Can I cut my rabbits matted fur?

Question

I have an adopted bunny that likes to pee all over himself. As a result his fur is all matted underneath and he smells. Can I use a pair of hair clippers on him or will it just drop out naturally if I wash and brush him regularly?

Answer 1

Hi, you will need to carefully trim and cut his fur as i won't grow out, also if you leave it its likely he could get 'fly strike' where fly lay their eggs i the matted fur and when the eggs hatch they burrow into the rabbits flesh,if this is not found soon the poor bunny will die. :(  Personally i would trim/cut your bunnies fur and then give him a wash avoiding his ears,eyes and nose. Hope this helps. :)

Answer 2

Matted fur can be painful towards animals, so please use care when cutting it. When you get it short enough, keep that area very short and clean.

Vets can usually do this for a small fee.

Answer 3

sure you can. it is probably best to use clippers like from a barber shop than regular scissors though. just do it carefully!

Answer 4

I would not use scissors to trim the matted areas as it is very easy to accidently cut through your rabbits skin.  Instead, I would work out the matted fur a little at a time after you have bathed the rabbit.  Also, you can trim the fur with clippers after you have removed the matted fur, but again, be careful not to clip the fur to close to the skin... I would leave the fur at least a quarter of an inch long.

The following link has some good basic grooming tips for rabbit owners.

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/rabbits/a...

Answer 5

Do you have a wool breed rabbit?  Wool breeds tend to get matted like that.  Wool breeds need to be brushed out every couple of days to avoid matting.

What it really sounds like you are describing is a case of diarrhea that your rabbit has.  Normally the only time a rabbit smells is when they have a bout of diarrhea.  And when they do have a bout of diarrhea you will see matting of the fur around the area where they pee and p**p.

The easiest way to get rid of the clump is to carefully use a pair of scissors to cut the clump away.  However, you probably have a larger problem than just worrying about removing the clump.  If your rabbit has diarrhea, that is a more serious issue.  You'll want to evaluate what you are feeding your rabbit first.  Stop feeding any treats such as grass, fruits, vegetables, etc.  Stick to just feed and hay.  Until your rabbit gets over the diarrhea you may want the rabbit's diet to consist of mainly timothy hay.  As the rabbit gets better the main portion of the rabbit's diet should be the rabbit pellets.  The higher fiber of the hay will help cure the diarrhea problem if it is food related.

You might want to check with a vet to also see if your rabbit has a case of coccidiosis.  In that instance, your rabbit will probably need treated with liquid amprolium.  Have the vet take a f***s sample from your rabbit to make sure.