Grooming

Wasn't sure where to put this but this seems as good as any.

I've always had problems grooming Arthur, he wont let me near his belly, bum or chin. I've finally grabbed him to get a good brush and his hair around his bum and tail is terribly matted. I tried to brush and trim it but i'm finding it hard to see where his bits are to cut around, theres loose skin i cant even see any testicles! Which is a little bit worrying as he is supposed to be an unneutered male!

Does anyone have any tips on grooming for such a difficult case? He obviously finds it so stressful and it worries me

Also does anyone know how i can tell what breed he is? He is so big he has to be a giant breed, heres a picture :

He doesn't look particularly fluffy, what is causing the mats? Is he getting poop caught up?

Like wise, they shouldn't usually mat around the chin/underneath area unless they are long furred or something is making the fur prone to matting.

You can remove lose fur with your fingers/a slightly damp hand or cloth if he doesn't like the comb.

Males get testicles about 3-4 months but some do develop them later. Depending on how old he is you might want to get a vet to double check as if he is male and they haven't dropped you'll need to get him neutered.

It's hard to tell scale from the photo, how much does he weigh? He could be a giant cross

I just want to add to what Tamsin said and say that they can retract their bits back into their body, thus making it difficult sometimes, to locate them.

But I also agree he shouldn't really be getting mats. Does he dribble urine?

My daughters rabbit is fluffy and got a little tangled underneath and the vet nurse shaved him underneath for her. It can be hard to see where to cut yourself if the tangle is close to the skin. They only charged her £8 and now she can keep up with it. Good luck. Pam

The chin doesn't usually matt its just the underneath. His fur seems quite thick though, its difficult to find the skin underneath it, is that a normal amount of fur for a rabbit or is he partciuarly fluffy? I think the biggest problem is neglect on my part, he gets so upset i have avoided grooming him underneath for too long. His size makes it difficult for me to hold him still and groom him also.

I use my fingers and a brush to get the fur on top (and he loves that) but the underneath he just wont let me anywhere near so i have to lay him down on his back in my lap and hold his front paws with one hand and try and comb him and avoid getting kicked by the back legs with the other.

I'm not sure how much he weighs but he's bigger than a small dog if that helps

Tamsin said:

He doesn't look particularly fluffy, what is causing the mats? Is he getting poop caught up?

Like wise, they shouldn't usually mat around the chin/underneath area unless they are long furred or something is making the fur prone to matting.

You can remove lose fur with your fingers/a slightly damp hand or cloth if he doesn't like the comb.

Males get testicles about 3-4 months but some do develop them later. Depending on how old he is you might want to get a vet to double check as if he is male and they haven't dropped you'll need to get him neutered.

It's hard to tell scale from the photo, how much does he weigh? He could be a giant cross

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No one else have any advice?

I dont have any advice hun but that is one Disapproving Rabbit if I ever saw one!

What a grumpy face!

yeah i think you should do what tamsin said take him to the vets and get him nutuered if its a he, that'll calm him down and under the anstethic get them to shave off the bad parts. You may just have to be patient with him and do it every day till he grows acustom to be being brush everyday, when i'm checking teds bum i hang her over my knees and lift her bum up a bit and use the comb to comb out any tangles there. you may also want to invest in those glove combs, so it'll feel more like petting than grooming. i hope you can get him sorted but deffo think take him to the vets, you don't want him getting fly strike or anything.

~ Cat ~ said:

I dont have any advice hun but that is one Disapproving Rabbit if I ever saw one!

What a grumpy face!

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I know! He is the grumpiest looking rabbit ever!



"I will feast upon your children then urinate on your soft furnishings."

I'm reluctant to get him neutered as when he had his last operation apparently the vet said it was risky to put him under anaesthetic and it was shortening his lifespan.

I think i've managed to sort out most of the mats now. I curl him up on his side on my lap holding his upper body with my left arm then comb the bad areas with a flea comb and then a brush. I've been doing this everyday and giving him his dinner afterwards and he seems to be getting used to it (and if i feed him afterwards he doesn't have time to sulk and get upset about it, he loves his food:lol.

Ted an Petal said:

yeah i think you should do what tamsin said take him to the vets and get him nutuered if its a he, that'll calm him down and under the anstethic get them to shave off the bad parts. You may just have to be patient with him and do it every day till he grows acustom to be being brush everyday, when i'm checking teds bum i hang her over my knees and lift her bum up a bit and use the comb to comb out any tangles there. you may also want to invest in those glove combs, so it'll feel more like petting than grooming. i hope you can get him sorted but deffo think take him to the vets, you don't want him getting fly strike or anything.

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JadedRed said:

I'm reluctant to get him neutered as when he had his last operation apparently the vet said it was risky to put him under anaesthetic and it was shortening his lifespan.

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:shock:

My first vet told me the chances are my bun would die if I had her sterilised. After advice from the people on here I found a rabbit-savvy vet who always recommends sterilisation. Could you find another vet maybe?

A small dog-sized bun, I want one! even a disapproving one like yours, he's lovely

yeah i'm curious why your vet told you it was shortening is life span and what did her have an op for?