Should shedding be a concern?

[mgrace]

Hi! I adopted my first bunny from the shelter about 2 months ago and the time so far has been delightful. Binkybunny, along with my small animal expert vet have both been amazing sources to make sure that im keeping Manny happy and healthy. However, I have started to question the amount he has been shedding.

I know that bunnies shed about every 3 months and its completely normal, especially with spring coming around, he is bound to shed his winter coat. However, he has been shedding for about 2 weeks now and im just wondering if its normal or something i should get checked out? Since he is a rescue, im not sure on his breed but hes nothing like a lionhead or anything, he has about the coat length of a wild rabbit. The shedding is nothing extreme as in theres no patches of missing fur and i haven’t seen him purposefully pulling fur or anything, but every morning when i clean his cage theres hair all over the place, along with whenever you pet him, your hand gets covered in hair.

Hes acting completely normal, hes eating normally, he has complete free roam of a bunny-proofed room with the exception of at night when hes in his XL dog cage. He is also only about a year and a half, so i dont think his age would play a part. Im probably just being an overly concerned first time owner, but id rather be safe than sorry. Any help or reassurance would be very appreciated!

[Bucephalus]

Some rabbits take longer to shed than others. What you describe sounds like a pretty normal molt to me. Remember to keep him groomed to prevent him from ingesting too much hair which could lead to GI stasis/wool block.

[kurottabun]

The breeder I got my rabbit from told me that some rabbits can take up to a month to finish shedding. Just make sure he is brushed regularly until he fully transitions into the new coat, and clean up all the stray hair lying around in his cage/area so he doesn’t get a chance to ingest those either

[BenjiTheBunny]

everything sounds normal, just make Shure he doesn’t start getting bald spots anywhere. If he does I would take him to the vet because it could be some skin infection. hope I could help

[mgrace]

Thank you everyone! I’m glad to hear that this is a normal thing and nothing to be to worried about. I clean up his cage, along with the fur, every morning along with I brush through him about 4 times a week. Maybe I should think about doing it every day instead. Thank you!

[Wick & Fable]

WIck molted consistently for 4 months straight once. His lines just come and stack on each other because his fur is clingy and doesn’t want to leave him, haha.

The main concern is just ensuring your rabbit is not ingesting too much fur when grooming. However long or frequent shedding is, it’s important to groom at least daily during these periods to prevent fur blockage since rabbits cannot cough up hairballs like cats do.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

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