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Rabbits regularly groom their own fur themselves by using their tongue. During the moulting season which lasts several weeks, your rabbit will need some occasional help. One the one hand, bushing has the effect of a soothing massage, on the other hand, it helps to get rid of the old, dead hair. For normal length hair you should use a brush with natural bristles or a glove with rubber bobbles.
Long-haired angora mixed breeds, whose fur tends to become matted quickly, should be combed thoroughly almost everyday with a metal brush. If the proportion of angora fur is particularly high, the fur must even be trimmed occasionally.
Much like the fur and the teeth, the nails of dwarf rabbits are constantly growing. When rabbits are free in the wild, their nails get trimmed down when digging but for rabbits which only walk on soft straw or on the carpet in the living room, their nails continue to grow. Ultimately, the nails curl and grow inwards so the rabbit is in pain when it walks. To prevent this from happening, lay a tufa stone board under the bedding near the toilet area. If this is not enough, you must use special rabbit nail clippers. Take one paw between your index finger and your thumb and cut off only the foremost tip of the nail. Blood vessels run through rabbits’ nails, so you must make sure not to injure your rabbit under any circumstances.
