Question about my rex

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 6sd replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 5 months ago by Beka27.

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- 10/21/2011 at 9:54 PM
  Stickerbunny
  Participant
  4128 posts
  My mini rex came to us from a neglected home, she was fed an awful diet (Kaytee alfalfa hay, though not free fed and garbage pellet mix from wal-mart with a bunch of junk in it) and housed in a tiny cage with pine shavings as bedding over it all, with no litter box. Since she came to us, I moved her to Oxbow pellets and Oxbow hay. She has unlimited run in a room in the house and outside time every evening to exercise beyond that.
  
  Now, her fur was soft to begin with but since she has been here her fur has gotten about 3x as soft as it was when she got to us. She was about 4 months old when we got her, now she’s 10 months.
  
  Question is, do you think this is due to diet or due to age that her fur is getting softer? Not sure if rex bunnies get softer as they mature or if it was just she wasn’t getting proper nutrition at her old home. But now she’s so soft the boyfriend says he can’t even feel her fur through his calluses lol
  
  Not really an important question, just curious. Never had a rex before.
- 10/22/2011 at 6:47 AM
  bunnyfriend
  Participant
  2368 posts
  I’ve never had a rex before, but I adopted Totoro (about 2 weeks or so ago) and switched him over to an Oxbow diet with vegetables, the markings on his back and around his eyes have gotten significantly darker and wider, and his fur is softer. I was told by the humane society that this would likely happen. I know that if a human eats a better diet with certain vitamins their hair will be healthier haha.
- 10/22/2011 at 7:13 AM
  Elrohwen
  Participant
  7318 posts
  Not sure about the rex thing, though typically baby fur is super soft and gets a little silkier and less soft as they age, so I would guess diet over age. Rex owners might tell a different story though!
- 10/22/2011 at 8:15 AM
  longhairmike
  Participant
  1069 posts
  fubuki was a mini rex, her fur was straight and smooth as a baby, but then it got all curly & wavy when she matured.
  also all the markings that started out as speckled, developed into more defined spots
- 10/22/2011 at 8:46 AM
  Stickerbunny
  Participant
  4128 posts
  Thanks for all the responses
  
  mike, yeah I have noticed her markings are changing too, though not much, mainly the ones by her tail are getting a bit darker. Interesting to know that is normal in a mini-rex.
- 10/22/2011 at 8:59 AM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  Hi,
  My first bunny Spockie was a Mini Rex so I read up on them and then had him for 8 years, so here’s what I remember:
  A Rex (Mini or Regular) has been bred to have the fur always remain with that velvet, baby fur feeling. It’s one of their dominent identifying characteristics, along with head shape and curly whiskers.
  I believe the fur was bred to have the undergrowth layer of fur, which is soft and the first fur of a baby, grow longer and either grow past the regular adult fur layer or just replace it completely. What that means is that as they age, no matter how often they shed, their coat will ALWAYS be the velvet soft texture of baby fur, though not any more vulnerable as a regular adult coat. So it doesn’t need any special care. Your bunny has probably had a bit of a first shed, had newer fur grow in, and is a lovely new softness because of it. The great thing about having a Rex is that it will always feel like velvet. It’s the easiest way to identify if you have the breed, or more likely if you have a mixed breed, if it has a lot of Rex in it.
  
  I LOVE the rex coat. Don’t be surprised if your bunny’s color and markings change slightly as she grows older as well. That can take years.
  Mini Rexes are great pets! Have fun with her.
- 10/23/2011 at 6:27 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  Meadow (at 4 months) had thinner fur, still very soft, but definitely not as “dense” as an adult rex coat. Within the next several months, it got “denser” and “filled out” more.
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