Matted Fur, At Wit’s End

[bookworm475]

Hi all! I live with someone who, frankly, does the bare minimum for her two rabbits. One has slick, dark fur and though she’s anxious, she’s not at bad as her sister, who has long and awfully dirty, matted fur all over. I just clipped a bunch of soggy, disgusting clumps from her backside because it was dragging behind her as she hopped.

They used to be housed indoors in an irregularly cleaned playpen, and now are outdoors in a hutch. I’m afraid her condition is just going to worsen— she already had leaves and twigs on her from playing in the attached run.

Is there anything I can do immediately to prevent the matting? I clip as much as I can but it’s almost impossible with how bad it is.

As a last resort, I’m considering giving them to someone who knows how to care for them without my roommate knowing. Is there anywhere that takes surrendered rabbits in Oklahoma? Should I try and pass them off to some poor soul on Craigslist? I’m at my wit’s end, I know she isn’t going to start caring about them enough to change, and I can’t take care of them for her.

 

[Preitler]

Welcome

I strongly do not recommend anything that can get you into real trouble. No matter how good your intentions, there are laws and consequences. The rabbits wouldn't be surrendered but stolen. I really got in a morally bad spot when a guy urged me to adopt a dog he absolutly didn't want, lied to me about everything, I could not keep him and after I found a new home for him it turned out that he was just supposed to look for the dog for some time, and the owner, a relative, wanted him back. Not possible. Really bad karma. Do not take pets from people without consent.

That said, I think you need arguments that work to get permission to deal with the issue, finding a better home for them. My first thought is - why does your roommate have this rabbits. Are the reasons why she got them still relevant, did she (or he) get them under the quite common misconception of rabbits being easy pets, and is caring for them not what she/he expected? for me that would be the basis of an argument, apart from making clear that things are far from being good.
If they are. I've had my share of problems due to people with subjective perceptions, I only have your opinion here, centered on the matted fur, getting someone else knowledgeable involved might be a good idea. Do you know other people that have rabbits?

Right now I would trim the fur. Can be done.
And have a talk with your room mate, pretty much what you wrote here.

Thanks for caring