Angora Hair Question

[Leaf]

I've mentioned the Angoras that Dan picked up quite a while back when he was getting some goats.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=35826&forum_id=1

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=37039&forum_id=1

Sadly, he lost one shortly after the hairy guy started to show progress in his coat health.

I have the other one here. She is looking better, but still pretty - ugly with her hair chopped to all lengths .

She's down in size a lot. At first she was like a fat football due to the hair bundle matts. Truely horrible, though my pics hardly do it justice.

Anyhow, most of the matts are gone. I do still have some small spots on her that need regrowth before I cut on them again. None are bigger than a nickle except for on one back hip, which was the absolute worst spot on her body.

One thing I noticed on her bigger patches was that they would sometimes start to "peel" off with new hair growth underneath. The *trick* was cutting under the peel away matts while not nicking her.

Shaving was not really an option because there wasn't a real place to begin. Have you ever seen a Shih Tzu dog totally matted, maybe on TV or the news or in a shelter? This rabbit was as bad, or worse.

Anyhow, I'm suspecting in a few more months she'll look ok. I was hoping for great pictures by fall, but I dont know. Her progress isnt as much as I expected it to be, though by all standards she is great now.

My question is - when her matts start to peel off and there is new hair growth underneath, does that "peeling" of the old matted coat hurt?

She is a tolerant rabbit. She's not spunky but not just a lump like she was either. She isnt so hand shy anymore, is receptive to my voice and when I put my hand out for her - but I think she was so miserable for so long... she is just now beginning to really feel up to being a bunny.

Oh - by her matts "peeling" (for lack of a better description) am I waiting too long to cut at them? They are so unbelieveable (or were) that the most I could do was cut the top layer off over and over again waiting for new hair to grow so I could start snipping at the edges.

 

[pamnock]

It's best to cut under the matts and get them off. Matted coats can be painful.


Pam

 

[myheart]

I don't know much about Angora hair, but I do know matted Shi Tzu hair (I still have a back mat with legs attached from when I owned my shop.The mat just rolled off in a sheet as I shaved the poor little tyke down. The dog's tail was done with a #40 blade, for the most part, and that rolled off as a tube.)

I thought it was fastest to shave Dolla, the little Fuzzy lop,when Naturestee asked for my assistance. Her fur was tight to the skin as any severelymatted dog I have ever seen. I hate to say it, but I had to use a #10 blade and lots of coolant on the blade, and almost wished I had a #40 just to get some starts. She was one happy bunny to be rid of that mess in the end. Dolla had the softest hair ever (imagine a poorly bread poodle with ultra-soft undercoat that feels like some one glued cotton balls on top of cotton balls on the dog)

I know you are trying your best to keep the rabbit from getting stressed, but I would imagine that what matting that is remaining has to be pulling on her skin. I should think the rest of her skin has gained it's elasticity back by now -- now it is those few matted areasstill hold the skin tight. I know you might want to maintain the integrity of a nice hair-coat, but I think I would grab the clipper and get the rest off. The sooner the hair is off, the sooner her skin will be able to recover, start to breathe, and grow new hair.

Just my thoughts, I do hope other who do haveangoras will chime in. I have seen way too many dogs in such a bad state, and they are alway relieved to have the matting off. They become like new dogs with new outlooks and attitudes. Dolla did also once she was shaved...

myheart

 

[Leaf]

:shock:I don't want you guys to think I've left her BAD by any means!



This was how she looked on May 16th, when Dan got her:

May 16th after the initial cut and bath:

June 27th:

I'll get some today pics uploaded of her in a few minutes. :?

 

[Leaf]

Well, all I can say is her coloring does not help her appearance at all in photos. She looks much more motley than she really is.

:dunno

 

[myheart]

Oh no, Leaf, please don't take me the wrong way. I know it is difficult to judge how much a rabbit is able to handle when it comes to a massive undertaking such as what you had to do. I do think it would be best just to get the rest off. She seems happy and adjusted to your home and you, that maybe she will let you do a bit more to her because she trusts you more. I wish I were there to help you with the de-matting. Naturestee and I did Dolla in two Saturdays, partly because of my late arrival and shelter closing time, and because I didn't know what I would be dealing with so I didn't bring the right tools. Without the second pair of hands, I would never have been able to finish shaving her down.

Your little girl doesn't look that bad along her back anymore and you have done great work this far. But if you are able to find some one capable of either handling the rabbit or the clipper,it would just best to bedone with the mess and let her start over toward a beautiful new coat.

myheart

 

[Leaf]

What are the best clippers to buy?

When I had my Yorkie I used to go through Oster clippers like crazy. I hated them. I always kept her in a shorter, boxy cut. She had a weird, thick cottony coat (she was all around a horrid example of a Yorkie as far as coat, body and health went) and it was easier to maintain short.

It's been years since I've had to use clippers since my current and recent past dogs have been of the pit persuasion and papillons. Pits don't need haircuts - my male Papillon gets trimmed on his under because of the pee factor, but then usually with scissors since he is so calm. I did have an American Eskimo (adopted at 14 years old) that I worked on for 5 hours before surrendering and taking to a groomer who did him as is, no rabies shot or anything when she saw him - They used a furmninator or something. I dont remember what, I just know when I went to pick him up they had a huge basket of his hair in the lobby as an example of the work they could do...

It's hard to work on the rabbit because even though she is a lot more tame I think she thinks I'm going to eat her, especially when I try to pick her up and carry her. The only way to subdue her is to cover her face when I walk, and then (as now) I usually end up with clawed marks on my neck/throat.

Maybe investing in some clippers would be a good idea but I dont think I need real fancy ones because I wont have a lot of use for them.

The ones I had always blocked up, got hot - buzzed weird... I wasnt impressed at all.

The hardest part to do with this girl is her.. fringes. Sitting or laying, I mean that underside of her body right at the floor. Her tummy is suprisingly good but that one area all around her body has been a trouble area for me.

When I first started on her my main concern was how she felt and a lot of cutting sessions were spent just nipping through areas that kept her skin pinched or tight. In the beginning especially that was what I worked on - cutting the top off of matts, nipping apart tight, uncomfortable areas.

This rabbit must be pretty hardy. With her being so wild and scared and all of the hands on stuff I did with her right away I was scared beyond belief thinking each time I worked with her would be the time I'd scare her to death. She and I both have not had an easy time of any of this..

For the most part what she has now are "uglies" Probably dont feel the best on her but I dont find areas that are tight or pinched on her skin. Most are just the type that lay on top like little sprouts, but are close enough to the skin I can't really get between them and her skin.

Tail area will be hard too. As she was - to be honest I think I nipped a bit of the tip of her tail off at one point. She jumped when I was back there and I saw a teeny little red spot. As wild as she was then I didnt vet her because she was almost impossible to handle and I honestly didnt think it was a huge emergency. She's fine now in that aspect.

 

[myheart]

Do you have a groomer in your area who could finish taking off the matted spots? Tell them you will stay and hold the rabbit. Do let them know that you would need many breaks to let the rabbit re-coup a bit from the work and to have time to cool and clean the blade. I think that might be your best approach because a new clipper (Andis with #10 blade must be about $125.00 by now) would be expensive and it really would take two people to work on her (maybe three...) Osters are not bad, but if the clipper or the blades are not maintained, they will run hot -- too hot for a rabbit. Actually, any clipper will run hot if used too long and especially when working through matts. (btw cute puppy and hair-do).

Naturestee told me that I was her last option for Dolla because there were no groomers in all of Sheboygan who would work on a rabbit. She heldDolla in the positions I needed to get the right angle. We left Dolla run along the counter after every major mattwas removed, and after a while she just started flopping like she was just done with the whole process --- too cute!

I really do wish I were there to help because it does help to understand rabbits and their anatomy (fragility) to do a good job and keep them less stressed.

myheart

 

[pamnock]

How much does she weigh? She really looks like she might be a fuzzy lop with a lot of ear control. Those soft coats that matt close to the skin can be murder to deal with.

I use a pair of small, sharp tipped scissors to get under the matt and cut it in half so it can be pulled apart.

As suggested, you can also have a groomer who has a good pair of clippers help you out.

Just work a little each day, so neither you nor the rabbit get too stressed.

Pam

 

[Leaf]

Here's Mattie today

My pictures are blurry either due to my dropping the camera or the rechargeable batteries not holding a charge.

 

[Leaf]

She weighs 5.3#

 

[myheart]

Wow!!! She is beautiful!!! Great job on the de-matting!! It took some time, but it was worth it. Mattie's coat looks so soft and shiny now.... All the better to cuddle her with....!!

Congrats on the rescue/grooming job,

myheart