MATS!!!

[bunbunluv123]

my rabbit(riggins) has REALLY bad mats down near his tail:bunnydance:. it is in a big huge clump and we cut the very top of it trying to loosen it so we could brush it out but it did not work.i am taking him to the vet because of his dandruff(which is another topic totally!)but i want to get it removed because it seems to hurt him.he is an amarican fuzzy lop with medium-longish fur. if u have any ? please feel free to ask!

~Em and riggins:rainbow:

 

[undergunfire]

With mats you need to start from the bottom and work your way up. What type of brush are you using? A small slicker brush works great for loosening mats. A lot of times my Holland Lop gets bad mats and I just cut them out because they mat all over again - it's just easier to cut them out because he stresses through brushing (hates being held).

 

[slavetoabunny]

I would have the mat shaved at the vet and then keep up with the grooming when the hair starts growing back in. I had an American Fuzzy Lop foster that we had to have his entire body shaved (under anesthesia) when we took him in.

 

[bunbunluv123]

i cant brush them out because it is stuck to his skin and im scared i will cut his skin. it is surrounding his tail. i bought him from a humane society and he was like that ever since i got him.:bunnydance:

~Em and Riggins

p.s.Riggins is almost 6!

 

[snap]

You can take him to the vet and have them shave him if it's really bad.

But, if not, you can just work them out at home. Burrito up his top half, all the way down to right above where the mats start- if you don't know 'burrito' it's just wrapping him in a towel...like a bunny burrito! XD Have someone else hold him, or you can hold him, and cut out all the really bad parts. I personally just use my bunny nail clippers, but you can use anything scissor things. Then start combing as much as you can, clipping when necessary, and you may even need to get some mats wet if they're stubborn. When you think you're all done go over the spot with a slicker brush to get out any clipped bits left behind.

BUT I don't recommend doing this all at once if he has a lot of mats. It will take longer than your bunny has patience for, so most likely do it in stages. Or, like I said, take him to the vet and shave him- but unless he is extremely, extremely bad it'll just be money you don't really need to spend.

 

[undergunfire]

snap wrote:

and you may even need to get some mats wet if they're stubborn.

I just learned today in pet grooming school that you should never wet mats because it causes them to shrink up, which will make them harder to separate. The best way to work out a mat is to start from the bottom and work your way up.

 

[tonyshuman]

That's interesting, Amy. I always thought that water helped dissolve things like hardened poo and dirt making up the mat, but it also makes sense that they would shrink up while wet.

If you can, get a pair of beard trimmers, dog trimmers, hair clippers, etc, and put them on the lowest setting that won't cut her skin. Use that to tackle the mats, starting as close to the skin as you can get. Clippers are supposed to be better than scissors, but be careful. It would be easiest to have a vet or licensed groomer do it if you can afford it.

You really don't want to pull on the mats--rabbits have really weak skin and it can get pulled away from the tissue underneath it pretty easily--called a "de-gloving" injury, because the skin becomes loose like a glove.

 

[bunbunluv123]

:rainbowk.....last nighti was combing his fur and i notices a HUGE bald spotit has dandruff all over it and it is the size of my fist! any help with this?:rainbow:

:bunnydance.s.riggins is going to the vet in 3 days!(to remove the mat):bunnydance:

 

[tonyshuman]

That sounds like fur mites. He'll need a treatment with Revolution or some other topical antiparasitic. Do not use Frontline. It sounds like Riggins is in pretty bad shape--you said you got him from a Humane Society? Didn't they have a vet take a look at him? Poor little guy. When he's at the vet to remove the mat, ask about a topical treatment for the fur mites.