Grooming an american fuzzy lop rabbit?

I had a rabbit like this. He was a fuzzy holland lop. He HATED being groomed and by hated being groomed I mean it was a war if he even noticed I had a brush in my hand. When I got him he was matted to the point his back legs did not move. I tried clipping, brushing, shaving etc. But I was not able to deal with the mats around his belly and back end.

So I took him to the vet and he was shaved. Now I thought they were just going to shave the mats out. But I failed to specify that and I ended up with a naked rabbit with a giant fuzzy head... It was something to see to say the least and they put a sweater on him...

But it did help immensely. Even though he bit and scratched and growled I was able to brush him out daily after his mats were gone. He did eventually learn the brush didn't hurt and it meant treats and nose scratches.

Fuzzy Lop Rabbit

probably best to sedate the rabbit, with some diphenhydramine

The previous answer gave you a lot of good information.

Now I highly suggest taking your rabbit to a vet if you can't get the mats out from under his chin and between his legs. If these are left there, they could pull and irritate the skin.

Also please look into the reason behind the mats. If your grooming him like you should, he shouldn't have mats anywhere. The mats under his chin could be from the scent glands. Which the only way to get rid of those would be to get him fixed. It's a very good idea to get that done as soon as possible.

Surely as a responsible rabbit owner you have a rabbit savy vet lined up, right? Book an appointment there immediately for a wellness checkup, and a neuter.

He needs attention when he is not being groomed. Some animals learn to associate attention only for something bad, such as a horse only having a human approach it only when it is to be ridden and rarely for the calm, casual "downtime". If you are only handling your rabbit when it is being groomed and not just petting it other times, it will come to associate you with a comb in your hand but no friendliness. Try having about 20 minutes a day where you just handle it and hang out with it with no combs or anything, then after a few days bring the comb around again. BUT when you are finished combing, have some casual "downtime" where you put the comb away but still hang around rabbit and chill. It will show animal that you are not just the hand with a comb but also a friend without a comb. Good luck.