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Mary Ann's Rabbitry

Mary Ann's Rabbitry

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I was grooming my rabbits today.. I usually do them every 4 days.. And they are the molting lines... so my question is ....do I really have to do them every 4 days or can I leave the adults until they blow there coat.. I have read and seen You tube.. that they don't touch them until it is ready to pluck there coat... I was wondering ,, why cant I do the same thing.. Or will I have a mess on my hands... I know that baby coat you have to watch for the first 4 months old.. but after that,, they shouldn't matt... so I read... is this true ?&??
 
I only brush weekly to pull out what comes loose in between molts. It helps prevent matts, and they won't eat it grooming themselves, so it prevents hairball too. Even in between molts I still get enough off of each rabbit to make it worth my time.

The times I have skipped out on the weekly grooming, I usually ended up regretting it (twice was enough for me to learn my lesson). I only did it when the rabbits were shorn, and even then they managed to start to mat. Took me three times longer to get them straightened out when I got back to it and the rabbits were pretty ticked at me for having to sit on the table that much longer. Unless you can some how blow out their coat with the fancy dog hair dryers, I don't recommend skipping out for more than a week.
 
Thanks PSF.. I was wondering about that.. I will not skip more than a week then... I do get a box full of fibre every time I comb them. So yes , it is worth it.. Just it is getting cold here and I have to pick my days to do it.. and it is getting longer inbetween days that I can do them. This is all done outside.. So now I will have to split my days in the weeks up to do so many in a day at a time. because of the cold. Ever try to groom a rabbit with gloves on.. You cant tell who is wearing the gloves by the time I am done. lol
 
I use a blower, and try to get everyone blown out every 2 weeks, my show string twice a week. Just takes a couple minutes per bunny and encourages the coat to grow. If you have more than a few, it's a great investment to think about making. I can't handle brushing due to carpel tunnel (caused by grooming dogs) so it saves my wrists a lot. And the bunnies love it :)
 
Thanks for this thread. One of the reason my daughter didn't want to do angoras for 4H was because she'd been told they need daily grooming for their entire life.
 
Yipes!

No wonder she got scared away. English angoras do typically need groomed more frequently, but even then it's about 2x weekly. Some lines of satins do too, but that seems to be only a few lines. Everything else you can basically get away with once a week if you have lines that molt. If your lines don't molt, you can usually get away with less grooming. It all depends!
 
My lines don't molt every 90 days, eight months is the longest so far, and I haven't groomed Ansel in about three weeks. I was actually thinking of making a thread of Ansel's progress, to show that not all Angoras need daily or even weekly grooming. I can't remember who else said it (Oceanrose?), but the Angoras are only groomed as they approach shedding, or during show season, because frequently blowing opens the coat and adds more matts. Otherwise, I don't touch that coat.

You have to get a feel for your buns. Designate one as a crash test bunny, and see how long you can push it.
 
Mary Ann's Rabbitry":205x0vlf said:
that is different for you sky,,, as your rabbit don't molt every 90 days..
Click to expand...


Yeah I thought I'd throw that in since PSF mentioned it, and RJ said DD didn't want to do Angoras. It does depend on the lines, not all Angoras are mounds of work.

Still you should try a little test. You may find some that can go longer, and then maybe an experiment with breeding those together, and you can get ones that hold their coats a little longer or matt less over time. The Himi doe that I still haven't culled yet, she is a molter, and I don't groom her as much as well, BUT, she has the most guard hairs of all my Angoras.
 
I am slowly learning that (most) satin angoras really don't need grooming as long as I keep them plucked properly

I was pleasantly surpised this morning to take this fella out, blow him out for 2 minutes and snap this picture. haven't groomed him since I last plucked him 2 months ago, and nary a matt..he's also been getting free range time, snow, mud, hay and all. It's about time I pluck him again now.



I've also been trying to keep the juniors well-kept by trimming about an inch off their baby coats. The goal is to keep the tips from matting down into the second coat while it grows out. The young senior does in this pic were clipped like that. The junior with her butt to the cam had it done last week. The kits pictured need it done now. Only really brushing when it's time to pluck. I'm sure Frenchies are even easier.

BUT if you forget to pluck someone, it turns into a MESS.
 

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