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Mats on Feet?

N

nutmeg&cinnamon

Young Bun
On the bottom of Nutmeg's feet there are mats of fur. They look like big clumps of fur sticking out of her feet! Should I just leave them or try to cut them off? Cutting them would be hard as she doesn't let people hold her feet! haha :roll: How could this happen? Has any other bunnies had matting on their feet? Thanks
 
Yes, Poppy gets this. She has had them trimmed at the vets before. I try and gently prise the fur apart when it's getting a bit matted because I think it must be so un-comfortable hopping with a big matt on her foot, however, i dont know if this is the correct thing to do & also Poppy is easy to hold so it may be different.
 
These can either be cut or 'teased' off - it is important to do so as the real lumps are both uncomfortable and dangerous - it was a lump of foot hair that gave our Willow gut obstruction and she had to have surgery to remove it.
 
parsnipbun said:
These can either be cut or 'teased' off - it is important to do so as the real lumps are both uncomfortable and dangerous - it was a lump of foot hair that gave our Willow gut obstruction and she had to have surgery to remove it.
Click to expand...

I was about to mention the gut obstruction issue. FHB once trimmed mats of Artie's feet and said that I should be careful of them because rabbits can swallow them when grooming and they can cause obstructions.

Artie forms them quite easily.
 
Thanks everyone! I am going to try to get them off myself as the vet around here is super expensive! But if I can't manage I will bring her, you can't put a price on love! :) They don't seem to bother her as they are off to the side of her foot kinda so she is not really stepping on them but if it is gonna cause her health issues they must go! :D
 
Buttercup our long furred girl bun gets these quite badly. I asked our very rabbit savvy vet about them as they concern me. He said pretty much what others here have said - that the mats can become an issue when grooming etc if swallowed but he also told me to exercise caution when cutting them out especially the ones in the middle of the feet. The ones to the side are much easier to deal with.

Good luck
 
My Isabelle and Lily get these. I take them to the vets to be shaved, or if they are just small I (carefully) use scissors to cut them away.
 
My two get these from time to time. I just tease / pull them off when they will come easily, otherwise i trim them as much as i can with scissors.
 
parsnipbun said:
These can either be cut or 'teased' off - it is important to do so as the real lumps are both uncomfortable and dangerous - it was a lump of foot hair that gave our Willow gut obstruction and she had to have surgery to remove it.
Click to expand...

This.

Moults get stuck at the very end, especially around the feet/toes and foot pads. If they are obviously moult mats then they can be gently teased out as Parsnipbun says because they can make hopping and movement of the foot uncomfortable.
 
My Poppy tends to get these - Charlie doesn't - they are both long-hairedish, but I think Poppy's fur is thicker - I regularly am cutting them off her feet. Mind you, I think it's always a two-person job!:D
 
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