Schedule time with our professional rabbit care specialists who can help teach you how to do each step. Ideally our staff will work themselves out of a job, because now you are comfortable doing it and your rabbit is less anxious.
WHO GETS PRIORITY SCHEDULING?
* Each rabbit in our Foster Program come back to visit us at the half way point for a health check and grooming session.
* Anyone who has purchased a rabbit from us
* Then as time allows, we help with several rabbit rescue sources or others who contact us
OUR SERVICES
General Care Check including nail care/trim and teeth check
De-matting fur
Safe Removal of Undercoat
Angora (or other long hair breed) fiber trim -- and a pineapple beverage
**NOTE ABOUT BATHS
It is generally recommended that you do NOT give a bath to a rabbit.
They can easily be chilled or experience shock.
Depending on fur condition, we might recommend/offer a variety of alternative cleaning techniques.
ADVANCED CARE
Fleas
Fly strike care (or referral to vet)
Advanced de-matting for Angora and a special drink
Skunk Bath -- Sorry you are on your own! :-)
OUR PRICES
We set prices after meeting the pet, determined by condition of the fur coat, size/breed of the animal, time needed and of course temperament. We also give multi-pet discounts and coupons for repeat visitors.
ACADEMY
If you are over 16 years old, you may participate in an apprentice program. Our Hare Salon TM employs professional rabbit care specialists PRCS) who are at least 18 years old.
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Grooming Tips
SOURCE: HOUSE RABBIT JOURNAL
Compiled with information from Dr. Carolynn Harvey, DVM
The following basics are necessary to know in order to groom rabbits safely and to help keep them healthy.
Shedding
Rabbits shed every three months. Every alternate time they’ll have a light shedding that may not be very noticeable. Next they’ll have a heavy shedding that you will not be able to escape. Rabbits are fastidious groomers. They insist on being clean and tidy and will lick themselves like cats, and like cats, they can get hairballs if they ingest too much hair. Unlike cats however, rabbits cannot vomit. If hairballs are allowed to form they can become gigantic masses of tangled hair and food and will block the stomach exit, causing the rabbit to starve to death while his stomach appears to be very fat.Rabbits need to be brushed at least weekly and Angora rabbits need it more frequently than that! In addition to removing any loose hair, this weekly brushing session helps prepare them for the multiple daily brushings that they must undergo when their heavy shedding begins. Rabbits will shed in different ways. Some rabbits will take a couple of weeks or more to loose their old coat of fur. Other rabbits will be ready to get rid of their old coats all in one day and these rabbits are the ones that cannot be neglected once they start shedding. You can often remove a very large percentage of hair by just pulling it out with your hand. But, however you remove it, remove it as soon as possible or your rabbit will do it during grooming, so get brushing!
Bald spots on rabbits are quite common when they are shedding. If these bald spots occur from shedding, they will begin to grow back within a week or two.
Long-Haired Rabbits
These types of rabbits are truly wonderful to look at, but require a
lot more attention than their short haired cousins. We recommend that
you use your scissors and keep their hair trimmed to one inch or less,
otherwise you may be fighting hairballs most of the time.
Baths
The vast
majority of rabbits, like their ancestors, do not relish getting wet.
Even an occasional bath is quite stressful to the average rabbit, and is
not recommended.
NEVER–unless your veterinarian advises it to bring
down a fever–should you give a sick rabbit a bath. Because seemingly
healthy rabbits can have undiagnosed problems, it’s best not to subject
them to the stress of a bath. Also, a thoroughly wet rabbit takes a
very long time to dry, so spot cleaning the dirty area with an
application of baby cornstarch (available at any supermarket in the baby
section) (do not use talcum, as it is carcinogenic) and then gently
combing out the dirt with a fine flea comb is better than a wet bath.A wet rabbit can quickly become hypothermic. If your rabbit is wet to the skin for any reason, be sure to thoroughly blow dry the bunny until even the undercoat is dry and fluffy. Normal rabbit body temperature ranges from 101oF – 103oF. Because rabbit skin is very delicate, and rabbits are sensitive to heat, never use a blow dryer on a setting higher than “warm,” and constantly monitor the temperature of the air on the bunny’s skin by placing your hand in its path.