The Dreaded Shed

[LittlePuffyTail]

It’s that time of year again. Both my bunnies are shedding REALLY bad. This is Bindi’s first molting season and I can’t believe the fur coming off that guy!!

I’ve been brushing them everynight lately. Tonight I spend a good 1/2 hour on a very annoyed Bindi.  The last couple of days they have both been having some major “barbell and pearl necklace poops”. Especially Bindi. Stormy had a poop tonight that was one poop about the size of 3 normal poops. Never seen that before.

Just wondering how you all deal with your bunnies molting. What else can I do to reduce fur intake other than groom every day and feed fresh pineapple/dried papaya once a day? I also try to give extra veggies with lots of water on them and as much hay as they want.

I get very concerned when I notice my buns have a lot of “fur intake poops”.  But tonight I was thinking, if they are grooming themselves and ingesting a lot of hair, isn’t it a good thing to see these “barbell” poops? Then at least you know the fur is coming out?

I’m so sick of shedding season! All my 4 cats and my horse are shedding big time too! My house looks like a dog grooming parlor. After grooming Bindi I literally had to rinse hair out of my mouth!!!! Yuck.

Wonder why no one has tried to create a breed of  “skinny rabbits” (a la skinny pig and sphynx cats)? Or do they already exist?

 

 

 

[MimzMum]

Ah me… I feel like I just got past Mimzy’s first molt, now it looks like Pip is going to blow her coat too…. Tell me it’s not some universal thing, please! >.<
I just keep brushing the buns until I don’t get a whole other bunny off in the brush. It can take forever, yes, but I’d rather be covered in cast off fur than thinking that’s getting stuck somewhere in that sensitive digestive tract.
Yes, if the ‘barbells’ or ‘pearl strings’ are showing, the fur IS voiding from the body, but too much of that would have me concerned that there’s a blockage somewhere. We want to avoid that happening.

I not only brush a lot, but I tend to go through quite a few of those ‘pet hair pickup’ rollers during this time. I use the tape to make sure any hair I may not see on the surface of the plastic areas of the habitat doesn’t wind up in my buns’ mouths. Helps keep it from flying away into my mouth as well. (Pet hair glued to your tongue…OH that’s a NASTY feeling!)

Anyone have any ideas on how is best to attack the tummy area during molt/shedding? After all thsi time, my bun STILL won’t let me anywhere near it. Bunny burritos are grand and all that, but I have to unwrap the burrito somewhat to reach the tum and that’s apparently the cue for Mimzy to make a run for it. >_<

[Scarlet_Rose]

Oh wow, yep I just finished a major grooming on my two two weeks ago. I took them outside in the nice weather and groomed the heck out of them. Besides brushing, also remove fur from their surrounding in their cage as well. Yes, it is a good sign to see the pearls that way you know the fur is coming out, however it is also a sign that there is a lot of fur present and it would be a good idea to give extra papaya/pineapple juice as it helps to break up the mucous that binds the fur together (although there are theories that this is not true). I also back brush the fur quite a bit to get all the fur off and I am not just brushing in the direction of the nap. The other thing to think about is fiber, fiber, fiber to keep things moving. Veggies high in fiber like kale help as well and be sure they have plenty of hay and water.

[Gravehearted]

it sounds like you’re doing all the right things – with the frequent brushing, lots of hay, fresh water and papaya. I think those are your best bets, and keeping a careful eye on to make sure they’re still eating.

[Lisa_43]

I would like to know also, all my bunnies are molting.

[Spacehopper]

NO DON’T!!! lol..Brian’s shedding seems never ending. I thought we had reached the end of one last week…this morning however i was so SO wrong!!!….here we go again!!

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