Anyone who has ever pet a rabbit knows that these fluffy little animals have extremely fine and silky hair. Rabbit hair is not at all like cat or dog hair, which is typically coarser and significantly thicker. So, when it comes to brushing your rabbit, you can’t just use any old pet brush. Instead, you need a specially designed fined toothed brush or comb that has been specifically with rabbits in mind.
However, as with many pet products, when it comes to choosing the best brush for your rabbit, there are a lot of different brushes to choose from. Some of which a far better than others, and some that are just downright dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.
After all, your long-eared friend has delicate skin, and the last thing you want to do is injure him while you’re brushing his hair.
So, which brush do you choose? Well, it can be a difficult choice. So, to help you out, we’ve put together this comprehensive list of reviews of the best brushes for rabbits.
Comparison Table (updated in 2023):
The 8 Best Brushes for Rabbits:
What we particularly like about this brush is that it has been incorporated into a glove. This allows you to brush your pet’s hair while you pat it, which is a handy feature. Rabbits don’t typically like to be brushed but will sit quietly to be pet, making a glove style brush an ideal choice.
This right-handed pet glove from Mr. Peanut is an excellent alternative to the standard brush and our choice for the best overall brush for rabbits.
Check Price on Chewy
We are also impressed with the firm but soft silicone tips that won’t hurt your rabbit’s delicate skin.
The only downside we see with this product is that tips are not quite long enough to pull out all the loose hair in your rabbit’s coat. As a result, you may need to spend more time patting and brushing your pet than you would if the tips were a little longer. However, we still think that this is the best rabbit brush available this year.
Price
Design
Safe on delicate skin
- Price
- Design
- Safe on delicate skin
Brush tips are short
- Brush tips are short
You will, however, need to be careful when using the pin brush on your rabbit, as this style of brush can, if used incorrectly, scratch a rabbit’s delicate skin. We think this is the best rabbit brush for the money on the market right now.
If you are looking for a simple, all-in-one grooming kit for your long-eared furry friend you may want to check out this Ware Groom-n-Kit for small animals. It contains a pin brush, bristle brush, nail clippers, and a treat for your pet. For this reason, it is our choice for best brush for rabbits for the money.
Price
All-in-one grooming kit
- Price
- All-in-one grooming kit
Pin style brush
- Pin style brush
Designed originally to be used as a shampooing brush, it is actually very well suited for brushing loose, molting hair out of a rabbits coat. Its soft rubber tips are long enough to reach down and grab all of the loose hair, but also delicate enough to ensure that no harm comes to your pet’s skin.
This small animal brush from Bodhi is a well-designed premium product. We particularly like that the brush can be slipped over the palm of your hand and used while you are patting your rabbit.
This is one of our favorite brushes on our list, and had it been a little less expensive would easily have rated as our top choice.
Safe rubber tips
Functional design
Suits left or right hand
- Safe rubber tips
- Functional design
- Suits left or right hand
Price
- Price
4. Small Pet Select Bunny Brush
Check Latest PriceThis de-shedding tool from Small Pet Select is a traditional style comb that is perfect for long-haired rabbits during a heavy molt.
It features long closely spaced teeth with rounded tips and a comfortable solid handle that will make de-molting your rabbit easy. Unlike some of the products we’ve reviewed, this comb can’t be used on the palm of your hand, and your rabbit will be quite aware that he is being brushed. But, when a long-haired rabbit starts a heavy shed, you’ll need a comb such as this to get the job done.
Heavy-duty comb
Solid functional handle
Rounded tips
- Heavy-duty comb
- Solid functional handle
- Rounded tips
Its long plastic teeth are tightly spaced and capped with soft rubber tips, making them perfect for the fine hair and delicate skin of a rabbit. We particularly like its curved head and rubber handle grip which make the slicker brush easy to hold and use.
This slicker brush from Kaytee has been specially designed for small animals and would be a good choice for a short or medium-haired rabbit.
The only downside that we see with this slicker brush is that over time the soft rubber tips are likely to come off, and this may expose the sharp ends of the plastic teeth.
Curved head
Rubber handle
Safe rubber tips
- Curved head
- Rubber handle
- Safe rubber tips
Price
Rubber tips may come off
- Price
- Rubber tips may come off
At first glance, this product looks like an ideal grooming kit for any rabbit. However, it is more expensive than many of the products we’ve reviewed, and we’re not particularly fond of metal pins that Dasksha has used on the palm brush. They are fitted with safe rubber tips, but these will likely pull away over time and expose your rabbit’s skin to the bare metal pins.
This rabbit grooming kit from Dasksha includes both a glove brush and palm brush in the one package.
Of course, provided you are prepared to replace the palm brush if the rubber safety tips come away this kit will meet all your rabbit brushing needs.
Contains both a glove and palm brush
Rubber safety tips
- Contains both a glove and palm brush
- Rubber safety tips
Price
Safety tips likely to come away over time
- Price
- Safety tips likely to come away over time
7. Living World Bunny Combo Brush
Check Latest PriceThis two-in-one brush from Living World is a double-sided brush that has a pin brush on one side and a soft-bristle brush on the other.
This combination will be good for everyday grooming, as the pin brush (with safety tips) can be used to work through matted and knotted hair. While the bristle brush is suitable for general grooming.
You may find that this style of brush won’t be particularly useful in de-molting a shedding rabbit. We also suggest watching that the safety tips on the pin brush don’t come off over time.
Two-in-one design
Solid functional handle
- Two-in-one design
- Solid functional handle
Ineffective with molting rabbits
Safety tips may come off
Price
- Ineffective with molting rabbits
- Safety tips may come off
- Price
8. Peters RG-520 Rabbit Grooming Brush
Check Latest PriceThis grooming brush from Peters has been designed for use on a shedding rabbit. It features long thin and tightly packed pin style teeth.
This brush will undoubtedly be useful for de-molting your rabbit; however, it will need to be used with considerable care. The exposed metal pins could easily injury your rabbit’s skin, and as such, this brush is best handled by an adult or teen who knows not to press too hard when brushing.
This brush is inexpensive, and if you just need a cheap de-molting brush, this model may be what you’re looking for.
Price
Effective de-molting design
- Price
- Effective de-molting design
Requires extra care
May cause an injury to your pet
Pin style brush
- Requires extra care
- May cause an injury to your pet
- Pin style brush
Buyer’s Guide – Choosing The Best Brushes For Rabbits
If you’re a first-time rabbit owner, you may be wondering why you need to brush your pet rabbit at all. And it’s a good question, as, after all, rabbits have been grooming themselves for thousands of years.
Well, that’s a fair question, because rabbits are exceptional self-groomers and don’t need a whole lot of help from us. However, they do tend to shed every three months and have a seasonal molt at the end of winter. During these times they lose a lot of hair, and if left to their own devices, they will drop hair all-around your house or apartment.
Brushing your rabbit helps stop this and also prevents them from ingesting large amounts of hair. While it is perfectly natural for a rabbit to swallow some of its own hair while grooming, ingesting too much can sometimes impact on their health.
So, the question becomes less about whether you need to brush your rabbit and more about what should you look for when choosing a new brush.
Here are a few things you should consider:
Appropriate size
It is essential to pick a brush that is a suitable size for your rabbit. There is no point in buying a big brush if you have quite a small rabbit, and conversely, if you have a large breed of rabbit, a brush that is too small will be ineffective.
Stiff bristles
As the goal is to remove the loose hair from your rabbit’s coat, you need a brush that has stiff bristles. Anything with overly soft or bendy bristles simply won’t get the job done. Also, be careful not to get a brush with sharp exposed wire tips as rabbits have very delicate skin.
Good handle
You should choose a brush with a reliable grip that fits well in your hand and makes brushing easier. The handle you pick is more a consideration for your comfort than that of your rabbit. Still, as you will be using the brush quite a bit, it is best to get one that is comfortable in your hand.
You may also consider a handless brush such as a palm or glove style brush as these will allow you to brush your rabbit while you’re giving it a pat.
Long-lasting
Ideally, you want a brush that will last for many years. There is no point in buy a cheap brush that will fall apart within the first week or two. Rabbits need to be brushed throughout their life, and as pet rabbits can live for eight to twelve years, you’re going to need it to last a while.
You should also be careful when selecting metal or wire brushes with rubber safety tips. These tips can pull off over time, exposing your rabbit’s skin to the sharp metal underneath.
Related Read: 12 Easy Ways to Remove Pet Hair From Your Car
Conclusion:
There are a lot of different rabbit brushes available, and choosing the right one for you can be a challenge.
Any of the brushes that we’ve listed in our reviews above could be a good choice, and hopefully, we’ve made it easier for you to find the best brush for your rabbit.
To recap, our top choices are:
Best Overall: Mr. Peanut’s Right-Handed Pet Brush
Best Value: Ware Groom-N-Kit for Small Animals
Premium Choice: Bodhi Dog Small Animal Brush
Related Read: How to Prevent and Get Rid of Hairballs in Rabbits
Featured Image: Denys Kurbatov, Shutterstock
