Neglected Angora Grooming

[euxiomoniia]

Hi, I'm a new rabbit owner desperately looking for some advice. for a quick background I rescued my rabbit (Dobby,2yrs Angora) from my aunt's friend who was 'looking after' him for her daughter. I use that term loosely as he was severely neglected and wasn't in great condition. Due to the faeces stuck in his fur, thick matting and long hair and giant bald patch behind his head, he went to the vet as soon as he settled in, and got clipped although, only his neck and butt was targeted since it was most critical.

I currently study animal nursing and work in a wildlife hospital so I know how important animal husbandry is especially when it comes to my own pets. the only issue is that I stress majorly about my animals, in particular him since his matting is beyond my comprehension. After doing lots of research and spending hours cutting away at his fur I'm still struggling to deal with it, especially since he hates me touching anywhere but his head.

Which leads me to now, a large majority of him has been cut however, I'm struggling with trimming his belly area, front paws and tail area. I've tried all suggested techniques but he wont let me touch those areas at all, he gets somewhat aggressive and moves a lot. I don't have anyone else that can help me and I can't afford to take him to the vets again. (I'm only 20, working 2 jobs and studying.)

I know it may seem irresponsible or selfish for me to keep him because of how high maintenance Angoras are but I'm determined to give him a home he deserves and I know that I'm his best option right now. I've definitely had my doubts I wont lie, thinking maybe I'm not cut out for this but I've also put a lot of money so far into giving him everything he could want and need, that simply giving him up would be a lot of money (that I can't earn back) lost.

Anyway after this long ramble (I'm sorry) I just really need some tips or anything that could help me with this issue as I'm at a loss now, grooming being the only problem.

 

[Shimmer]

Can anyone at the animal hospital help? If there's someone to hold him and another to trim the fur, it will be much easier. Rabbits often tolerate more in a strange environment as well as they sort of freeze up (or they can go the other way & be less handleable). If you are at home, try somewhere different (eg the bathroom). Just make sure he can't injure himself if he wriggles out of your grasp. It needs someone with a firm, confident grip without putting him flat on his back - so either stood up with his back against you (or whoever) or tipped slightly but again cradled against you.

For any matted animal I've taken on, I comb the cleared areas through and work on one small new area each time. Sometimes its a square inch, other times it may be a quarter of the coat. Most of the belly and armpits can usually be accessed with patience if the animal will sit on your lap and allow you to reach under / round and gently pull the fur towards you so it's accessible. They do eventually get used to the handling and grooming, but for some it can be years and still on their terms. Back legs (the 'trousers') are the area I find most awkward if they are not co-operative.

I use small, very sharp pointed scissors or a seam unpicker if the coat is matted very close to the skin. Always point the sharp bits outwards and away from the skin before cutting, otherwise it can easily cause a lot of damage. Rabbit skin is very thin and tears easily. Bigger mats or knots may need to be tackled in stages - cut across or into the mass to reduce it a bit and make it easier for next time. I use a double sided metal dog comb for routine grooming for all my cats, rabbits, guinea pigs - all longhaired.

Paws are difficult - either get help or try the bunny burrito (wrap him in a towel). Get all the tools you need to hand and keep it a short session. A quick comb through and cut out any knots while you go. It might only be one toe at a time, but it's still progress.

Keep grooming sessions as short as practical so that the animal will tolerate it better, but you make some useful progress each time. If you make it a longer session than they are happy with, it will impact on the next session.

For an angora that's not keen on being groomed, I suspect you may have to keep the coat shorter to keep it manageable. You will get better with practice, and it doesn't matter if he looks a bit tatty / uneven as long as the matted bits are gone.

 

[euxiomoniia]

thank you so much for your response, I'll definitely try to bunny burrito him. I managed to get majority of the matted fur off for now and was planning on keeping his fur short as it'll be easier to manage. He absolutely hates being brushed, every time I try he growls and lunges for it, I'm guessing he's never been groomed before so I've been trying to ease him into it super slowly. Do you have any ideas on how to help with this?

 

[Shimmer]

Just keep trying. Pick different times - you might find he's more amenable at certain times. Try bribery. Different places may help - they are slightly disorientated so may sit for a little longer. Don't overdo it so that he gets really upset with you or it just makes it worse next time. There's a fine line between pushing it a tiny bit further and going too far.

Comb through the easy bits first - it builds confidence and keeps that area tidy. Then work on a new area.

Has he been neutered? Hormones will affect his behaviour. If he still needs neutering, he could be shaved while under anaesthetic - then you just have to maintain the coat rather than de-mat it.
Does he have a lot of space? Rabbits can get upset and territorial if they are in a confined space and someone (ie you) invades it.

 

[euxiomoniia]

so far he's okay it's just the important areas i.e under the mouth, paws and butt area that are pretty matted now. The plan is to keep his fur short and groom little but often, he's fine with the brush sometimes but others he will throw it and bite it making it impossible to get to the areas that need maintenance. He's been neutered and has two rooms to himself at night, during the day he has the run of the house. I've been trying to keep him enriched so he doesn't get bored and I leave him alone for the most part unless he comes up to me or is active. Recently he's been doing zoomies which is amazing cause I'm pretty sure he didn't get to do that in his past home, it's been slow progress but he's beginning to get more confident.

During grooming I've tried your suggestions but unfortunately it hasn't worked, I think he'll probably take a while to understand I wont hurt him but I'm glad he's slowly getting there. I wouldn't say he's aggressive at all, just skittish. One of my fears is probably getting bitten which seems kind of silly considering I've been bitten by numerous animals on many occasions but perhaps thats also why I'm finding it difficult.

 

[Shimmer]

Hopefully he will accept being groomed over time. Just keep going with it.
I've never found a brush that works on long fur. They just keep the top bits looking nice, but don't get down to the skin, so the mats keep forming. A decent comb will do it all and help to prevent the mats if it's used effectively.

 

[tulsi]

I know its a bit different but with my long haired guinea pigs I used to cut any knots/mats with round ended slightly curved scissors that I bought on amazon. Quick and easy (well easyish, they werent keen).

 

[euxiomoniia]

I'm definitely looking into different types of scissors since thats what I've been doing in the meanwhile

 

[euxiomoniia]

thanks for your advice I'm going to try different brushes and what not, he's slowly getting better and I've been doing small but frequent grooming sessions which seems to be working right now.

 

[Shimmer]

This is the sort of comb I use on everything (all longhaired - cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brussels08...594647&sprefix=dog+comb+double,aps,90&sr=8-48

They do vary in quality - some of my newer ones don't get through the fine hair of cats & rabbits very well as the ends of the teeth are a bit chunky and I can't use them. Ones with tapered teeth are better, if you can find any. I tend to trawl through dog rescue stalls for second hand ones that I can actually see and handle first.

There's also this type, which I have as a backup comb:
#https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beaface-St...594604&sprefix=dog+comb+double,aps,90&sr=8-56

I never use a brush on the rabbits or cats. I haven't found anything that does the job effectively or quicker than a decent comb. Brushes also tend to be too big to get into all the bits you need to on a rabbit and they don't get down to skin level to get the loose undercoat out before it mats up.

 

[euxiomoniia]

thank you! I'll check them out.