Grooming a bunny

Well, my rescue bunny is proving to be a bit of a challenge for me.

When cleaning off his bum from the soft poop problem I discovered he has several mats of hair on his keester. I have no idea how I will get those off of him short of having him put under a general and shaving him. I have tried to brush out some of the other mats on him but of course it hurts him and he isn't too happy about it. He is a super sweet guy and I don't want to torture him trying to get those dang mats out-what do I do?
Should I shave off those mats even though it is winter here or just leave them be? They can't be too comfortable.
Also, what is the best type of brush or comb for a bunny? I have tried a couple of different combs but I am not happy with the results. He is obviously going to need a lot of grooming over the rest of his life.

Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

you should think about getting him clipped, the mats will just get worse and more uncomfortable for him. it doesn't have to be short, you can ask vet/groomer to do it on the longest blade they have so its just 'short' and not 'bald'. its better to clip now and start again, as regards to combs, i find a going all over the bun gently with a soft slicker (blunted ends) then following with a fime tooth or detanglung comb works best.

Did you use the cornstarch method to get the worst of the dirt off? Can't remember who it was I mentioned that to - just rub dry cornstarch in and the dirt gets slippery.

With matts I wonder if (depending on how docile this bunny is) someone else could hold him while you very carefully cut most of the matt off? Rabbit skin tears very easily though so you must be careful not to go near the skin.

When there's just a short bit of matted felt left I find that (with my long haired guinea pigs) rubbing it between my fingers loosens the matt, releasing the dirt, and they can do the rest themselves when they groom themselves (IF - one of my girl pigs is very lazy!)

If he's hard to handle though I guess a vet would be best - Then if you keep it under control after that hopefully he'll manage - I'd rather groom a guinea pig for sure!

I find a cat flea comb is great to get knots out of my two long haired bunnies. Simba gets mats sometimes and i just gently work at them being gentle as i can while i hold him on his back. I have cut mats out of his fur before when they were bad but as said just be careful you dont pull the skin to much.

My bunny had terribly matted hair when I got her a few months ago. I took her to the vets and he trimmed her hair with clippers and ripped her skin open - it was awful.

I keep on top of it by trimming it with nail scissors on a regular basis. I also give her the odd bath with a little baby bath in it to loosen it. It took several weeks of short sessions trimming it as she found it quite distressing but we got there in the end.

I hope you are able to sort it.

I too used to sit Cassie's bum in some warm water and gently rub. I put about and inch or so in a litter tray. She quite enjoyed the water after the initial splashing about and realising it wasnt going to hurt her.
If it would be a stubborn matt, then I would carefully trim with nail scissors too. That seemed to sort it out.

nail clippers huh? Well, I can see this will be fun trying to get the dang mats out of him.
I will buy a flea comb - that should work great.
I didn't have to use the corn starch. I put a box of sawdust in his cage and that seemed to have the same effect. The big poop stickies are gone.
I will have to have him on his belly to get the mats off so it is going to be a two person job I suspect. Not easy since I really have no one to help me.
Sure appreciate everyones help. I posted photos of my buns over on the board for pics.

I have to cut matted bits off my lionhead rabbit every few months. She tends to get them round her tail. My other half has to hold her while I cut the underneath mats off. I use ordinary hairdressing scissors and a cat slicker brush on her.
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