Molting or heavy shedding can occur somewhat sporadically in rabbits, but the norm is once every 3 months. I’m not entirely sure what the scientific or bioligical reasons for this are, as it doesn’t really correlate with the seasons, but one thing is for sure – it happens!

That flea comb you have is good, but consider getting the HairBuster, which has additional rubber grips on the teeth. That brush is sold here at the BB store. The soft brush is good, too.

Plucking the loose fur is definitely the most effective way to remove large quantities of loose fur. You will see the fur that is about to fall off, and you should be able to pinch and remove with basically no effort at all. Don’t pull hard!!

If your bun isn’t too cooperative, try offering some of her favorite foods – pellets or greens! This doesn’t work for all rabbits, but the distraction can be enough for some. Then you can groom and pluck to your heart’s desire.

If that doesn’t work, though, you may just need to be sneaky and do it when she isn’t looking. She will likely run away from you, but keep at it for a couple minutes a day, and go for the biggest, loosest fur. You can also dampen your hands and run them across her body to remove very loose fur. The importance of this is just as guessed, so that they don’t consume too much fur, which could result in a blockage. Papaya enzyme tablets once a day or every other day can also help break down ingested fur. It’s not as strong as some people will say it is, but it does help the acids in the stomach!

What I use is the Zoom Groom by Kong. It’s made for cats and ten bucks but in my opinion, well worth it. They make another version for dogs and basically what it is is a rubber curry comb so you could use ones made for horses also. If you do get it, make sure it’s a rubber curry comb not metal Bun Bun doesn’t mind being held so I hold him while I groom him. While that gets a bunch of his fur on my clothes it’s the most efficient way for me but it might not be for you. Bunnies will also groom themselves no matter what so that means they will ingest some fur but a little amount of ingested fur is okay. Just make sure you provide lots of fresh hay for them

If you can groom the under side of your bunny then you win the prize and we will all bow to you!

We groom the lops during salad time every evening, and offer a little oat hay tops if we need more time. Kieko gets groomed during lap time. As long as the lops have food on front of them and someone is petting Kieko’s head, we can do almost anything to them (except undersides and nail trims — both of those are off limits!).

Shedding/molting . . . Marlee sheds constantly and molts two or three times a year. She produces enough fur for me to make at least two more bunnies. Moshi sheds very lightly all the time and also molts two or three times a year. Kieko just seems to molt twice a year. All three get molt lines, and their faces look so strange during molts. The pattern on Moshi’s face makes him look like a Shar Pei right now, and Marlee once again looks like she has a bad toupee on her back. All three get a little grumpy during molts.

The hairbuster comb on the BB store site really is great. The rubber piece helps catch the fur and hold it on the comb so it doesn’t fly around.
Molts do tend to run with preparation for the next season, with Spring molt being the heaviest. You can’t really get it all in one sitting though — as new fur is growing in at various spots and not necessarily at one time. Some bunnies will blow their coats quickly and literally have bald patches (try googling molting rabbits and you’ll see how scary some of them look!). Others do it more slowly. With Marlee’s first molt, she had a few small bald spots between her neck and shoulders. I just knew it was mites (ugh!). By the next morning, I could see new fur coming in (with a magnifying glass!). Took her to the vet who confirmed normal molt, no mites. I felt silly but relieved!