Angora wooled SF kit...oh, what a mess!

Oh, please don't tell me what a terrible woolie-kit mom I am! I've told myself that a dozen times a day for the past week.

Okay, here is the story:

I have a purebred SF that is "woolie" due to a woolie ancestor and line breeding. (I'm hoping to exploit this genetic surprise to get more just like her.) Anyway, so...

First mistake: I, never having had a baby woolie before, did not realize what a grooming challenge I was in for. She got all knotted up. I think Momma holding her created a lot of the knots so how does one hold a woolie without knotting it up?
Second mistake: I was being ever so very careful in trying to cut out the knots I could not brush out and...yes, you guessed it...I cut her. I have beat myself up about this so bad! I feel HORRIBLE. I didn't even want to talk about it here because I felt so bad but I need advise...read on...
Third mistake: I used "Wound Heal" to coat the wound so it would heal. It did and it did. But, now...her outer thigh is all gummed up with sticky medicine.

Sigh...so, I need help...

1. How do I get the sticky mess out of her fur? I tried washing with a mild shampoo but it didn't seem to have any affect on the gummy mess. (I didn't wash all of her, just the affected area.)
2. How do I get that mass of furry knot out from under her chin?
3. How do I keep her properly groomed so this never ever happens again?

First I will say I haven't had to get stick meds off any of my rabbits before...but maybe try dawn dish soap? its supposed to be safe for pretty much everything and it cleans off almost anything...just be sure to rinse it all off so you don't have a rabbit blowing bubbles @.@

as for the knots...I have a woolly bunny..only one i have a problem with...I sheer her because I can't keep her fur from matting up no matter what I try..I have another that is fine with regular brushing but this one's fur is crazy....Before i gave up and started keeping her trimed every time I found a mat I'd tug around the edges of it...holding it still and only tugging gently at the fur stuck in it so I'm not pulling on the poor confused rabbits skin. It loosens it in small chunks. those are then easier to snip off without nicking the rabbit. It is time consuming but I saw a woman cut a chunk out of a matted dogs stomach once by accident so I'm to scared to go at them with scissors. Once the mats are broken up I keep her fur trimmed. Once your bunny's fur is unmatted regular brushing will probably keep it ok..it works for most woolly bunnies

I cut the Angoras sheering the first time. I used super glue and it healed up nicely.

I use a comb or my fingers as a guard between the skin and the scissors.

Just yesterday I saw a youtube video about using superglue for closing wounds...and remembered that hospitals do the same thing on humans. I'll be getting some for my rabbit first aid kit for sure!

Glad to know I'm not the only one who has accidentally cut their angora...I mean I "knew" that but when you do it yourself suddenly it feels like you are the only one to ever make that mistake.

No personal experience, but I've read that some kits have wool that mats if you look at it... and then they get their adult coats in, and they're much easier to manage. :good-luck:

Would it help to have blunt-nosed, sharp-edged scissors? When working with cats (whose skin is also very easy to catch/cut) at the shop and the humane society, I used my blunt-nosed scissors on very matted cats. The scissors helped to break up matts by cutting lengthwise along the matt so that I could then get my clipper underneath it or, if we were going to have to shave the cat down , the scissors helped "open the way" for the clipper.

link to blunt-nosed scissors here

link to Laube clipper here note that the text says "horse"; I've used my Laube on dogs and cats. The blade can be set to #9, #10, #15, #30, and #40; it's a variable-length trimmer.

On cats, groomers are cautioned not to use any blade shorter than a #10 (so use #10, #9, #7, etc.) or add a Snap-On comb, to avoid cutting the cat's skin. Maybe a #9 is the limit with rabbits? I'm asking, not telling; I don't know what would be safe, esp. with a young one.

And to echo "skysthelimit," using a comb to protect the skin is another way of preventing scissor blades from nipping Baby Bunny's skin. Wedge the comb between the skin and the matt; use the scissors to cut off as much of the matt as you can while the comb remains in place. Remove the comb and separate, with your fingers, the parts of the matt that are left. It should be a lot easier to separate them after the "comb + scissors" treatment.

Best wishes.

I have to ask the FB Angora page what size to use, I don't own any clippers myself.

Frecs":3nh0qf7z said:

I think Momma holding her created a lot of the knots so how does one hold a woolie without knotting it up?

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I wouldn't think that just holding a rabbit would cause it to mat up. :? The bun might be changing coats and the loose wool simply got tangled since it wasn't brushed out.

On the bright side, maybe it indicates that her wool has very good crimp.

Frecs":3nh0qf7z said:

I was being ever so very careful in trying to cut out the knots I could not brush out and...yes, you guessed it...I cut her.

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Accidents happen, Frecs. :encourage:

I like to work mats apart with my fingers. Grasp the mat firmly with the fingers of one hand and then pull from the outside edge. You want to do this in very small steps- don't try to rip a big mat in half, just work those outside edges, gradually making your way across the entire mat.

If it doesn't pull apart fairly easily, you can cut the mat into strips first. You want the blunt edge of the blade to be vertical to the rabbit's body so there is no possibility of the skin getting between the blades. Then work the mat apart as described above. This way you will hopefully preserve enough of the coat that you don't create a bald patch.

Frecs":3nh0qf7z said:

1. How do I get the sticky mess out of her fur?

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Some of these tips may help:

http://www.essortment.com/remove-chewin ... 59173.html<br /><br />__________ Sun Sep 01, 2013 9:54 pm __________<br /><br />

Frecs":3nh0qf7z said:

Just yesterday I saw a youtube video about using superglue for closing wounds...and remembered that hospitals do the same thing on humans. I'll be getting some for my rabbit first aid kit for sure!

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I have used Super Glue to close wounds on people and animals.

Interestingly enough, the topic came up today with a dentist I know. He said that the surgical glue has the exact same ingredients and concentration as Super Glue- but it costs $50 a vial.

>.> when a friend of mine found out i had superglue in my rabbit kit in case one got hurt he told me I shouldn't use it unless i really had to...said it burns in cuts..seals it yes but it is supposed to be really unpleasant. I have never used it in a cut on myself so I wouldn't know for sure...but assuming its true the kit might scream or at least get really squirmy..so be prepared for that..kit screams can be unsettling if unexpected (I starteled one before its eyes were opened once and I jumped a good two feet)

Sinnfox":3gsidqkc said:

>.> when a friend of mine found out i had superglue in my rabbit kit in case one got hurt he told me I shouldn't use it unless i really had to...said it burns in cuts..seals it yes but it is supposed to be really unpleasant. I have never used it in a cut on myself so I wouldn't know for sure...but assuming its true the kit might scream or at least get really squirmy..so be prepared for that..kit screams can be unsettling if unexpected (I starteled one before its eyes were opened once and I jumped a good two feet)

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i'd rather have superglue an injury and have it feel burning then have it get infected and me chance dying... i'd think the rabbit would choose the same if it could... jmo

I've done it on myself and the rabbits, and a dog. Felt nothing and no one moved a muscle.

Sinnfox":2mqdbypw said:

when a friend of mine found out i had superglue in my rabbit kit in case one got hurt he told me I shouldn't use it unless i really had to...said it burns in cuts.

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I have glued my daughter twice; once on the chin and the other time on the scalp. She never complained that it stung... and when she was little, she was the type that would start screaming before you got anywhere near her if she had a sliver that needed to be removed. :roll:

I have also glued those little skin fissures that one gets on their fingers in the winter, and never noticed any pain.

skysthelimit":2zfuzxu1 said:

I used super glue and it healed up nicely.

I use a comb or my fingers as a guard between the skin and the scissors.

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Super glue is a great thing to have in your emergency kit. Great idea on using a comb between their skin and your scissors!!!

I'd shear her down as everyone suggests. She'll grow in a nice junior coat and will be easier to maintain afterwards.

I don't shear my kits initially as sky suggests, I just brush them 2x a week (so far none of my buyers groom by blower and neither do I, so it helps train them to sit still for grooming if I start brushing around 4 weeks), but the mats are likely from her baby coat, those are always a pain in the butt with baby wool rabbits. Everyone cuts them a time or two at first. Heck, you should have seen my sheep the first time I shore them. Think a nick in a bunny is bad? ... I felt like crap for a long time, even though it wasn't large enough to require stitches.

I practically had to use a magnifying glass to read the instructions on the ointment bottle (actually called "Cut Heal" not wound heal). It says, "don't put ointment on too thick, dummy". Well, it didn't say dummy but the rest is a true paraphrase. It also says that if you do, use rubbing alcohol followed by mild soap to remove the excess. Tried it. didn't work. I'll keep repeating the process in hopes we finally break through the mess.

I also have been spending time working on her mats....and cutting off her pretty baby wool. I'm having to snip little bits of each mat to allow for teasing apart the mat a bit--impossible to get it out completely by teasing but at least it loosens it enough that I can safely cut it away. For the big mat under her chin (her "baby dewlap") I have to have Mother hold her head up so I can work...Maggie really does not like this but she also clearly appreciates getting the mat loosened so it doesn't pull her skin and then removed a bit at a time.

Little Maggie puts up with as much as she can tolerate and then, she pees on me to signal that she has reached her limit.

Wow, nice signal. I usually get a warning nip when a youngster has had enough plucking.

On second thought, I'd rather prefer the nip. Getting peed on requires a clothing change

PSFAngoras":34reo2ev said:

Wow, nice signal. I usually get a warning nip when a youngster has had enough plucking.

On second thought, I'd rather prefer the nip. Getting peed on requires a clothing change

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yeah, getting pee'd on is just not cool...rather warm and smelly actually... :x :lol:

Aw, poor thing, is she all grown out now? LOL

any wool type rabbits have to be brushed at least once a week minimal.. or you will run into this problem. Under the arm pits is another spot to watch out for. There is some rabbits that likes to lick more than others and they make more mats .. so grooming regular is very important.

AnnClaire":2b5fazcc said:

Aw, poor thing, is she all grown out now? LOL

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yes! She can still be a bit of a drama queen! She has changed from peeing on me to screaming like the star of a horror flick :roll:<br /><br />__________ Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:50 am __________<br /><br />And, I promise, I'm not hurting her!

Mary Ann's Rabbitry":2b5fazcc said:

any wool type rabbits have to be brushed at least once a week minimal.. or you will run into this problem. Under the arm pits is another spot to watch out for. There is some rabbits that likes to lick more than others and they make more mats .. so grooming regular is very important.

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yeah, I'm learning quick on that one!