Jersey Wooly Grooming (lots of mats)

[Sealy]

My newly rescued, Jersey,Turnip Top, is , I would say about 12 weeks old and badly matted. Not all over, but lots of mats, especially around the butt. Some mats, feel skin level. :/ Oh and also, she is icky dirty all over!
I have a mat splittler, a variety of brushes and combs and read that corn starch is good for getting mats out. I am concerned about the mat splitter though, as it is a 9 blade and seems a bit big for such a little bun.
Even though I have read Angora grooming articles, I'm a bit overwhelmed and afraid of hurting her :/
Any suggestions on how to go about this task of dematting? If at all possible, I would like to save her fur.
Also, I have some of that no rinse shampoo that we used on my father before he passed away. Would this be ok to use ( lighty dampen ( not wet) a paper towel with it and just surface /spot clean after the mats are out)?

Thanks much!

~Sealy

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[pamnock]

The no rinse shampoo is fine.

Tackle the task a little at a time, and work on a small matted area each day. I found it easiest to work under the matt with a pair of scissors, cut the matt in half and work it out with your fingers (this method will preserve much of the coat).

You might need someone to assist in holding the rabbit. I sit on a crate with a towel on my lap and hold the rabbit in my lap. This allows me to do grooming, medical proceduresand nail trimming without assistance. I partially swaddle the rabbit when necessary (helful when needing to turn the rabbit over to work on it).

Pam

 

[Sealy]

Thanks for making it less overwhelming. I'll be starting on this later today, so hopefully all will go well. & I will prolly get that assistance as I am short and chubby with not much of a lap

~Sealy

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[Starlight Rabbitry]

Also, the use of combs instead of brushes works better. I use scissors and just be careful not to cut too close to the skin. It gets easier as the Jersey Woolies get older. They lose their baby "cottony" coat and develop the lower maintaince adult coat.

Sharon

 

[Sealy]

I did our first grooming session last night and Turnip did great, although she peed on me twice haha. But it was the first real in depth look I've done assessing the mats.
The worst of the mats are on her butt. All of the hair is matted down to the skin. :/
Just a big wad of cotton smushed together.
I used small pair of round tipped scissors and carefully cut into them a bit and loosend up a good bit, but we still have a ways to go. That part prolly really needs to be shaved, but I honestly don't trust anyone locally to shave it. So if I continue to use the method that I just described, should that take care of it? And I am assuming that if it's all cut down close ( her fur) it will grow back?

~Sealy

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[pamnock]

Shaving can be stressful to some rabbits, and it takes a very good blade to cut through the soft fur without dulling the blades.

You can continue to to use the methods described and do a little each day. It helps to split the matt in half. The allows larger chunks to be cut off.

Think of the as special bonding time

Pam

 

[Sealy]

Update:
As Turnip's hair is growing out and with the nightly grooming I've been doing, the mats are coming right out. She is beginning to look really good.
I'm not even sure she is a JW, maybe a fuzzy lop gone wrong ( haha) but I will post pics of her soon in another thread checking to see what breed she is exactly.
Thanks so much for the advice...it has worked really well and I love grooming my buns, they do as well - I've gotten lots of 'purrs'.

~Sealy

 

[Aliena]

I have a mini cashmere lop who was badly matted when I got her. After months of doing what you were doing I had managed to get all the mats around her back and sides out but she had MASSIVE matting under her neck and I didn't want to use scissors there and there was no way it could be brushed out. So, I got mums hair clippers and used them, the rabbit coped really well, sat munching her carrot while I did it and I didn't have to shave right down to the skin either, I was able to kind of shave through the matt until it eventually just pulled right out. Now she looks sooo much better and you can't even tell I've been at her with the clippers.