# Shaving Rabbits



## KEW_Farms (Nov 25, 2011)

Has anyone ever shaved their rabbits to help keep the cool in the summer time? It gets over 100 here in the summer, and my bucks still have some matted and stained fur from when they were in hutches. I though I could kill two birds with one stone by shaving them.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

why is their fur matted and stained? 
what breed are they?


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## KEW_Farms (Nov 25, 2011)

Good questions...they are Californians. 

I purchased two rabbits from our local breader, which were supposed to be a male and a female. After 6 months of trying to breed them I found a tumor between the females legs, which turned out to be testicles. So they were mounting each other and happily painting each other while accomplishing nothing. So part of it is that.

The other part is I thought I would build them a luxurious hutch they would love. Maybe they did love it, but it took them no time at all to fill the solid horizontal surfaces with feces. Since seperating them (one in a cage and the other in the hutch), they have both whitened back up a bit (about equally), so I don't think it was the hutch so much as my little gay bunny's mounting each other for six months.

Most of the mats came out when they shed over the winter, but their hind quarters are still matted. 

More than anything I don't want them to over heat during the summer. We just got our first litter, so I would hate to see them all die now.

So...have you ever shaved a rabbit?


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## silverseeds (Apr 28, 2012)

Ha! As my first male rabbit matured I thought he had a tumor also... 

As for shaving rabbits, i cant offer any advice, but its an interesting thought for sure. Sounds like it would work to me, but Im just guessing. Ihave heard the way angora rabbits are handled in the modern age in france leaves them hairless for awhile, and this is safe. they keep them indoors in heat controlled areas though I believe... 

You could probably safely cut the hair that is still matted atleast. If nothing else. dont take my word for it though!


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## Narshalla (Sep 11, 2008)

Your best bet is to try loosening the dirty fur first.

1. Put about two inches of warm water in a bath tub, then place a rabbit in the water. If he lets you, gently massage the dirty fir to moisten and loosen up as much as you can with your hand. Otherwise, just let him hop around until the water is dirty.

2. Take him out, then drain the water and refill it. Unless he likes water (and the vast overwhelming majority of rabbits don't) don't try running the water while he's in there, because he will panic.

Repeat these steps until the bunny is clean or until the water stops changing color.

While you are giving them their baths _do not_ use any soap, shampoo, or anything else. Also, once the gunk starts to loosen up, you might find that while the rest of the rabbit has shed, the back half still has the fur matted in there. If it starts coming out in pieces, check to see if fur is already growing/grown in (this should be the case.) if not, then get him to a vet ASAP. Cleaning them like this will not _give_ them problems, but it might _reveal_ an existing problem. If ti reveals a problem, take them both in if you can afford it.

If there's no problem, just dry him very thoroughly, and don't put him out until he's dry, even if it seems warm.

The next day, do the same thing to the other one.

As for the heat, try to get a couple of pieces of scrap granite -- the kind they use for counter tops -- and put that in the cages, rotation them out each day. As it gets hot, their belly fur will get very thin, and they will lay on the rocks to cool down.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I can't give shaving advice. Typically that is reserved for angoras. Many breeders freeze 20 ounce soda bottles of water and give them to their rabbits to lay on during the hottest days of summer.


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

If they are outside I would be concerned about their skin getting sunburned without the protection of their fur.


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## KEW_Farms (Nov 25, 2011)

Yes...we bathed them and that helped a bit. Their fur is matted on their hind quarters...its clean it's just matted. I guess I'll shave their hind quarters and let the rest (unaffected areas) go untouched. I think these goof balls just dread locked each other being over energetic bunnies...if you know what I mean ; )

Thankfully I've learned how to sex rabbits since then (volcanos and valleys). I let you know how it works out.


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## DarleneJ (Jan 29, 2012)

I picked up some of the inexpensive floor tiles from Lowes for 59 cents each from the tile clearance spot. I selected the larger size, 18" x 18", I think - because I have the bigger NZs. My buns love to sprawl on those and they're easy to clean.

I'm trying to keep water bottles full of ice for them but my rabbits haven't really paid much attention to them for cooling themselves. I suppose they'll figure it out when they need to.

I'm not sure I would want to shave mine. NZ skin and fur is so thin, I would hate to nick it and make them even more uncomfortable in the heat.

I have thought of putting a fan in the open-air rabbitry. Not to blow on them directly, but to keep air circulating, especially when it stops cooling down at night.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Rabbits have really loose skin and it's pretty difficult to get the hair off without damaging the rabbit. There are angoras here who get the wool removed about every three or four months since we want the fiber to spin into yarn and the bunnies don't want it, especially in summer. I've found that "embroidery snips" work well for "shearing" the bunnies. The embroidery snips look just like old time sheep shears except they are much smaller. Rabbit sized, as it were. Otherwise, you can use small scissors to trim off the hair, but they are a bit more awkward. Just go carefully and don't trim off any bunny parts.

Hair cuts are pretty easy with angoras, they shed their hair several times a year and with the English angora, it can just be plucked or brushed off. The bunnies love grooming and they get handled a lot. I don't know what your rabbit is going to think about it since he probably isn't used to it.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Volcanes and Valleys! Nice. Here, in the 4H circle, we say tacos and donuts.


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## RebelDigger (Aug 5, 2010)

I have two angoras, Moe and Petey. I don't shave them, I clip them. I use human electric hair clippers with the guard on (they come with different guards to cut at different lengths, I use the medium). No worries about cutting them and when I get done the boys look like normal short hair rabbits. 
Sometimes, for whatever reason, Moe will have a matt, I use embroidery scissors and with just the bare tip of the blades, pull up on the edge of the matt and snip just a few hairs at a time. Once you get it started, it gets easier to loosen with your fingers and just tiny, tiny, careful snips with the point of the blades. Generally, Moe takes this all in stride but, when I am working on a matt, I will give him a carrot to keep his mind off what I am doing. 
Both of them always seem more comfortable and cool once their beauty spa day is over LOL.


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## gonepostal (Dec 27, 2009)

I am considering it for my lionhead buck. He is a full coat and looks more like a jersey woolie. I used to have jersey woolies and chose lionheads b/c I did not quite as much grooming. Unfortunately, I bought them as a herd deal and didn't know until I arrived that he was a full coat. His previous owner was very sick (cancer numerous times) and was unable to care for them as they needed so he has a LOT of mats.

I would LOVE to trade him out for a regular lionhead buck. I know the full coat is sought after for getting nicer wool in to a herd, but he's throwing all full coat babies from the looks of it and it is not what I prefer.

ANYWAY, I am considering using a furminator (they make them for dogs, cats and horses) on him or clippers, but I know there is some sections of fur that I should NOT remove so he will still keep his scent and the females will still want to breed.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

gonepostal said:


> but I know there is some sections of fur that I should NOT remove so he will still keep his scent and the females will still want to breed.


Not sure what you mean, but this statement does not apply to rabbits.


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## gonepostal (Dec 27, 2009)

Aw man, I was given false information then. I'm glad b/c I had to give my buck a massive grooming yesterday.


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## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

I trim my Angoras and lionhead mixes. I take little kid scissors and do it very carefully. Round tips. I routinely trim their tail area and around their pooper and in front of it. Helps somewhat to keep the dingleberries from building up so bad. As far as shaving, when the Angoras are plucked or trimmed all nekkid, they are cold for a while, but I keep them in a warmer area until they get some hair on. Seems that at night they might get a little chilly. Also, if they are using energy to stay warm, then they're not getting fat.


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## Barnhouse (Feb 24, 2012)

I have two angoras that I scissored down a few days ago. 
I waited until hubby had a few days off because I was sure it was going to be a two person job, but to my delight, these guys were mucho cooperative- I was able to do the job alone.
I think they were glad to have the winter coat off.

I let them rest their front feet on my palm while I lifted them up to almost standing so I could scissor underneath and they were very calm about it. I was able to get rid of some mats around their legs and tail very easily. I don't shave them.

They now look like their short haired neighbors, and they seem a lot happier.
If you're going to do this, take your time and use your own fingers as a barrier between the blades and the rabbit's skin avoid cutting too close.


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