Grooming tips

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LBMBarbalooski

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We recently bought our first French Angora and are very happy with her. She is about 1 1/2 years old. I know it takes time for us to get to know each other and for her to trust us. She tolerates brushing with both a broth and a comb on her back and sides. Her belly is another issue. When I lay her in my lap, she rolls up into a tight ball and kicks like crazy. I had no idea she could kick that hard. The next time I tried to groom her I stood her on her back legs and sort of got her belly combed out. I could tell she wasn't happy with it and didn't tolerate it very well. Any tips other than more time and opportunity for trust to keep building?
 
I typically don't mess with the bellies unless I notice mats. My rabbits are pretty good about keeping their bellies well taken care of, and when you start adding to your population, it takes more time to groom. So long as there's no mats, I figure they're good to go. None of the rabbits I brought in like their bellies messed with either.

That being said, I do try to train my kits to lay on their back and let me mess with their bellies no problem, but it's very hard to get an older rabbit to be comfortable with that no matter how much they like attention otherwise. If your a prey animal that's only real self preservation technique is to run, then when your feet aren't on the ground you won't be very likely to feel safe until they are again. It's just something we learn to deal with.

However, as a note of caution, rabbits are strong enough to break their own backs by thrashing on their backs like that, so if you do have to flip her see if you can wrap her up somehow that it won't inhibit you from working on her, but so she can't wiggle. Some of mine will even calm down if cradled tightly like you would with a human baby, so you could try that too.<br /><br />__________ Sat Nov 09, 2013 7:56 am __________<br /><br />Oh, and when I do deal with mats I typically pluck them out quickly while I hold the rabbit with one arm. All of my rabbits do well held in what they call the rag doll position, where you hold them up against your side or front with one arm under their elbows basically, and the rest of the rabbit hanging against your body. It frees up a hand to pluck the mats while they are comfortably hanging stretched out where I can see their bellies. They don't mind it in the least once their used to it, but it usually takes them a couple times to realize they're not falling or getting dropped.
 
:yeahthat: Ditto on everything PSF said. I only have a few rabbits that allow me to touch their bellies and no adults that allow me to flip them over. I even "train" them as kits to flip, but it seems that at a certain age/size, they no longer like it. But-- I respect that and find other maneuvers to get where I need to be. Sometimes I even enlist my husband to hold a rabbit so that I can check the undercarriage. ;)

Overall, as PSF said, there are very few occasions where I need to get under there. I usually just fell their belly while they are in a normal sitting pose to try and seek out any mats. And there are hardly ever any mats I can't get to without lifting the rabbit.
 
Mine are strangely easy to flip. I snipped the last one pretty much all the way down with him on his back, and he did not move. This is not a normal occurrence, I do have to groom there very often.
 
Great tips from you all. Thank you. Some time she lets me put her on her back and other times no way. Our three month old must have really been taught well as she lays on her back in a semi comatose state. It's funny. I don't know how long that will last. So far no mats so they don't have to lay there long. I get more comfortable with each grooming session. Hopefully that helps the bunnies.
 

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