Wednesday, January 2, 2008

GOLDIE'S BAD HAIR .....


Oh boy, here is a back view of our Goldie. In just about 3 weeks her fur grew from a splendid mop of soft fuzzy delight into a tangled, matted, felted mess. It comes out in blobs and leaves her skin bare in the back, as you can see. Despite regular brushing and grooming with a comb and a stiff, short brush, it happens.

Even at her best, when we groom her, great big hunks come out and we get a loose pile as big as she is! In this picture I am about to take scissors and cut off an inch or so all around the edge, where the matting is the worst. I will just keep trimming away, a little every other day or so, until all the tangled and felted fur is gone. We'll gently brush and comb as the new comes in and see what happens.

It does not seem to bother her temperament, Goldie can purr like a steam engine!
Anybody else have a similar problem/got ideas/suggestions??? I mean ... what will the guys think?

8 comments:

L.Bo Marie said...

ooooh :( my Giant- who has fairly short hair- gets little felted chunks too! (and bald spots) even with brushing... I was watching him on the couch today with his "life partner" the mini rex... the little guy is to blame- he sits and twirls the Giant's fur with his nose and tounge!

Christine said...

Ooo, Goldie, you wook siwwey!!
Gosh, I wish I could help with this, but all I can think of as a novice rabbit mistress is could she simply be molting?
Glad you liked yesterday's photo! We'd love to see some more of your own artistic endeavors.

d. moll, l.ac. said...

Well, you certainly wouldn't want to have re-name Goldie to Baldie, she would disapprove. What kind of groom tools are you using? I saw a brush that looked a little like a horses curry comb, it was rubber and had more nubs than teeth, I wonder if that would help keep matts down and fur in. I have found that the slicker brushes take out undercoat if used a lot.....Tricky problem but at least she is loving all the lap time!

Anonymous said...

Goldie, Goldie, Goldie!

Wheet! Wheet!




The bunny girl :o

Lisa said...

Oh poor Goldie. Wish I could help out but my rabbits have really short fur and I've never had that problem, thankfully. Try rabbitsonline.net - many members are really knowledgeable and helpful.

Deb Cushman said...

No advice (hasn't happened to us yet), but I'm sure Goldie will be beautiful even if she is bald!

Anonymous said...

Could she have mites? They can be very small to the eye. A shot by the vet with Ivermectin will cure it.

Crafty Green Poet said...

poor Goldie, our Anya had lots of fur and it tangled a fair bit but never that bad so i don't think there's any advice i can give. I hope it all sorts itself out