Grooming/brushing a lion lop

[Heaven]

Hi guys,

I’ve noticed my lionlop is getting a tiny bit of matting around his bum & face, wondering any other longhaired rabbit owners had tips for grooming/brushing him? I have a double-sided metal comb at the moment, and he will tolerate being combed it if he’s munching a big pile of veggies, but he doesn’t sit very long. 

Also the comb seems pretty ineffective – i.e. not much fluff comes out with grooming. I’m wondering if I need a better brush to actually grab the hair. I’ve read that some people trim the knots… or use lint rollers?! I know that buns can get digestive blockages from ingesting too much hair, & he cleans himself fastidiously, so I’m worrying!

(Health check wise he’s happy being handled on his own terms, so I check his ears/eyes/teeth whenever I get an opportunity to prod him around a bit, haha. Toenails are another story – so far the vet’s been doing them, but I’m working up the courage…)

Thanks in advance <3

[Sirius&Luna]

How lionhead-y is he?

I have two lionlops, and one lionhead. One of the lionlops is basically all lop, and a lint roller works really well on him. The more lion-y lionlop doesn’t do so well with a lint roller, but she hates everything so I tend to just use my hands when she’s moulting a lot.

As for the lionhead, I haven’t brushed him much yet as he’s not moulted, but I don’t think a lint-roller would work on all his fluff. I really should get him into the habit of being brushed though.

So basically, if he’s very fluffy, I don’t recommend the lint roller, but if it’s just the little bum and face patches of fluff, then a lint roller works really well on the rest of the mini-lop style fur.

[caillou]

What kind of brush are you using? I have a lionhead and he is like all fluff. I use 2 kinds of brushes, a slicker comb and a flea comb meant for cats I think. Personally, I like the flea comb, if you find one with very fine bristles it helps take out a lot of hair. I use this one here http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=17233 I know some people also get a flea brush and then if you weave a rubber band through the bristles, it really helps pick up hair and it’s an inexpensive way to recreate the Hairbuster comb.

I’ve found that it’s usually easier to do shorter grooming sessions rather than one big one. I tend to brush him when he gets his pellets because he goes crazy over them. Sometimes when you brush you kind of have to go at a scooping angle to make sure you’re picking up the extra fur. I have not tried a lint roller and I probably wouldn’t on his fluffy, wooly fur.

If they’re big mats, it’s usually a lot easier just to cut it off than try to untangle it. Even if you cut halfway through the mat so that you’re not cutting too close to the skin and make a mistake, it makes it much easier to untangle the mat.

[Heaven]

Thanks for the help & I am happy to report a semi successful grooming session!! Pellets in my hand feeding one by one while I enticed/manoevered him to reach all the fluffy tangled bits! He goes absolutely nuts for those pellets. Can’t imagine what he’ll be like when I start giving him fruit.

I have a double sided metal comb with fine/extra fine teeth which seemed to work well on the knots. I tried the trick of dampening my hands and running them over him, but that didn’t seem to pick up any hair, just confuse him a little. I guess since he’s not moulting, just tangled, it wouldn’t be the best technique. @caillou I think you’re right about little & often rather than one big groom.

[Lemonsoup]

I second the slicker brush. The one I have is designed for cats, rabbits, smaller animals. Though I have an angora and therefore need to clip Teddy with proper dog clippers – however we brush him every second day as the wool grows so quickly. I’m still trying to work out exactly how to do around his bottom area and am actually taking him to a vet soon who specialises in grooming long haired rabbits so she can show me exactly how to get round his trickier bits (tail, bottom, belly and underside of front legs). You may find that your bunny actually enjoys grooming (to a degree) – Teddy loves his back being brushed and goes into loaf mode and sometimes falls asleep. He also likes his face being groomed. But the moment I move to his bottom, back legs – it’s all bets off 

[Heaven]

Thanks @Lemonsoup I will investigate! Also the bun in your avatar looks just like mine :0 …besides the fact that he would not tolerate being held like that ;p

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