Pet rabbits :)

Question
QUESTION: Hello Kelly!

I have an 8 month old Jersey Wooly rabbit who constantly needs grooming (which I'm okay with).
I groom him with a fine toothed comb which seems to work well.
The problem is, when I attempt to groom him, he nips at my clothes and is constantly moving.
I can't get him to sit still, and when I don't like him chewing at my clothes, I offer him his favorite chew toy, a wooden carrot, but he picks it up and throws it away before continuing to chew and move.
I need to groom this little guy!

Jessie :).

ANSWER: Hello,

It sounds as if you are doing everything right. When I raised Jersey Woolies, they were always a fun challenge to groom thanks to their inquisitive personalities. You might try offering him timothy hay (or another grass hay) to see if that distracts him more.

To make grooming easier and faster -- consider a comb with teeth that move. With wool breeds these are important because they do not pull as much.

Kelly

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much, Kelly!

You implied that you had some experiences with Jersey Woolies, how many times do you suggest I groom one?  

Answer
Hello again,

Yes, I have raised the breed before. I had Ruby Eyed White Jersey Woolies. :)

Young Jersey Woolies (less than 6-7 months) need to be groomed frequently, i.e. several times weekly. Adult Jersey Woolies, less frequently. Here is the tricky part: they need to be groomed "as needed," which differs from rabbit to rabbit.

As a basic guideline, I would say about weekly. Since your rabbit is not a show animal, you could probably even go every other week without the wool becoming very tangled.

If you have not already, visit and bookmark this site: http://www.njwrc.net/

There is an "articles" link on the left of that website that has a lot of great information about Woolies.

Best of luck!

Kelly