Blowing his coat?!! Fur EVERYWHERE!!!!!

[Barbie]

Hey everyone,

I had a question about when a bunny “blows his coat”.  I’ve heard this term before, but never really knew what it meant, I just assumed it was extreme shedding.  But Leroys fur is coming out in huge clumps!  When I pet him with a damp hand TONS of fur comes off in my hands.  And when i pick at stray tufts, huge clumps come out and he just sits there and lets me pick at him.  When I’m doing something he doesn’t like, he lets me know by thumping and running away so I’m thinking he’s enjoying having me pick at his fur?  He’s grooming himself a lot more, I guess to try to get some of the fur off.  Anyway when I pick out clumps of fur, I can get a huge ball of it in a matter of a couple minutes.  The fur comes completely out and underneath there’s a very thin layer of new fur (i think some of his spots on his face may have changed… I’m finding white fur where there was grey and vice versa – is that possible of am i going crazy?).  Anyway, when I pluck at his fur (and i try not to, but it’s sooo satisfying, and it helps cut down on all the fur blowing around the house) it’s not like there’s raw skin underneath, so I think what I’m pulling out is actually just dead hair that would have fallen out eventually.  Like I said, it doesn’t hurt him, he even seems to enjoy it, he sits there in a little meatloaf and closes his eyes   Is what’s going on with Leroy known as “blowing his coat” or is this just an extreme shed?  Is it something I should be worried about?  He’s been shedding for about 4 weeks now but in the last week, week and a half its gotten way worse.  We went to the vet (a bunny specialist) a couple days ago for just a routine check up and I mentioned the shedding, but the vet didn’t seem concerned.

Any advice?

I’ll post a picture of his silly looking face later if I can get it to come out.  His fur is all different lengths right now and he’s looking a bit scruffy

[bunnytowne]

Wow thats a blowing coat alright.    with some rabbits they shed in such a was as you can pick the fur off in clumps and see the short hair growing underneath. It is pretty fun to pluck too.  lol…  

Just give me something to pick n pluck I be happy

Sounds like you need a hair buster comb.  

You will need to brush him often too as he is ingesting a lot of hair right now the plucking and brushing will help. 

You could make a whole shirt with their shed sometimes

[bunnycutie]

ummmm two products i would reccomend are the furminator(a life saver during molts) and the pedipaw(buttons loves his)

[Barbie]

Thanks guys. Just wanted to make sure this was normal. I just found a post from someone else going through a heavy shed with their bun

Does anyone know if it’s possible for a rabbits’ spots to change after a shed? I think Leroy’s might be changing a bit but I can’t tell for sure. I should compare him to some other pictures – goodness knows I have enough pictures of him!

[KatnipCrzy]

A bunnies color can change- so it is entirely possible that the new hair coming in looks different.  Usually there are not dramatic changes- but as Cotton sheds I notice her body is getting darker (she is a shaded rabbit).

EDIT:  Not to mention if this is the first maor shed you have had with your bunny- your bunnys coat could also look a little different due to excellent nutrition now.  I got Schroeder last January and his coat was not thick and a bit dull and he did not shed at all.  Now he has grown in a thick, soft, glossy coat that does shed.  I think when you take bunnies from low nutrition standards and switch them to a recommended house bunny diet you see results in their coat- but it can take quite awhile to see the difference.

[RabbitPam]

Yes, they can change their color a bit, add spots, change the shape of current spots – it’s strange to see. Spockie was a lovely gray when I got him, and he gradually got darker. Finally one of my family said “didn’t he used to be gray?”

I advocate the Hair Buster Comb and/or a brush as well. It helps a lot to comb and brush him several times a day until it’s almost over. It should be soon since he’s been shedding 4 weeks and you’re at the major fur loss stage. Not to worry.

The little bits that you can pluck are tempting to pick off. Just be very gentle so you know that it’s already detached instead of pulling them out if you meet with some resistance. It will be ready to pluck off within a very short time anyway. They sometimes have a little black bit at the tip, like a root bulb only tiny. He likes the grooming help, so continue to do it. Also, you can wet your hands and rub them across him to get more fur off.

Be sure he gets lots of water and hay to keep his digestion moving. He will probably pass some poos that are strung together like pearls. That’s fur passing.

[MooBunnay]

Don’t worry, I think we all get a little satisfaction out of the fur plucking!

[Author]

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