bun with extremely matted fur

One of the buns that I've just adopted is extremely fluffy.. The problem is the fur literally all over his body is matted right up to skin, I'm not sure what to do as obviously I want to take the matted fur away but the rabbit would have lots of bald patches and would be mostly bald.. What exactly am I supposed to do as I have no idea what's for the best they are outdoor rabbits..

Did you get him from a rescue?

He might have to be shaved by a vet or a rabbit savvy person that's used to doing this.

If you got them from a rescue then get the rescue to help you out, otherwise a trip to the vets for a wee shave. If there are mats that you can easily tease out with your fingers then I would go for that too

One other thing....don't bath them while it's matted. It makes it even tighter on the skin.

The thing is when i take him to the vet they will more or less completely shave him its that bad! I have cut some out but he now has bald patches!

Is he living indoors or out?

Where did you get him from? If its that bad then the rescue (im assuming as you said adopted) really shouldnt have rehomed him in such a state I would get back in touch with them and ask for some advice or take him straight to the vets x

He will need shaving and if you cant do it take him to the vet..
I rescued an angora bunny who was matted from head to toe.... right down to the skin No amount of trimming with scissors would sort it out
He had sores on his skin where the mats had pulled, but once shaved was a much happier bunny and his fur soon grew back.... and back .... and back :lol:
Hope you get him sorted..... and as Justine said.... dont wet him... makes it much worse :wave:

Is he this bad??
This is just ONE mat that came off Dylan.... no scissors could have removed this

Thanks for the replies, I adopted them from p@h adoption centre and they live outdoors.. They told me i would have to use detangling spray:s i havent used that though because obviously that would make the fur wet..
I could probably manage to cut most of it off i think? But the problem is he would basically be bald as the matting is all over his entire body from his feet to his head.. i think he may be an angora? not too sure though

littleboots said:

He will need shaving and if you cant do it take him to the vet..
I rescued an angora bunny who was matted from head to toe.... right down to the skin No amount of trimming with scissors would sort it out
He had sores on his skin where the mats had pulled, but once shaved was a much happier bunny and his fur soon grew back.... and back .... and back :lol:
Hope you get him sorted..... and as Justine said.... dont wet him... makes it much worse :wave:

Is he this bad??
This is just ONE mat that came off Dylan.... no scissors could have removed this

Click to expand...

Thats exactly how his fur is!!x

Hi Kirsty

It's a bit difficult because P@H are generally not the best with rabbits (in my opinion). I have heard many tales of wacky advice and down right silly talk.

I think if I were to adopt a rabbit from P@H (who I think are kept indoors if I am correct) I would be tempted to keep him or her inside until the weather had improved a little bit. If you had space this would be ideal because I think you're worried about your rabbit being too chilly if it was to be shaved.

It sounds like a trip to the vets would be the best for your rabbit, and you can discuss it with them. It's difficult to get an idea of how matted the fur is etc. just from a description, and it would put your mind at ease to see what the vet has to say.

I have an angora X bunny who was very matted when he arrived at the rescue centre (luckily all sorted before I got him) and now he is fine, although I do keep around his eyes trimmed (so he can see!) and around his bottom, because he has a bit of a skirt happening down there and I don't want his girlfriend to get the wrong idea!

Let us know how you get on, and give us some photos of your bun?? Do you plan to get a second bunny for some bunny love?

:wave:
If hes as matted as the pic I put up, I would really advise you to get the vet to clip him or have someone you know whos good with clippers to do him for you.. He will feel much better after he is done as these mats just pull on the skin
Dylan is pure angora and he looked like a little lamb when he was done...
After the initial clip... just keep an eye on him, groom him and maybe trim him with scissors every couple of weeks.