matted bunny please help!!!!!!

A couple of weeks ago i got flopsey or should i say rescued him from a life of misery from p@h, thats another story anyway needless to say they never paid any attention to him and he is a very matted under the chin and round the top of his belly.

i have let him settle in and now what to have a go at sorting it out, problem is i have had to cut a big chunk of fur from under his chin, it was and is quite badly matted to the point i thought he had a lump, but where to start because its under his chin and on his belly it is quite had to hold him on his back and cut with sissors and i am no hairdresser so dont want him to end up looking like a lunatic. does anyone have any ideas!!!!

please help how can i get this to unmatt without having to shave him bald!! :shock:

thanks

Do you have a hair shaver for humans - I have one I use to do my husbands hair and it is designed not to cut the skin - I am not sure if it would work though if the hair was really matted.

Adele probably would know she has helped loads of angoras and other long-haired bunnies!

Caz

It's probably best to take the rabbit to the vet to cut the matts off, as rabbits have really REALLY thin skin, and you can't tent it, and pull on it, like with cats and dogs. And then in the future, watch carefully for any matts before they get too bad.

HE CAME LIKE THAT!

I'm sure Maaike wasn't implying its your fault With matts on the tummy its usually a two person job, one to hold the bun and the other to trim as you need two hands to do the trimming.

Sometimes the only solution is to shave it off and start again. He doesn't have to go bald though just have a short hair cut for awhile.

I wouldn't worry to much about looks, comfort is the main thing. I'm sure he could put up with looking a little daft.

Tam

Oops, I kind of typed that wrongly. I meant that, to fix him initially, right now, let the nurses do it at the vets, and seeing as he's probably quite prone to matting, just groom him or keep his fur short to prevent anything from happening! I wasn't saying you made him like that, sorry!

no problem, i just would not let him get in to that state in the first place but pet shops i find dont care.....

bunnylove where do u live? Maybe someone who is used to doing this sort of thing might be near to u and can help out. Doesnt say in your profile where in the country u are tho.

hi i am in hainault essex, i think most of the guys on her are further a field than me, but if you do know any one, please let me know thanks, the people at my vets arnt all that brill with bunnies!!!!

thanks

now this is a topic that I can advise on as my little man gets himself into an awful mess and I have to groom him several times a week .

What I do with cheeky is Hold him on his back but rest him on my knees with a cushion under him . Then I enlist the help of my o/h and he teases any matts out by hand , holding the skin so that the fur is not pulling , we,ve got some safety scissors with rounded edges for getting bits that are too tough too get out by hand but only take a tiny bit at a time . I,ve also got a tiny grooming comb from pets at home and then once the matt is out then we gently comb him ( still holding the skin so as not to pull)
His dewlab gets a bit yucky as well occasionally as my cheeky loves mushy peas , what I do is lie down on the floor beside him and cuddle and kiss him , then we he is almost flat out and relaxed I am able to tease the matts out from under his chin as he is so flaked out .

He ran into a huge muddy puddle in the garden several years ago , (white bunny & big muddy puddle = one big mess) , I had to take him to the vet as what a state he was , the nurse clipped the offensive bit away as I would never have tried to do it .

I find that cheeky is ok now with getting groomed as he is so used to it but no matter how many times I do it which is usually 3 to 4 times a week , he stills gets himself in a mess occasionally especially as his hair is so thick and fluffy .

Good luck .

thanks i will try that i dont know about the kissess and cuddles thou, he is a bit of a nervy bun and sits and shakes especially in this house, its mad, i put him in his run and my dominant female, who is a free bun in the garden runs him round his run like a madbun and scares him half to death, and in saying that i know how he feels she scares me half to death as well.................ah to be top bun ha!!!!!!!!!!