Is there such a thing as a rabbit groomer?

[kukupecpec]

I know bunnies groom themselves and each other most of the time, but I've got a girl looking a little rough.

Lola is my mini lop and she has a longer coat than any of my other bunnies and the fur around her bottom is really curly. She gets a bath about once every other month at most. I've tried to brush her but she just doesn't like it. I can get her back brushed ok, but the places that really need it are her rear, belly, and legs. She's started to get matts on her feet and all around her bum and tail.

What can I do about it? Is there such a thing as a rabbit groomer who can bathe and brush and clip off the matts? She hates being picked up, but other than that is very people friendly, but considering her reaction to the brush I think being groomed would be something she would hate.



My husband loving Lola's loppy ears

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

There are people who groom rabbits, but they are few and far between. Mostly it is nail trims, scent gland cleaning, brushing, and shaving long haired buns.
Rabbits really don't need to be bathed. There are some that only need a butt bath, or have a medical need for a full bath, but the majority never need a bath.
If you can't find someone to help you, call your vet. Most can do some basic grooming and shave areas that need to be shaved.

 

[missyscove]

I worked at an exotics-only vet who did rabbit sanitary clips pretty regularly and had a few people who were really good at clipping rabbits. If you do any clipping yourself, know that rabbits have especially thin skin and be very careful if you remove any fur from the bottoms of their feet as you will be increasing their likelihood of developing sore hocks.

 

[kukupecpec]

I would really rather not do it myself, but I'm concerned that having someone else do it who doesn't know anything more about it than I do might harm her more than I would because I'd try to be extremely careful. I called my vet and they don't do trims unless the rabbit is anesthetized and that seems a little extreme just to get her cleaned up.

She'd just got some big clumps of fur all matted and hanging off her feet so I wouldn't want to actually shave the bottoms of her feet, just trim off the clumps that are dangling off them =) Good to know that I definitely SHOULDN'T shave them though for future reference!

The only reason I really thinks she needs a bath is because it looks like someone peed all over her. She's super crusty and she's not cleaning it off herself. She seems maybe not all there upstairs - she's got a vet appointment to get her checked out, we think she may be deaf, or partially deaf, or maybe something else is wrong because she always sleeps on her side super flopped down with her ears over her eyes (and she sleeps most of the day) and she looks dead! You can call at her and make all kinds of noises but unless you touch her or move her cage she doesn't wake up.

Any idea how I might go about finding a rabbit savvy groomer?

 

[JBun]

I'm glad you've got a vet appt. It does sound like your rabbit may have some sort of health issue leading to the soiled bottom, as this is not a normal thing to occur with rabbits.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

All I can think is that you may possibly be able to find an angora breeder that will do grooming. They have lots of experience with grooming and clipping rabbits. But being in AZ, not sure if you would even have any angora breeders there. Otherwise your vet really is the only other option that I can think of. Rabbits don't usually require clipping and professional grooming, so there really aren't many options for it out there when it is needed.

 

[kukupecpec]

I'm glad you've got a vet appt. It does sound like your rabbit may have some sort of health issue leading to the soiled bottom, as this is not a normal thing to occur with rabbits.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

All I can think is that you may possibly be able to find an angora breeder that will do grooming. They have lots of experience with grooming and clipping rabbits. But being in AZ, not sure if you would even have any angora breeders there. Otherwise your vet really is the only other option that I can think of. Rabbits don't usually require clipping and professional grooming, so there really aren't many options for it out there when it is needed.

Her bottom is soiled from a water bowl =) (although she has pee on her back from getting peed on by another bunny) I was having some issues with my water bottles so I threw them all away and used crocs for a little over a week until I could replace them all. Lola likes to sit IN her water bowl. She's back on a water bottle and she's really good about using her litter box and it's got a grate on it so she never actually sits in the urine. I don't know where the fur clumps came from though. I'm more worried about her funny napping behavior health-wise, but I'm hoping the vet will be able to see whats going on!

I haven't ever seen angoras here in Tucson (too stinkin hot I bet). How might I find some that are local?

 

[mmfh]

Look around, some dog groomers can also do birds and exotics. Just be picky and say u want to be present when ur rabbit is groomed. If the groomer has no problem with that then they have nothing to hide. Heck I hold my rabbit when she is done, she needs to get her private areas shaved twice a year. Trust ur instincts. If u have a hinky feeling then go elsewhere. Good luck.