The last time Chris and I tried clipping Coltrane's nails by ourselves, I came away from the encounter with a giant gash across my left wrist. I spent the entire holiday season wearing long-sleeve shirts not only to keep warm, but also to keep my loved ones from thinking I was a danger to myself.
So, the deed needed doing again, and I came across a sign at my local pet store that mentioned that an animal groomer had started coming by on weekends. I picked up his card, which said that he had experience with dogs, cats, rabbits, and ferrets. Naturally, I called him to make an appointment to get Coltrane's nails done; surely a professional would be better at it than myself.
Not so much:
We get there with my poor, scared bun in his carrier, and the guy walks in with a very spoiled, mean poodle-y thing with a poofy haircut. He sets up shop in the nasty, warehouse-looking "back room," puts the poodle in a tiny cage (from that moment on, the background music to this whole experience was Yippy-Yaps that scared Coltrane to death), and told me that he should be fine, but that he would come get me if he needed help. Two-point-six seconds in, the guy waves me into this "back room" because my rabbit has, apparently, drawn blood.
Now, I knew this wasn't going to be easy; Coltrane is very scared of being "handled," because, to him, it seems like he is surely going to be eaten (prey animals are all wired to be this way. "Cuddle Buns" are groomed from birth to be ok with being handled). But yeah, that's why I thought a PRO would be able to do a better job than myself.
Mr. Groomer-Man exacted his revenge (by accident), by cutting through the quick on one of Coltrane's back toes, and I watched in horror as my bunny rabbit's blood started dripping onto the towel he was wrapped in. My heart was in my throat, and it was all I could do to keep from taking those clippers and de-toe-ing the guy. Even though Coltrane was blinded with fright at this point, I made the guy finish (since we came out there, the trauma was already done, and I was going to have to pay him anyways).
We got little Coltrane home, and he wouldn't even take a carrot because he was so scared and so mad. His eyes were sort of glazed over, and he just wanted to get away from me. I feel incredibly awful, and I've spent a good portion of the day trying to win back his favor.
Just now, we went to the grocery store. I was trying to figure out what kind of veggie to get for Coltrane as an "I'm Sorry" offering. The things he gets often are Romaine Lettuce, Red-Leaf Lettuce, Green-Leaf Lettuce, and Cilantro (because they are the most reasonably-priced, bun-friendly items in the produce section), so I wanted to get him something a little more exotic. My first thought was to get him fresh Basil, because I know he likes it, but they were out. So, the next-best thing I could think of was Bok Choy. So, we're home now, and Coltrane is munching away at his "I'm-Sorry" Bok Choy, and even letting me pet him a little...
poor poor bun! :-(
ReplyDeleteeeek. i drew blood with one of my bunnies way back when. it was not fun, and i felt awful. (talcum powder was on hand) its way harder with dark toenails! after that i tried to just snip off the very tips, so i could avoid the dreaded blood vessel. i dont know if you lay him on his back very often, but if you could get him used to that, and touch his feet while you do it, he might be easier to handle when you go to clip his toenails. some bunnies just have a hard time relaxing, but i think that if you can make him feel safe it will become easier.
ReplyDeleteYeah, this was really bad. No way am I going back to this guy. I tried getting the vet to let me bring him in, but they don't do nail tech appts on weekends!
ReplyDeleteHis nails are very difficult to clip because he has dark nails and his little toe fur grows over top of them. We quick-stopped him, but it was still horrible.
I've never tried getting Coltrane upsidown. He's just so hell-bent on not getting picked up!
Oh no! Poor bun bun! More bok-choy for him and a hug for his traumatized parents :(
ReplyDeleteGah, thanks Dharma!
ReplyDeletewhen you do pick him up, bunnies tend to like to bury their heads, whether under your arm or under your neck. they feel safer, especially when they dont like to be picked up. i raised rabbits for 10 years, so i def kno what youre talkin about lol. ive been scratched, bitten and peed on. i used to have a polish rabbit that wanted to box with you whenever you got too close to him. smh. but anyhoo, if you can start picking him up more often, even tho he will not like it for a while, he should start getting used to it. if you want to skip straight to laying him on his back, you can grab him by the nape of his neck, and of course, put your hand under his feet so he doesnt panic. he may still panic once hes on his back, but its just a matter of getting him used to it. i would look around outside of charlottesville. if you can find a breeder, you might be able to find someone who is really good with grooming. try to find out if theyre reputable though, because you dont want to spread any diseases to coltrane from any of their animals. hope that helped some!
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