Getting new bun's fur under control

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 4sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 4 years ago by LBJ10.

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- 01/06/2022 at 8:26 PM
  BrunosMama
  Participant
  1605 posts
  Hey everyone!
  
  I hope you have all been doing well. 🙂
  
  This week, we adopted a new bunny, a 2 year old fuzzy lop. The shelter he came from said he had come from a neglect situation and had severe mats in his fur. They removed/shaved the worst of them (poor thing has giant bald patches) during his neuter. However, there are still some smaller ones deep in his fur.
  
  I have started to trim back his fur a little, so that I can see where the mats are and start breaking them up. Some of them are pretty close to his skin, though.
  
  My question is, what’s the best place to start when there are so many mats? Brushing doesnt work at the moment because it just snags on the mats. Short of having him shaved completely bald, I’m not sure where to begin. Is there a detangling spray or something that would be safe for buns?
  
  I read an earlier post about there being guard hairs, but I’m not sure about his. It is very cottony and fine.
  
  Thank you for your help! 🙂
  
  BM
- 01/06/2022 at 8:32 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  You can often break up the mats if you pull on the sides of them (rather than trying to comb from the ends). If there really are tons of them it may be easiest to just trim them all and start fresh, but if you just gradually work on them hopefully you can make progress! If they are really close to the skin it probably would be best to wait till the fur grows out a bit to trim further.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 01/07/2022 at 5:38 AM
  BrunosMama
  Participant
  1605 posts
  @DanaNM Thank you! Yeah, I figured the closer ones may have to just grow out a bit to get them loose. His fur is going to be a project, but he is such a sweet bun. I can’t wait to spoil him! 🙂
- 01/07/2022 at 7:27 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  He’s a lucky bun to have found a dedicated owner! Thank you for rescuing him!
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 01/09/2022 at 8:43 AM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17213 posts
  I’m surprised they just didn’t shave his body clean so he could “start over”. But, I suppose, with it being winter perhaps they didn’t want to do that. They were probably worried he would get too cold. Too bad this wasn’t in the summer. It would have made things a little easier. I agree with Dana, if the mats are too close to the skin, it’s probably best to let them grow out a little. If you have some small clippers (they make small battery-powered ones for pets, but a human beard trimmer works too), they tend to be quieter and you can just buzz off the offending mat (if bunny will tolerate it, of course).
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