Long rabbit fur?

[Bunnies <3]

One of my rabbits has long, fluffy fur, which I  brush daily. Despite this, it still manages to get extremely matted. I am currently working on trying to brush some of it out little by little every day, but am seeing little progress. Does anyone have any tips on how to get rid of large amounts of matted fur, and how to prevent this? The matting is happening close to the skin, so cutting it would be a very scary task. I’ve heard of giving the bunny routine “haircuts” to keep it at a certain length but wasn’t a huge fan of the idea… might have to start doing it if it’s the only way . Any experience with how to go about this?

Also I’ve noticed that because of her long fur she has gotten a bit of poop/pee stuck to her bottom… is it best to clean this with a wet cloth, or attempting the cornstarch method? Or something else?

Thanks a bunch!

[LBJ10]

What type of fur does your bunny have? That will help with advising.

[Eepster]

Long haired bunnies should be combed, not brushed. Shearing rabbits safely is very difficult since they have very loose delicate skin.

[LBJ10]

Is it wooly? Satin? Are there guard hairs?

[AnnaW]

Hello!
I have a rescued lionhead x angora and as you can imagine he is VERY fluffy. I have a comb that is brilliant, I find that I get at least five times more fur off him than I do with a brush. So combing is the way forward Barney also has a tummy upset regularly, as a result of his diet in his previous home – so I feel your pain on that front! I usually turn him onto his back and use a piece of kitchen roll to collect any sizeable debrey, and then use a damp flannel to clean the rest. He doesnt enjoy it, but he needs to be a clean bunny!
Also be aware that very fluffy bunnies can often groom themselves, and as they cant produce hairballs sometimes this can be a problem – I occasionally feed Barney (and his girlfriend Belle, to be fair) a piece of pineapple which helps the hair move through their intestinal tract and avoid blockages.
I have on occasion had to cut Barney’s fur, when I first rescued him he had to be sheared by the vets (luckily under anaesthetic when they neutered him) as he was SO matted and the matts were extremely close to his skin. Get a good cat comb, and using the end prongs gently tease the matts away from the skin, they actually come away very easily with patience.
Good luck, and I hope all of this has helped!
If you need any further guidance feel free to send me a direct message xx

[Bunnies <3]

Thanks guys for your responses.

Thanks for the tips, AnnaW! I will try the kitchen roll/damp flannel method next time she needs a good clean up. I wouldn’t have thought of that, but using the kitchen roll sounds like a good idea if there are bigger amounts.

If I do have any more fur issues I will message you for sure, thanks for offering

[Bunnies <3]

Her fur is wooly. I’m not entirely sure about the guard hairs, but I think she has them.

[LBJ10]

If she has guard hairs, then that’s good! They make the fur easier to maintain. You just need the right tools. Have you tried a Hairbuster comb? I use one on Wooly. When he sheds, he does it all at once. So the loose fur will begin to slide down his guard hairs. Those are the coarse straight ones mixed in with the wool. When he is shedding like this, I will use the Hairbuster comb every day to remove what is sliding down. If the fur doesn’t get removed, it will start to bunch up and mat as more loosened fur is added to it.

When I comb, I will turn him so his rear is facing me. I lift up the fluff and comb underneath first, then work my way up and out. This helps with tackling any mats that might be forming because the comb is right there teasing them out, rather than trying to comb through a bunch of fur on top. Hopefully that makes sense.

[Bunnies <3]

Thanks, LBJ10. I don’t have that exact comb but I do have something similar with teeth alternating with different lengths. What you said about the shedding makes sense. It’s possible that I didn’t notice her shedding because it was all just bunching up into a mat  Thanks for mentioning that combing method — I have always just brushed from the top but not lifted the fur to comb from underneath, but that totally makes sense. I’ll have to try that out!

[longhairmike]

mats need to be peeled apart with your fingers into thinner strips that can be plucked without too much pulling (like string cheese), otherwise pulling on the entire mat grabs way too much skin area at once

[LBJ10]

Good point LHM! You want to be careful if it is a large mat and tackle it piece by piece (rather than the whole thing at once).

[Bunnies <3]

Thought I would give a quick update — I have been giving her daily mini grooming sessions and have decided to maintain her fur at a shorter length. I heard of someone else with a long-furred bunny doing this, and I wasn’t too eager about the idea at first, but I figured it’s better for her sake to keep her fur short and mat free than long and full of matting. Thanks for the tips everyone, I think the problem is finally solved

[LBJ10]

So you had her shaved? Sometimes it is better to simply “start over”. You can maintain it as it grows out.

[Bunnies <3]

I actually just trimmed a little bit each day for the past couple months using the round-ended scissors specifically meant for small animals, so it’s not as short as if she had been shaved. I was able to just trim away all the matting fur. I think I will continue to maintain her fur at a shorter length than when it is fully grown out, in addition to grooming her daily with a comb/brush. I think both she and I will be happier that way, she won’t have to carry around all the matted fur and I won’t stress out over trying to keep it under control. 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

IF you have any trouble your vet can help you cut/shave mats. I do maintain my lionhead with shaving as well. I don’t shave in the winter as it can be cooler by their window -so I just trim around her face so she can see and try to do a bit of brushing with a slicker brush. But other then the really cold months, she’s shaved. She doesn’t like standing still for the shaving but I can tell she prefers being shaved -and she can see so much easier!

[Roberta]

I feel your pain, my Piglet is a french angora… He gets shaved several times a year now… I have a wonderful groomer who comes to the house and charges me $25 for the hour which is usually sufficient…. After nightmare trips to the vet $250 and having to have him under anestesthia for it I was so relieved to find Peta… He is relaxed and happy and gets a great punk do… Little Blossom is getting her daddy’s coat now so she is starting to get trims to so hopefully she will never had the matts her dad Piglet had…

[bunnytowne]

I have had a lionhead.  I kept the hair around her privates trimmed to prevent matting urine stain and cecals etc getting matted and stuck in there. It worked wonders. 

Yes comb the bunny I combed my lionhead.  She didn’t get matts.  After combing I used one of my old hairbrushes on her too.  I think she like the feel of that. 

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