Gradual change of fur color

[Arson]

I have recently come to notice a change in one of my rabbit’s coat. As you can see in this gallery of images I have taken, there seems to be patches of fur that seems out of the ordinary in color. I have personally checked for any signs of wounds or bugs but I have found none. She has a beautiful coat of fur, only those patches concern me.

http://img838.imageshack.us/gal.php

I see no traces of ticks or fleas or bugs of any kind in her fur and there is no wound of any kind on her. It’s just a little odd.

[Beka27]

She might just be getting darker as new fur comes in? I don’t know. I have seen gradual colors changes in bunnies before, but that looks more extreme.

[Arson]

Posted By Beka27 on 08/24/2010 08:07 AM
She might just be getting darker as new fur comes in? I don’t know. I have seen gradual colors changes in bunnies before, but that looks more extreme.

 

I am pretty concerned now.

[Sarita]

That looks like my rabbit when he sheds. I think the variations of colors in these agouti coats just makes it look more dramatic and scary.

[Beka27]

Sorry :o( I’m really not trying to worry you, I just don’t have an answer. Maybe someone else will know?

[Sarita]

Also as far as mites you won’t be able to detect these things with your naked eye. The vet would have to scrape and look under a microscope. But it does look like shedding to me.

[Deleted User]

From the photos it appears like a regular molt. Some coat colors are such that each hair has a band of color different from the color of the tips. In agouti rabbits this band can be drastically different than the overall brown appearance of the coat. As the hairs are molted off, the fine new hairs are starting to push through and it can look off in color until all fur has grown back in.

[Beka27]

Oh good! I’m glad you guys think it’s normal! I’ve never seen a molt like that before, but I’ve also never had an agouti bunny.

[Arson]

Oh thank god. X_X I was pretty worried about it. Although i have had them both for half a year now, i still am pretty new at the whole rabbit change deal. What should i do or is there anything I can do to help it along? Brush her? If so, What kind of brush would be appropriate? Recently, she seems to run off when i get close to her to give her a petting. She may still be mad at me because of the spay. Summer is almost over so the change of season could be reason enough as to the shed.

She has successfully returned to normal with her routine of daily life. Eating hay and pellets and veggies and drinking from her bottle of water. She’s calmed down significantly since her spay and she no longer gives off a rather noticeable strong odor. Seems her hormones have calmed down. She gets daily grooming from Chip (My male rabbit) when she gets near his pen and I have noticed no negative reactions from the spay.

It does get a little unusual sometimes to see her belly exposed without fur but what do you expect from a spay? In any case, i am glad that her coat change is normal.

[Arson]

On a non related note, a couple of days ago I changed both rabbit’s litter from “Paper Pellet” type litter to the brand “Feline Pine Original.” which has made a significant improvement with keeping away the smell of ammonia and general odor smell from their box.

[Deleted User]

Less smell is great.
If you got your rabbits as young baby bunny kits it makes sense that you have not seen a major molt. Usually around 6 months they go through a big coat change. Brushing will help minimize the amount of fur the rabbits ingest during grooming so brush them lots.

[Arson]

Posted By Petzy on 08/24/2010 01:21 PM
Less smell is great.
If you got your rabbits as young baby bunny kits it makes sense that you have not seen a major molt. Usually around 6 months they go through a big coat change. Brushing will help minimize the amount of fur the rabbits ingest during grooming so brush them lots.

 

Indeed, I did get them as young buns. I shall be prepared for the molt when Chip gets around the age. :]

[BinkyBunny]

I just had to chime in to say that it also looks normal to me. Bunnies that have fur that is darker closer to the skin will really look goofy when they molt. Vivian has reddish fur toward the tips of each strand, but dark brown deeper and then whitish right at the skin, so her molt can make her look a mess. With white tuffs falling out, and dark brown/grey fur where it’s growing in and the red that has yet to molt or has already grown fully in.

I think the best comb for molting is the hairbuster. IAnd I promise you, I’m not saying that because we sell it in our store, it is a great comb for bunny fur and it’s my personal all time favorite (and I have been through pretty much every comb and brush you can think of) 

[MirBear]

its normall i promis, mine change about once a season if not more, and look like that, mine are sable coloured so their coats get darker and darker. when i get home i’ll post some pics of her. she doesn’t just do it when she sheds, her fur actually changes colour. so brushing may not help. if you see loose fur all over the place, then shes shedding, but if theres no loose  fur just sit back and watch the change, sometimes it can take anywhere from 2 weeks up to 3 months for hershey to change colour, then she’ll stay that colour for a month and start changing again, it normally starts in small patches on her back and grows, 2 weeks ago she looked identical to that picture but a darker colour.

[LucyTwoBunz]

I just searched for a thread about molting/shedding ’cause my bunz are in the process BIG TIME!  I knew someone had to be asking questions & didn’t want to start up a new topic that may already exist.  Well, Lainey is just a shedding mess & Gulliver’s fur is changing daily…tonight the light colors (almost white) were more prominent than the usual gray and brown tones.  My question is…HOW MUCH LONGER?  The white fighty fur of Lainey’s is EVERYWHERE.  We are constantly vacuuming because sweeping just makes her fur take flight & if it builds up, it starts laying against the edges of everything.  Gulliver just looks pathetic.  His fur is as soft as ever and not a single tangle, just different hair levels and color changes daily right now.  Our weather has been very mild for our area this summer but we just had 3 HOT days in a row & now the shedding/molting is extreme.  They have to be miserable and itchy?! 

[MirBear]

is gulliver shedding too? or is his fur just changing?

[MirBear]

Heres a pic of hershey when we got her:

she’s a silvery-brown  (i missed about a year of pictures between this one and the next two..)

then a pic of her changing…:

it starts off as a small patch then grows.

and a more recent pic:

soon she’ll be all that colour.

[bunnymum16]

my bunny is molting too.although he’s pure white,i can see lines and circles all over his back.it looks funny.i just pet him with damp hands and lint roll his whole condo to help him through it.

[LucyTwoBunz]

MirBear:  It appears he is both shedding and changing color.  He has a whitish base but the tips have been mostly gray with a tinge of brownish in places…but now the lighter colors are more obvious and his fur looks all wrinkled!  The shedding JUST started where Lainey is on week 6 or so and is shedding more every day.  BOY did Hershey change color COMPLETELY!  It will be interesting to see how Gulliver’s color shapes up.  Just took pictures this weekend so I’ll have to post a year-to-year shot.  I probably have monthly pics…a bit obsessed with my bunz !!!

[MirBear]

lol!i need to take monthly pics or it doesnt look like the same bunny.. :p
twix’s fur changes too but hers just gets darker no patches or anything..

a pic the previous owner took when she got her:

when i got her:

and a recent pic (not much change.. but she’s darker than it shows in the pics  due to flash & sun)

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