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Fur Matting

I

Ivor/Anna

Warren Scout
Ivor has a matt at the back by his bum but not close enough to his bum for me to worry about poo and flies etc.
Anyway just wondering if there is anything that will help soften the matt. Ivor wont let me get near it with any of the brushed, it must be really hurting when i try to pull it.

Also, is there any adverse situation that may have caused the matt, he has never had one before. He is moulting at the moment, its his second moult, i brush him regularly too.

Thanks for any help :)
 
One of my bunnies has a very fluffy coat, if I dont brush him regulary he gets matts.
Would you be able to cut the matt out his coat? perhaps try giving him something to nibble on like carrot or celery to distract him.

My little bunny hates being brushed but you need to be cruel to be kind. I need to corner him in the kitchen and then I build a little wall behind me so he cant get out. Usually for 10 minutes he tries to squirm away then he just gives in and lies there. I was hoping over time he would get used to it but he is still fighting it.

I think Sammy puts the matts there himself by licking.
 
don't wet it whatever you do or it will felt up tighter. It's best to cut it off - use proper cat grooming scissors though and cut the tip of the matt off first, then work down a bit at a time - you will get to the stage where half the matt is cut off and you can rub the rest between your fingers and it will loosen up - if not then cut it as low as you safely can, massage in some cooking cornflour and see if it does then.
 
I've got lots of longhaired piggies, and from what I can see matts only get worse if left because they trap dirt and grease and you are basically left with a flap of felt, which pulls the animals skin if it catches on anything, and also stops them grooming themselves properly - How can they put a back foot up to clean out their ears for instance, when their back leg is painfully tethered to their groin by a matt? It just leads to more problems so it has to come off - if you can't do it (and I have to say I couldn't groom my rabbits - piggies are easy to handle) I would take a rabbit to a vets and let them do it. If you groom them every day they shouldn't ever get matts, so that's the best way to handle a long-haired rabbit I think - daily grooming, whether they like it or not (wear a long-sleeved fleece as I always do with my piggies, to avoid being scratched/bitten - very warm in this weather! :shock: )
 
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