Rabbit loosing hair

[anonymousmoose]

Hi all, my first ever post. Well I never thought I’d sign up on a rabbit from . I’m a regular 30 year old into cars and collecting watches but never ever thought rabbits.

Well my wife bought a rabbit just over a year ago. Poor bunny has been sick twice and after spending a large amount on vet fees he is back ok.

I have a quick questions about lop ear house rabbit shedding. Over the last few days I have noticed that bunny just keeps shedding. 

I took him outside for a nice brush but after 45 minutes, there was still hair coming out. Its like when I grab a spot I can gently pull out the bunnies hair for a long long time. 

Then after about 1 hour when I’ve had enough, I’ll let him run around the living room and then I gotta vacuum again.

If I leave him for more then a few hours in his cage I gotta let him out to vacuum his cage so he doesn’t eat the hair.

Is this normal for a rabbit? I have a booking with the vet in 6 days time for a routine vaccination and I prefer to go earlier as our vet is quite far away. 

I’m new to all this. The bunny is starting to grow on me

[RabbitPam]

Welcome!
No worries – it is quite normal. It’s good that you’re seeing the vet where you can discuss your concern in case there’s something else going on, but basically it sounds like he’s “blowing his coat”. Bunnies actually shed appx. 4 times a year – two big sheds (this is one) and two lighter sheds. The fur can start coming out in clumps, though be gentle and not pull the clumps hard since they will come off when they are ready. It can last a month or so, so you may be in for more vacuuming for a few weeks.

There are several ways to help, and the vacuuming to keep him from ingesting fur is great.
Make sure he has plenty of hay daily which will keep his gut moving and prevent any ingested fur from creating blockages in his digestive tract.
Get a comb or brush to help him groom himself. I use a Hair Buster comb, which is just better in its construction for getting the fur off well. You can also use a little cat brush or the gloves found in pet stores where you wipe down your bunny while wearing them. It’s actually easy to just wet your hands and wipe your bunny – the fur will stick to you. Many people like a devise called a Furminator, but it has to be used with great caution since it can be overused quickly and irritate his skin. I prefer the cheap and simple.

[jerseygirl]

Welcome to the forums!
It does sound like a big shed or “blowing the coat”. Sometimes it really varies. Last year many reported more shedding (not just in rabbits). So I do think seasonal changes can affect them a bit.
Does he have a fairly dense coat? My own lop does and he seems to lightly shed all the time, yet my Doe has different fur and she doesn’t lose so much.

Even some foods like seeds can actually trigger molting too.

Is your rabbit on any meds from being sick? Just wondering if you don’t think it’s a normal shed, that maybe his health issues could be contributing. Is he behaving normally otherwise? Ditto Rabbitpam ^ – it’s good you are seeing the vet soon as you can run any concerns past them.

[anonymousmoose]

Thanks for the replies. Bunny has been off the meds for a few weeks. So I doubt they are related.

I am conerend about him digesting the fur which I know is not good. Every time I clean his cage, a few minutes later the fur is back on his food. His idet is some soft of fiber grass (like hay), pellets, chinese cabbage (vet recommened) & carrots.

Any tips to stop poor bunny getting sick from the fur?

[Sarita]

The best thing is unlimited grass hay and make sure he has fresh water. Also activity. And brushing.

[skibunny8503]

Buy some Papaya Tablets (found at any vitamin/nutritional store or this site). I give one to my rabbits once a day or ever other day. It helps with digestion. Make sure not to give too many carrots as they are actually considered a treat.

[jerseygirl]

It’s normal for them to ingest some fur. There systems are built to cope with that – provide they have a high fibre diet. That is Key. If you find he does not eat enough hay, reduce the amount of pellets and carrrots he gets. He’ll become hungry enough to then go for the hay. It is good to reduce hair about especially during shedding, so continue with that but his diet is crucial helping hair move through the gut.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Welcome!! Sounds like your pretty well answered already-just want to ditto -lots and lots of hay (use a hay rack or similar item to keep it off the ground so hair won’t get in it as much) and I’d also say more veggies-just cabbage and carrots aren’t a lot Here’s our link-very good stuff https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Diet/tabid/60/Default.aspx

And eating some hair-is normal

[bunnytowne]

This past year it seems I been lucky and haven’t noticed such huge blowing coat issues.  Could be using the hair buster comb made a huge difference too.

With Ruby after I would brush and comb her I would hold her and pet her for a bit.  I ended up with her hair all over my shirt.  So I guess she did blow her coat after all.   I would pet her and hair would fly.  However when I use the hair buster comb the hair doesn’t fly all over the place like with other brushes and stuff. 

So I guess she did blow her coat after all. 

Also she got her hair all over my nose and eyes.  I start pulling at my nose to get the hair off.  I ended up pulling 1 of her long hairs quite literally out of my nose.   Eeeek.  How did that end up in there. lol

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