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owners of fluffy buns! help!

liv862

Warren Scout
all owners of lionheads, angoras or any other ridiculously fluffy buns, i need your advice! how do u stop fluff getting in ur buns eyes?!!

my poor mr dusty (a double maned lionhead - i assume - either that or hes half chinchilla!) is a victim of his own fluff!!! :lol: every year his winter mane gets bigger and bigger, u can barely see his ears now thru the fuzz!!!!!!

i brought him in the yesterday and totally panicked cos his left eye looked so awful, it was screwed up shut from swelling nd weeping white gunk everywhere. after having a small heart attack i looked in his eye and found something in there, so i pulled nd an enormous clump of fluff, hay and white gunk came out from underneath his eye. I washed it out with contact lens solution and within half an hour the eye was fine again so i cancelled the appointment i had just made at the vets for that afternoon.

i kno it was easily fixed but its got me rattled! it just looked so sore, and if i hadnt got it out quick it cud easily hav got infected. So im wonderin if anyone has any advice on how i can avoid it happening again? I already trim the fur around his mouth with curved scissors cos it gets stuck in his mouth nd goes all nasty, but i rlly dont want to trim the fur around his eyes - what if he moves???? :shock: :shock: :shock:

so yes, any advice wud be much appreciated!

thanks in advance,

liv xxx
 
I don't have to do it around the eyes, but I trim my lionhead's fur in places where it's likely to get matted.

You have two choices - trim it or make sure you inspect and groom his face carefully every day. Personally, id get it trimmed, but I wouldn't do it alone. I'd either get someone to hold bunny still for you whilst you trim it using a comb to shield her eyes, or I'd take her to the vets and get them to do it, under sedation if necessary.

And personally, and I know this is controversial, but if you do it at home I would trance her if you're not confident she can be held still. Better a minute of stress than a lifetime with an injured eye. Whatever people feel about trancing, sometimes it is the lesser of two evils - Anne McBride herself said as much (she's the one that did the research into trancing).
 
:cry: i love his big bushy eyebrows! but yes, i think trimming it might be my only option, i get rather worried bout brushing near his eyes, the bristles on the brush seem rather sharp!!!. good idea bout using a comb to shield the eye, hes pretty cooperative so i recon i cud do it without needing to trance him as long as i can make sure the scissors wont go anywhere near the eye if something unexpected makes him flinch. i am so grateful that he genuinely loves to be brushed, he will sit there for hours while i groom him so hed probably be only too happy to hav a bit more fuss. hes such a ham lol! :love: and if not i can always bribe him with craisins hehehe!

thanks for your help, liv xx
 
I've got the same problem with my Sylvester as he's a REW double maned lionhead and he much prefers less fur so he can see what he's doing. The only solution really is to trim the fur back from the ears forward about every two to three weeks I've found with length of the fur left dictated by where on the face/under the chin and on how cold/hot it is. In really hot weather I tend to cut his mane back completely and trim his skirt as well. As far as movement goes bribery with pellets tends to work really well as he doesn't tend to move when he's eating and I've gotten used to the signs that he's had enough and stop at that point.

If Mr Dusty is used to getting the fur trimmed around his mouth then it shouldn't be too hard to trim back the rest if you make it all part of a regular routine. Just keep calm, be patient and reward whilst doing it and stop when he shows you he's had enough. If you've got some treats that he really likes then you could give him those only at the time you need to trim his fur and when he's sat still to allow you to do it. Basically it's adapting the operant conditioning that some zoos or sanctuaries use with their animals (think the Monkey Business tv programme) to get him used to what you need to do.

Hope this helps :)
 
:wave:
Put mr dusty in front of a bowl of niceness and snip away :) just be really cautious for sudden movements but it shouldn't take you long if it's just round the eyes :thumb:

++ It may be best to cover the eye with your hand while you cut the hair around it.
 
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awesome thanks for your help everyone! will give it a go 2moro wen the boyfriend is around to help me. I bought a fresh bunch of bananas today, he takes ages to eat a bit of banana (only wen the others arent around to steal it of course!!!!) cos he spends five minutes licking his lips between each mouthful, so i feel that may be my technique!!! :lol:

loving the monkey business reference btw!!! hehehe i will totally use that idea to make him enjoy it, will hav to trim mouth fluff pre-banana tho otherwise will be messy lol! :lol:

thanks again everyone!
 
:cry: i love his big bushy eyebrows! but yes, i think trimming it might be my only option, i get rather worried bout brushing near his eyes, the bristles on the brush seem rather sharp!!!. good idea bout using a comb to shield the eye, hes pretty cooperative so i recon i cud do it without needing to trance him as long as i can make sure the scissors wont go anywhere near the eye if something unexpected makes him flinch. i am so grateful that he genuinely loves to be brushed, he will sit there for hours while i groom him so hed probably be only too happy to hav a bit more fuss. hes such a ham lol! :love: and if not i can always bribe him with craisins hehehe!

thanks for your help, liv xx

Just read this and squeaked...do you trance your buns? Whilst it seems they are all lovely and calm etc - they are actually in a very heighted state of terror and are 'playing dead' until the predator (ie.you) puts him down/up the right way again. It's really very stressful for the buns - whilst easier for you, it's awful for them.

I have a very hairy lionhead who detests humans - so either I have the vet help me trim around her eyes with proper scissors or someone comes in to groom her properly and clear hair away - but I check her eyes twice a day. Or as you suggested - keep him otherwise occupied whilst doing it.
 
One of my three is very hairy and gets trimmed as necessary as her coat is very woolly and mats easily. I just bribe her with food.
 
Milly trims Charlies hair now when she grooms him, but I used to either have to trim his fringe or tuck it behind his ears for him :lol:
 
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