rescued matted angora

[ruckusluvr]

I just got an angora rabbit from a bad situation. I frankly dont know anything about angoras and never planned on getting one. But I had to help this guy. He has been sitting in an outdoor hutch and the only attention he gets is from a 10 year old boy who bites him, and yanks his fur out through the hutch bars

Despite never having a loving hand layed on it this bun is very sweet.

Well, its matted pretty bad. Its whole underneath, sides, chest... basically the only thing that is not matted in right on top of its back. I tried trimming some off with scissors but its too hard for me to tell what is mat and what is actually skin. I am a dog groomer, so I know to be careful and I know how to go about dealing with matted animals. But a rabbit is completly different!

I am %100 sure that it needs shaved down to get the mats out. How common is it to do this and not have to sedate a rabbit? My vet will sedate it where I can groom it, but I hate to sedate if we think I can avoid it.

help please! Thanks!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Angora rabbits are bred and conditioned to accept grooming. I would not sedate it unless you have to. If you can have someone hold the rabbit and you shave, it would probably work. I have had to shave an angora before and that rabbit did well. You should pull the skin so it is not loose to help prevent cutting the skin. Watch for the nipples if it is a female as you can nick them and cause infection.
If you have one, use a spinning table thing (used to pass condiments etc around a table) covered with a towel so you can get better access to the rabbit. Some grooming tables for small dogs have them. They might be called a Lazy Susan.
I find that rabbits are generally easier to deal with than dogs.

Thank you for rescuing the rabbit. Many people get an angora because it is cute and do not take care of the coat. If you decide to keep it, you should do some research on grooming and care for angoras. There may be a breeder near you who can give some tips or could be willing to help you re-home the rabbit. You need to screen potential adopters so this doesn't happen again.

 

[ruckusluvr]

Thanks for the help. I seriously doubt I will keep it. I couldnt bond it with my other rabbit. Ryo has tried to be bonded twice WITH professional help. I tried for 8 months with the first rabbit and 6 months with the second. I guess she is just one of those rare rabbits who cannot be bonded. I may give it a try anyway.

My plan of action is
Get the rabbit groomed
Take it to the vet for a check up
Spay/neuter it
Let it recover and let its hair grow back
And then probably start looking for it a new home

We have an animal shelter the next town over that has only rabbits, ferrets, cavies, hamsters, etc. I may take it there for them to re home after I get it altered. Of course I will pay $15 to its adoption fee, and donate some hay and food. I am unsure what I want to do just yet.

 

[ra7751]

I applaud you for helping this rabbit. I have also rescued matted Angoras. If the matting is as bad as you describe, it is vitally important to sedate the rabbit under general anesthesia to get this done. It is stressful to the rabbit and will be painful. Rabbits have to be taught to accept grooming and it's obvious this one has not had much experience in that area. Andeven so, with severe matting I would not attempt dematting without sedation. In the ones we had, we also used pain meds and anti biotics if there were any nicksafter the procedure. Rabbit skin is extremenely thin and will tear and cut easily. And dematting a rabbit is much more ofa job than with a dog. Your experience should come in quite handy though. And make sure your vet is experienced in sedating a rabbit. This too is a bit different than dogs or cats. In this type of procedure, it would be better to use all injectable anesthesia components. Many vets are not aware of using this type of sedation.....it long had the reputation of being unsafe. We use it on our more complicated and longer duration surgeries....especially dentals.

Randy

 

[ruckusluvr]

It wasnt as badly matted as I thought. But it was pretty bad. Very thick coat on this bun!

I found out that its a boy rabbit. And i got it all shaved but under its chin. There is no way i can shave that. So when he is under for the neuter I will have them shave it.

"Charmin" is mad right now. He is going around his cage throwing stuff. He didnt put up much of a fuss until the last part.

i hate to sound ugly but is it normal for them to have hairless pink balls?

I am so glad that he got most of those mats off of him. Next I am going to make him a cage (made from those wire shelving squares)
Then get him neutered possibly next Friday.

This poor rabbit has been through so much! That boy being mean to him, then he was hauled 30 miles HUTCH AND ALL in the back of a truck at night. I am so glad it didnt tip over! If I knew they were going to transport him like that I would had gotten him!
He is not used to cats or dogs, and my critters wanted to watch him. and then the poor thing gets shaved. Now I am moving him into another room in a new cage. If this poor guy doesnt die from stress i will be surprised!

Should I rush off and get him neutered, or let him mellow out and get used to his home first. I kinda thought that I would try to get it all over with as quickly as possible.

 

[Maureen Las]

great that you got himshaved ; your dog grooming skills payed off with this rabbit because i wouldn't have been able to do it ; I have heard horror stories of rabbits whose skinhave been cut by accident.

I actually would give him a little while to adjust before neutering him but that is my just own opinion ; if you don't plan on keeping him it may be imperative for you to do it as fast as you can...

however i would imagine this little bun is stressed out big time.

 

[SOOOSKA]

Wow, I'm glad I read this post. My soon to be x husband found a beautiful long haired rabbit a couple of weeks ago roaming in a parking lot on one of the hottest days of the year. He just couldn't leave it. So now I have 7 bunnies to look after.

Anyways my Fluffy (I know real original) is quite matted too. We did cut off some of the mats but he still has alot left.

I was going to go to a dog/cat groomer but after reading some of the post on here I think I may bring him to the vets. He also needs to be neutered so maybe at the same time I'll get him shaved.

Congratulations on you new Bunny. I'd love to see pictures of him, especially now that he has been shaved.

Susan

 

[ruckusluvr]

sure I will have to get me a disposable camera so I can take a few pics! my digital camera is getting worked on. he looks horrible shaved! LOL poor baby. He has fur on his tail and under his chin, but thats because he wouldnt let me shave it. I am getting him neutered in probably 3 weeks, so I will get them to finish shaving him.


Right now he is licking himself alot. I guess it feels funny! He had some red skin under those mats (from the mats, not his hair cut)

 

[slavetoabunny]

We took an American Fuzzy Lop into rescue last year that was so badly matted that he couldn't hop and his skin was torn. He had to be put under anesthesia at the vet to be shaved.

 

[ruckusluvr]

I am so glad that Charmin was not that bad!

 

[tonyshuman]

Good luck, and kudos on helping him. I agree that he should be given a little time to recover from the stress of this before you have him neutered, plus he will have to regulate his own body temperature in a way that he's not used to. Make sure he has blankets or towels to keep warm if he's in an air-conditioned house.