Dirt Stains On White Rabbit

[MissMary]

As I’ve previously posted, I rescued a bunny a few weeks ago who was hopping around on the road. When we first found her we though she was white with brown and grey patches due to the amount of dirt on her! I gave her a quick bath (made sure to dry her thoroughly etc) which got some of the dirt off, and the vet clipped the fur around her bum because it was matted beyond repair. However, her back legs are still brown and dark grey from the road, and she has dirt on her forehead that I can’t brush out. It doesn’t seem to be dirt at all really, just a stain. I gave it a week to try and let her groom it out herself but there has been no difference. I have heard that a flea comb and corn starch can help to remove dirt but as I said, no theres no clumps. She also detests being picked up so I can’t wrap or trance her to clean her behind. The only thing I can think of is to take her to a groomer but I don’t want to stress her out, nor do I know any groomers with rabbit experience lol.
Is there anything I haven’t tried that may work? Will it grow out?
I should add that I prefer to use natural products over chemicals, but I can make an exception if need be..

[JackRabbit]

It will grow out.

[Beka27]

Depending how long she was out and about, the fur is likely stained and not going to be easily cleaned. She’ll continue to groom herself, and eventually the stained fur will shed out and be replaced with new fur.

Rabbits go through 4 sheds per year, two heavy, two light, so within the next 3-6 months her fur should be in much better condition. Continue giving a quality diet and use good absorbent litter to prevent further stains.

Thank you so much for rescuing her, she is a fortunate bunny!

[MissMary]

Thanks! Apparently she got out a few times over the sunmer and was returned to the owner or the owner found her, but when we picked her up and posted ads and posters around nobody claimed her I assume she wasnt cleaned in between escapings either, as she had mats, ear mites, worms, etc. the poor baby. She’s the sweetest thing though
This may sound silly, but how will I know when she’s shedding? Right now if we pet her we end up with fur allllllllllll over us (maybe I’m just noticing it more because it’s white) and some of the mats in various places of her body will fall out sometimes on their own. Could this be a shed? Also would brushing her with a soft bristle cat brush be beneficial?

[JackRabbit]

I really don’t mean to laugh, but I would love for you to go back a year from now and read your question about how you will know she is shedding! A year ago, I may have asked the same question, but boy do I feel initiated now!

While some bunnies follow the 2 heavy and 2 light sheds per year (my Kieko does), others seem to shed all the time like little fur factories (Marlee is one of these). During light shedding, I may get a little fur on my hand while petting Marlee. During a heavier shed, she can literally make a fur cloud during a binky, and I can run my fingers through her fur and get clumps of fur out. She gets combed (using the hairbuster comb from the Binky Bunny store) every evening while she eats her salad too!

Depending on the bunny, some even blow entire parts of their fur all at once. Just in case you bunny is one of those, you should google “bunny molting” and see some of the extreme pictures so you don’t freak out if she does this!

So, how will you know if she’s shedding? Loose fur will come off on everything she touches, her coat may get a rough look to it with little bunches of fur sticking out (its ok to “pluck” these out, as long as they come off without any tugging), and she may have parts of her fur look a little darker until the shed is over. While shedding lightly, try to comb/brush her every other day or so, but during heavy shed, daily is better so that she doesn’t ingest so much of it when she grooms. Always have fresh hay and water available to her 24/7, and especially during heavy shedding, wet her salads to give her a little extra hydration to help ingested fur pass on through.

Welcome to the world of bunny fluff!

[MissMary]

I know it was a silly question lol but I grew up with cats, the only previous rabbits I’ve had came to me terminally ill with only a few weeks left so I’ve never experienced a shed before. Thanks so much for the info though, I guess I’m gonna have to go out and buy a brush!

[JackRabbit]

It’s not a silly question, but being buried in bunny fluff is something we often joke about. You go from “eewe, I have rabbit fur on my pants” to finding it perfectly normal to have to remove a piece of bunny fur from your mouth after taking a sip of your tea! I think I was a little better prepared because I had a black lab for 12.5 years (she passed away on July 25) and she used to shed quite a bit.

[MissMary]

Between my boyfriend and I we have 6 cats total, one being orange and one white, and of course they shed the most out of the lot lol. I’m quite used to being covered in fur But I thought cat hair was bad for sticking to your face and stuff… Bunny fluff is proving to be even worse!

Losing a pet is never easy, my mum and I’s yorkie passed away at 7 a year and a bit ago. I’m sorry for your loss

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