Long hair rabbit owners, what do you do with all that hair?

[LBJ10]

I’ll admit I didn’t think this through when I decided to take Wooly when he was a baby. I knew he had long hair, but it was so silky and soft. I didn’t have a problem with brushing it when he was a baby. But then his adult coat came in and holy cow! It is wirey and almost impossible to brush through. I try to brush it a few times a week, but it is really only what Wooly will tolerate. He really doesn’t like being brushed, I have found that the slicker brush is the least tramatic but it still tugs and pulls. I guess his hairs start sticking together after he and Leopold groom his fur. I will have it all brushed out and then the next day it will seem like it’s getting tangled again. I just don’t know what to do and I was wondering what other people do with their long haired rabbits. I posted in another thread about two mats he had forming, one on each shoulder. Well, the poor thing now has two bald spots. He was such a good boy and sat still while I snipped them off. Unfortunately, I couldn’t snip them off without the spots being noticable.  

So what is the best way to maintain things long term so he doesn’t get mats?

I found a pair of thinning shears that were meant for the dog. Would it be okay to thin out his coat or would that totally mess up his hair and make it not grow it right? I tried it a little bit on his rear and he didn’t seem to mind. If I did it for real, I would have to have him on a table because it would make a mess. Basically, I would have to use it all over and then use the brush to gather the loose hairs.

[jerseygirl]

Well I don’t have a jersey wooly, just a Jersey…but I do remember this thread from a while ago. It had some good info you might find helpful.
https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/109432/Default.aspx

[LBJ10]

I read through the thread, it doesn’t seem like anyone is doing anything much different than I am. I didn’t see any mention of thinning shears. No one has any experience using one of those the thin the hair? I just don’t want his hair to grow back even more wirey than it is now! LOL! Oh one more thing, he absolutely refuses to let me brush his tummy. Is brushing down there as important as brushing the rest of him?

[Monkeybun]

Definitely. Mats can form under the legs, and can get quite uncomfortable. You’ll both just have to endure the brushing needed. It’s part of being owned by a long haired bun

[LBJ10]

Yeah, well try telling him that. He was boxing me and biting the brush this last time. He was so angry at me and wouldn’t hold still. I knew it was time to stop, but it didn’t seem like I had made much progress.

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