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Triming furry feet!

clarebear

Mama Doe
Can anyone please give me some advice on trimming furry bunny feet? I trimmed the bottom of Bungee' s feet yesterday, which is something I have never done before, but I noticed some bobbles on them. There were big mats on the fur and I have cut some of it away, but didn't dare do it all. There are still mats there. Should I cut them all away, or is it better to leave some to protect her feet?
 
I wouldn't advice cutting it all away as then she will be more susceptible to sore hocks.
The best thing to do is 'tease' the mats out which is what our vets does as much as possible.
Cookie suffers with huge tufts on her feet and sometime looks like she is growing more feet :lol:
 
I wouldn't advice cutting it all away as then she will be more susceptible to sore hocks.
The best thing to do is 'tease' the mats out which is what our vets does as much as possible.
Cookie suffers with huge tufts on her feet and sometime looks like she is growing more feet :lol:

I agree, it's best to tease out felts of fur as the plantar region of the feet does need protection and cutting off too much fur can cause more problems than it solves. I use a small comb to very gently tease out as much lose fur as possible:)
 
I see this when I go out bunny grooming, and one of mine gets foot mats too. I tease the mats out with the bunnies sitting up so I can get to their feet. I also wouldn't recommend cutting them out, for the risk of sore hocks both because any mats left could be irritating but also because cutting mats does not untangle the mat right down to the skin so the pain from the tangled fur is still there. Cutting through mats can make them easier to tease out but I prefer to avoid scissors around their feet.

Whereabouts are you? I'm in Essex.
 
Thank you. I will try that. I didn't dare to cut off too much, but thought I should get rid of the bobbles as I wondered if they were irritating her. I will tease out the rest for her. I am in Bedfordshire Fonduekid. Thank you for the advice everyone x
 
Thank you. I will try that. I didn't dare to cut off too much, but thought I should get rid of the bobbles as I wondered if they were irritating her. I will tease out the rest for her. I am in Bedfordshire Fonduekid. Thank you for the advice everyone x

A bunny's feet are very sensitive, so teasing out mats has to be done very gently.

I find one of my rabbits has mats that appear to the side of the foot - if that makes sense! In that case I do cut into the mat and loosen it a bit, or he's walking with a lump underneath and to the side.
 
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