Hello from Heracles!

Hello! :wave:

I am a proud new mum to a georgeous little bunny called Heracles and have a few questions!

He came home on Sunday and seems to have settled in quite well. I know that it's best to let rabbits come out of the cage in their own time but he has long hair and needs grooming so I had to get him out of his cage today which required blocking him in a corner using a tunnel and a bridge and then lifting him out. He was not happy about being blocked in but only gave a tiny struggle as I lifted him out and was then fine. Is this ok? I really don't want to scare him but I'm not sure how else to get him out?

For grooming, I sat him on my lap where he was pretty still, occasionally raising his head up and looking around. I have been told to tease small fur felts out using my fingers, which I did, however I'm also not sure that in some bits I didn't accidentally pull his skin quite hard and even thought his skin was the fur felt at the beginning. I know rabbits have very delicate skin - is this not very painful for him?? Would he react if it was sore or would he just stay quiet? I THINK I heard very quiet teeth chattering - would this be him expressing discomfort?

I lifted him to put him back in his cage and he gave my chest the teensiest nip. He went back in his cage fine and seems quite happy now. Throughout the process I tried to give him a tiny piece of strawberry but he wouldn't eat it. Is it ok to do this process every day? Does it sound like I'm on vaguely the right track?! Any words of wisdom for a new bunny mummy would be very much appreciated!

Apologies that my first post is so long and thank you in advance!

Hi Heracles. I am also a new Bunny owner and have made giant steps in educating myself with Rabbit ownership since being here, Its a great site to help you care for your Bunny the right way. I have never had a Rabbit with long hair so I am unable to advise but I do groom mine though as I believe it is helping with moulting. Is your Rabbit indoors or outdoors? My bunny lives indoors and has her own living area if for reasons we cannot have her free range. We have had her almost 2 weeks now and she still does not feel comfortable leaving her safe area other than a bit of venturing out in the evenings but she does not stay out long. Luckily I haven't had to block her in because I'v been able to lift her out easily enough but for the first few days we also had a little nippy behaviour, it did not hurt but it was a nip. We also had a lot of head nudging when on my lap. The nipping has completely stopped now so maybe it is a bit of insecurity on your Rabbits side. How old is he/she? anyway I am sure someone will come along to offer the appropriate advice regarding his grooming and handling. xxx

Hello lenslady - Gypsy is beautiful! Great to hear she is slowly settling in!

Yes, this site is a wealth of knowledge! Heracles is indoors and, like Gypsy, has his own area of which the cage is a part of. A little more background for anyone else who may be able to offer any advice, he is 5 months old and was neutered just before he came to me and is used to people. He does not seem terrified of us as he is quite happy to eat with my hand next to him and for us to be around making household noises, however when I go to pet him he runs away, and he will not eat out of my hand. I know it all takes time and we must go along with what the bunny is comfortable with however having to groom him every day does mean this is somewhat impossible. I am able to spend between 15 and 30 minutes with him in the morning, changing water, feeding, and chatting, and then all evening after work. Tonight I will give him long to come out of the cage on his own as he already seems bolder this morning than he was last night (although still no petting)!

Anyway, any more advice/tips would be greatly appreciated, especially in regards to getting him out the cage and grooming - if you think what I'm doing is really wrong then please do let me know, I need to learn!

Hi there and welcome to the forum :wave:

I have no experience grooming long haired rabbits but did have a long haired guinea pig many years ago and can remember we'd keep it trimmed short as it was easier to manage. Hopefully someone will come along with experience :-D

Heracles sounds lovely. I have found that in time they learn to trust and get more bold with us their bunny slaves ;-) Does he like nose rubs? One of mine will sit for as long as I can take with eyes closed enjoying them.

Best of luck.

Hello, welcome to RU!

Hello louise200, hello chul!

Thank you! I feel quite overwhelmed at the moment. I've done so much research (many thanks to this site!) and planned so carefully and yet nothing seems to be going the way I thought it would and I feel like all I thought I knew has gone out the window and I'm just making mistakes!

I think I am going to have some hair clipped around his rear end and legs when I take him to the vets for his vaccinations on Saturday which should make the more difficult parts to groom easier initially.

I look at him and think he's so beautiful, pure white with piercing pink eyes that look lilac in some light.

I'm not sure about nose rubs, I must try!

Welcome to RU ? I'm afraid I have no experience of long haired bunnies but I'm sure your vet or veterinary nurse would be able to give you a grooming masterclass if you asked.