INTRODUCTION

On some occasions we have wondered if rabbits can be given the same haircut as dogs, especially in hot weather. There are some ‘internet professionals’ who say that it should never be done, other ‘professionals’ shave everything that is put in front of them, but should it be done like this?

Can you do it at home or does it have to be done by a professional?

TYPES OF FUR IN RABBITS

Within the world of rabbits we can find different types of fur, each one of them requires specific care and some of them it is forbidden to cut them if it is not a health emergency: sick animals, operations, spillage of chemical products such as paint or glue on them...

• REX HAIR: It is the shortest type of hair that exists and belongs to the breeds ‘Rex’, ‘Mini Rex’, ‘Plush Lop’ and ‘Mini Plush Lop’. As we can see in this image of a rex rabbit with the beginning of alopecia, the length of this type of fur is very, very short and only requires brushing to avoid ‘shaving’ (knots at the base during moulting). It cannot be cut or shaved except for health reasons that really require it.

• SHORT HAIR: This is the most common in the world of rabbits, made up of an internal wool and a top layer of thicker and smoother hairs called ‘covering’. This type of hair requires more frequent brushing to avoid tangling and accumulation of dead undercoat (especially during moulting). It should not be clipped or shaved unless strictly necessary. Some of the short haired breeds are the Netherland Dwarf, the Mini Lop, the Flanders Giant or the English Belier.

• SEMILONGHAIRED: This includes Lionhead rabbits and mongrels which have between 5 and 7 cm of hair.
  This type of coat is special as it is a mixture of two different types of hair, the short haired areas should be treated without ever being clipped and, in the case that we wish to cut the long haired areas, these should be done exclusively with scissors. This is the most common type of coat among mongrels, together with the short coat.

• LONG HAIR / TEDDY: The long hair and the ‘Teddy’ hair are very different from the semi-long hair. In this case it is centred on Teddy Dwerg and Teddy Lop rabbits and, to a much lesser extent, their crossbreeds.  It is composed of gene M (mane) + L (wool), they are between 8 and 10 cm long and have a very slow growth, most of their coat is wool but, unlike the Angora, they have much more noticeable covering hairs (bristles). 
  In these breeds we must brush a lot and cut it only when necessary: sick animals, females that have not been groomed during gestation, old people...
  If the coat is shaved too many times, it can atrophy and grow incorrectly or present alopecia that is covered after several months, which is not attractive at all.
  The hair on the head, tail, hands and feet should never be clipped.

• ANGORA HAIR: The Angora rabbit does not have hair as such, but is ‘wool’, the bristles (protective hairs) are non-existent and its growth is abundant and very fast. It should be shaved with an electric shaver every 3 months without fail and in the meantime we should take care of the anal area to prevent the faeces from sticking to it. These rabbits are very rare in Spain (the most common are mongrels with long or semi-long hair), the wool of the Angora should always be cut by a professional.

REASONS FOR CUTTING THE HAIR OF MY RABBIT

The reasons for cutting the hair of a rabbit (always in accordance with the above list) are the following:

• Elderly animals which can no longer stand grooming sessions.
• Illness (paralysed animals, with urinary incontinence...).
• Surgical interventions
• Females that have not had their coat brushed during gestation or are raising a litter.
• Specific needs of the breed (Angoras).
• Motor disabilities of the owner (cannot brush the rabbit as much as he should).
• poor coat condition (traditional or domestic neglect)

CAN I CUT MY RABBIT'S FUR WITHOUT KNOWING HOW?

No. You cannot cut the hair of a rabbit without having the appropriate knowledge of grooming and handling, the rabbit is a delicate animal which you have to know how to hold and handle to avoid accidents. Likewise, there is what material we can use on each type of animal and what type of hair is acceptable to cut and what is not.

PRECAUTIONS WHEN CUTTING THE HAIR OF MY RABBIT

There are several precautions to take when cutting our rabbit's fur:

• HANDLING: Danger of fractures or falling.
• CUTS: The skin of the rabbit is very thin and elastic, it is separated from the muscle and it is easy to make a hole which we will then have to close with contact glue or stitches (depending on the severity).
• BURNS: If we don't know how to control the electric clippers we can burn the rabbit's skin.
• STRESS: If we don?t know how to control the stress of the rabbit it can develop illnesses linked to stress such as E-Cuni, intestinal blockage or diarrhoea.

CONCLUSION

If we need a haircut for our rabbit we will always go to a professional groomer with experience in this type of animal and, failing that, we will go to a feline groomer as the handling and texture of the fur is very similar.