits in petshops where they look cute but purchasers are not given accurate information about their real needs.

Tam

I agree that people are not given the correct information when purchasing a rabbit from a pet store, but isnt it up to the person purshasing the rabbit to get as much information as possiable, I just makes me cross that people say grooming a rabbit is stressful for the rabbit! its not mine enjoy it, and they are rescued. I understand that rabbits have different temperments and obviously if you have a rabbit who hates being brushed then clipping is the best option. But I've found that people use it as an excuse not to brush there buns.

Ted is a rescue Angora in fact he's a crossbred so his coat isn't as fine as a true Angora's. I took Ted on because I was looking for a neutered buck and he had been in a rescue a long time. I didn't take him on because he was an Angora.

I clip him as its less stress for him having a full clip once a week then having a full brush everyday if I kept him long which can take up to an hour to do it properly. IT IS stressful for some Rabbits being groomed. Ted is very good but he gets a bit cranky if I keep him long and give him a full brush out everyday.

He also lives with two friends who groom him all the time so like Tam has said it helps keep hairballs down.

Ted is much more comfortable short then he is long.

In my opinion its better to keep a pet long haired Rabbit’s clipped short as its more comfortable for them, less stress, easier to keep the coat clean, no mutts, no bedding/food/poo stuck to the coat, much easier to check and clean bottoms and check the overall body for cuts/grazes/lumps/bumps etc.

I think Angora's should be banned from been sold in pet shops as no end of them end up in rescue in a terrible state. People are not equipped with the information they need when they buy a longhaired Rabbit from a pet shop. At least from a rescue correct care advice is given.

Louise

samandshawn said:

But I've found that people use it as an excuse not to brush there buns.

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Better they clip them then not do anything at all.

Louise

[quote="samandshawn"But why have a long haired bun as a pet then cut its fur off? why not have a short haired bun? People must choose a long haired bun for the way they look, so why not keep it that way, is it because of lazyness ?[/quote]


Hiya, we are a Sanctuary specialising in taking in Angoras/ long haired bunnies.
Over many years of spending a lot of time pf both grooming and observing these beautiful creatures, I have concluded that it is better (in my view) to keep the Angoras trimmed up constantly.
This is not because I am lazy, as I am happy to spend all the time it takes to keep these bunnies in great condition, but purely a welfare issue.
When bunnies arrive here the majority are so matted they need to be shaved from head to toe(paw?), and are obviously distressed and uncomfortable.
To see the bunnies find their feet once more when all the fur comes off (and any sores that have formed under the matted fur treated) is amazing and so rewarding.
I find that the bunnies are much more active, alert and able to enjoy life to the full (including digging burrows in the soil :roll: :lol: ) when kept clipped.
I make a decision based upon how the rabbit responds best to either being clipped or not, as to a gauge as to how they are kept, not what suits me best!!.
It takes me as long to clip bunnies once a week and brush short fur with a soft brush as it does to groom long fur in reality.

Keeping Angoras clipped or not, does not detract away from their wonderful gentle characters, and I feel this is what attracts me to them, not the length of their fur.

I definately think long haired bunnies should not be sold in pet shops, or elsewhere to the general public unless a potential owner can demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of the bunnies needs.
This is the pet shops failing not yours Donna, you sound like a very caring and lovely lady who wants to do the very best for Chester
Donna, if you need any further help with Chester please do not hesitate to ask, we are here if you need us.

Hi Donna, welcome to the forum. You sound a very loving bunny mummy to come looking for help. I don't own an angora but if clipping the fur means a happier rabbit and mummy then surely thats the best thing all round. Sounds like a lot of people do it. xx

Its very brave to admit when you need help and things aren't going well - its shows that you are putting the rabbit before yourself.

You've been given some great tips here about it - I can't add to it myself as have no experience of Angoras but I hope this all helps you.

Lots of love xxxxxxxx

Thanks for all the positive advice.

Thanks for all the idea & suggestions.

I trusted the pet shop I got Chester from to give me the information I needed, should have looked in to it more I quite agree, but I have him now & wouldn't be without him. Love him to bits

Trying to groom Chester for more than a few minutes leaves his heart racing & him very unhappy ( I have the scars to prove it) & untrusting of me. I'd much rather have a rabbit who is happy to see me than one that acts like that.

As much as I've tried to keep him long haired it's time to amit defeat.
So a short haired, knot free, happy, have the run of the garden rabbit is what he will have to be!!

Thanks again for all your help.
Donna

We'd love piccys by the way Good luck with the clipping.. hope he lets you do it without hurting you.

I did my bit over the weekend regarding this as a petshop by me had got a very smooth long haired bunny for sale and I asked them whether they inform anybody that enquires about the bunny about the grooming the bunny would require. They said they did but I am not so sure, they were a bunch of young girls running the shop so I ain't convinced.