Excessive Shedding

[Lucy]

Fujo has been shedding a lot. I mean, a lot. So, we’ll be petting him and little turfs of fur start coming out. Lately it’s been his face. We’ll start to *gently* pull at the fur and it’ll start coming out like crazy. He now has this odd pattern on his face. Most of the white fur on his nose/forehead area has come out- he’s not bald. There’s baby fine fur there now. But it’s odd- there are two lengths of fur.

 I don’t have a picture of it yet, I’m goin to take one once I get home and post it. anyone can think of why? I don’t think he’s stressed… and he enjoys the grooming…

[wendyzski]

Sounds perfectly normal to me.  Most bunnies go through a couple of big sheds a year, and seasonal sheds are triggered not by temperature but by the amount of daylight.  So his little body knows it’s winter and that means TIME TO SHED!

Pepper was in mid-shed when I got her and it was almost a month before I stopped being able to pull huge clumps off her every evening.  I used to hand-feed her veggies to keep her in one place while I plucked the tufts off her, and then if she’d sit still I’d give her a brushing too.  She didn’t like it very much, but I liked the idea of her getting a hairball even less.

BTW – let me know asap abou the holiday schedule – Not that I have huge amounts of holiday plans, but it’d be nice to know pretty soon what days I’m going to be spending an hour or so visiting Fujoe and the fishy.

[Lucy]

so here are some quick pics of fujoe… he’s usally really nice looking.. fur all the same length… it just seems like a lot for his face…
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[Anita Stark]

Looks pretty normal to me, at least it looks just like Sable did when he molted.  For a few days he had a little strip of the longer hair stretching from between his ears and halfway down the length of his nose.  It was very cute, I just wish I took a picture of it. 

Once the tufts came off there was a little spot of baby fine hair that grew in fairly quickly.  Soon he was back to smooth, beautiful self.

 

[dmh426]

It’s normal. My mini rex molts like this about 3 times a year. She’ll have patches where there is shorter, new fur growing in around the “old” longer fur. Looks weird, but it’s normal!

[ea hurse]

i noticed Lollo had a few long tufts on his side, like pig-tails, very cute! he let me groom them away and when they came out i thought i’d done him damage since they were in big clumps!!! (except there was hair underneath too). it didnt bother him in the slightest, in fact he licked me back. At least i know it’s normal now.

[Lucy]

but isn’t this time of year very old for a bunny to be molting?… I mean I’ve seen him shed before, but this is mostly his face, and right on top of his tail..

[Elena Niznik]

I wouldnt worry too much, my bunny Boo is a very short haired polish and she had a full body molt only a few weeks ago. Althought it seemed to happen in stages at first I could pull big clumps out her butt and she developed these weird cartoon eyebrows. She had black tuffs sticking out above her brow bones and she looked angry all the time. But those eventually receeded as her new coat came through and she completed her shed. I didnt notice her losing any fur from the middle of her body though.

Maybe fujoe is shedding in stages if there is such a thing.

[BinkyBunny]

Everyone is right on.   What Fujoe is going through is totally normal.  

Most bunnies go through 4 sheds a year.  Two of which are usually heavier.   Some even look like their hair has just exploded off their body  – Pulling out tuffs, and leaving a very odd uneven coat.   Depending on the weather, some bunnies may go through less molts or  just very light molts.    Where I live, the temperature is pretty even all year long, and so the molts are usually not so heavy, but once a year, they can look a little rough around the edges.

During heavy molts, like what fuejoe is going through, just be sure to brush him once a day (only during this heavy molt, otherwise everyday can be too much)   This helps prevent him from digesting too much hair. 

 

 

[Lucy]

ok. then I’ll let him be. I’ve been grooming him like crazy- he loves it and asks for it. He’ll just sit there, on the floor, looking at me. You know, that bunny stare. Then, when I can’t take it any longer I’ll go over, sit down and his head goes straight to the floor- that whole dominant bunny thing.

His “t-shirt” is coming up now, it seems like fujoe only sheds one color of fur at a time- ha! it just seemd odd because he had a shed just a little while ago.. when it started to get cold.

[poopy]

you could use a sticky lint brush, just roll it right on the fur in direction of growth and it’ll pick up alot and they like it. won’t hurt if you roll on full surface area of brush.

[bugsy]

I know the feeling i was worried about Bugsy and was thinking about going to the vets as his hair is coming out in clumps on his back, but now i am glad i came on here first to see if anyone else had the same problem. i have been grooming him daily but its still coming out thick and fast, so i will have to persevere with the brushing! happy christmas everyone

[Lucy]

I know! It’s crazy. Now his entire body is sheading.. from the sides in. so like his but and flanks are super super super baby soft and then you has this long shiny hair on his back. It’s really odd- I spent over an hour yesterday just grooming him.

Do rabbits get furballs like cats? I mean, I’ve never seen one hacked up by fujoe- but there’s a lot of hair coming out and he’s constantly grooming himself.. do they just digest the hair?

[Anita Stark]

From what I’ve read, rabbits can get hairballs but it’s very dangerous for them because they can’t cough it up like cats do.  That’s why it’s extra important to keep them brushed more than usual while they are shedding because if it accumulates in their tummies it can cause a blockage.  One thing I did with Sable while he was molting was to dampen my hand and give him a good rub down, it very gently pulls the loosest hair off him.

Lots of hay is also important to keep the hair that gets swallowed moving along.  I’ve also read that papaya is a natural aid in this area.

 

 

[wendyzski]

YES – Rabbits can get hairballs and it can be very dangerous as they can’t throw up.  Hairballs can cause blockages and GI stasis.

Best thing to do is daily grooming to try and get as much loose hair off his as possible – any hair you can brush/pluck/rub off is that much less he could eat.  Pepper hated being brushed – Rabbits have tender skin and I imagine that shedding is itchy – but I was able to pluck the loose tufts and get in some brushing while she was eating her daily veggies.

[Cuddles_Momma]

That’s all very helpful! My baby has started shedding like mad and I have had to vacuum around her cage a lot more due to the piles of it around the edges! I’ll try grooming her tomorrow and see if that helps any!

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By fujoethebunny on 12/18/2006 8:28 AM
I know! It’s crazy. Now his entire body is sheading.. from the sides in. so like his but and flanks are super super super baby soft and then you has this long shiny hair on his back. It’s really odd- I spent over an hour yesterday just grooming him.

Do rabbits get furballs like cats? I mean, I’ve never seen one hacked up by fujoe- but there’s a lot of hair coming out and he’s constantly grooming himself.. do they just digest the hair?

During a heavy heavy molt like he’s going though, keeping him groomed daily is not a problem at all.
Especially if he loves it.

Rabbits can digest quite a bit of hair during their molt, but because bunnies do not have the ability to "hack" one up, they must digest it.  That is one of the reason a high fiber diet, eating lots of hay, and drinking enough clean water is important. 

There is sort of myth – a hairball myth they call it, in the rabbit world.  (or at least that is what I have read)  

My understanding is that it is not digested hair  that causes gi stasis, (a slow down or stop of the digestive system) but the real culprit of a mass with hair would be a diet that is not up to par –  BECAUSE the gut slows down because it doesn’t have the appropriate diet that forces the hair to move along.

Especially during this time, high fiber and staying hydrated is important in keeping the gut moving.   So IF you or anyone who has a bunny, gives treats that are high in carbs, then cut back on those while he’s molting, add more high fiber greens (like Parsley), and to be sure that he’s staying hydrated, just make sure the greens are not wilted and even give them to your bunny wet. 

 

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