Shy french angora rabbit

[SaraAnn]

A few months ago I took my dutch rabbit Silsu to bonding so that he could have a friend. The original bonding when I was at the rabbit shelter did not end up working so the shelter was given the go ahead to try other rabbits I had not met before.  So I now have my dutch and a french angora Macy. So i gave her space so she could adapt to her new home and being handled because the shelter said she is very shy. After a month I notice when I touched her that her fur was matted really badly. So I started to groom her because I was worried about wool block happening for either of my rabbits. But Macy still does not like to be handled and runs and hides in her house when I try to groom her. So my question is how to go forward? I have removed most of the mats from her body with only the back part by her legs remaining. How do i let her adjust but still keep her fur healthy?  

[Jessica]

Hi Sarah

I’m another angora owner, I’ve got a 6 month old satin angora. French angoras can be a little bit more flighty then other angora breeds, but tend to be a mush once they feel secure and comfortable about they are known for that to take a bit. It sounds like her coat is in bad shape, probably from not being plucked when she was blowing coat so the old coat just matted in rather then being removed, and possibly due to diet. Angoras require a higher protein food to keep their coats good and keep them as healthy buns. At this point I would recommend just trimming her down and starting fresh. Don’t stress her out over combing out the matts and tangles. This way you can keep brushing as a positive experience and work on gaining her trust

[SaraAnn]

Yea I gave up on trying to brush her cuz her coat was in such bad shape. I’ve been using bandage scissors to cut under the mats and I only have her hind legs area left. I’m just worried it will return back to before with all the mats cuz  she won’t let me brush her at all

[Jessica]

It’s gonna take time for her to trust you about brushing, she has likely already learned that brushing hurts from the mats. Try using treats when you brush her when she is short and tangle free to see if she will learn to tolerate it. If she won’t tolerate brushing you may just need to keep her trimmed down. The long coats are beautiful, but they can be a lot of work. right now I’d stay focused on building a good bond with her so she can be a happy bun ?

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