Is it normal for rabbits to shed

Some rabbits molt slowly, which can be slightly frustrating for pet owners. As Zooh Corner explains, protein is pivotal to rabbits. If you are ready to give your bunny more protein, consider the use of black oil sunflower seeds. Leave the shells on, as your rabbit will enjoy chewing through them. If you offer your rabbit sunflower seeds, add an extra half-hour of exercise to their regime. This will prevent them from gaining excessive weight.

Sometimes, a rabbit fails to shed their old fur before a new hair starts to grow. This is referred to as being stuck in the molt. Rabbits are prone to becoming stuck in the molt around the legs, on their belly, and above their tail.

If a rabbit is stuck in the molt, they may shed continuously in the impacted areas. If your pet is stuck in the molt, speed up the process of blowing their coat. As discussed, additional protein is the simplest way to achieve this.

You should groom your rabbit every day anyway. There are certain parts of their body that bunnies struggle to groom themselves. This will capture stubborn fur that refuses to fall out. This, in turn, minimizes the risk of a bunny getting stuck in the molt.

If you have a shorthaired rabbit, you may get away with every two or three days. All the same, daily grooming remains advisable.

Break the grooming into several, short bursts. Use a wide-toothed comb or bristle brush for the grooming, avoiding metal teeth. The Rabbit Haven offers more information on rabbit grooming. Many bunnies become uncharacteristically grumpy while they undertake a heavy shed.

Your rabbit is just uncomfortable. Their fur is falling out, and re-growing. Grooming your bunny will help with it. It removes annoying patches of fur, and eases the irritation. Be patient with your rabbit while they molt. Again, this is a passing behavioral trend. Think of shedding season as a rabbit undergoing an annual teenage phase.

Your bunny will be back to their usual jolly selves when their molt is complete. Unfortunately, this is common behavior during shedding season. Your first task will be to assess why your rabbit is eating its fur. This must be addressed immediately.

Alternatively, your rabbit may just be frustrated by the molting process. Finally, your rabbit may be nesting with their fur. This involves picking it up with their mouth, and piling it up in their bed.

This is common among pregnant females. Spaying will prevent pregnancy, and the illusion of false pregnancies. These, in turn, will prevent your bunny from digesting their food. Constipation will follow, which can quickly be fatal to rabbits.

To prevent your rabbit from eating their fur, provide a stimulating environment with plenty of entertainment, toys, exercise, and company. This will prevent stress and boredom. While your bunny is shedding, also be sure to brush them regularly. The more loose fur you remove from your rabbit, the less there will be to swallow. Despite this, you can take steps to guarantee a healthy and appropriate shedding pattern.

Steps to follow that will set your mind at rest include:. Remember, a rabbit must shed their fur during the spring. This shed is essential to maintain their body temperature. Excessive shedding is just as dangerous though, and must be managed. A rabbit is going to molt; there is no way around this. How much, and when, will vary though. If they are losing sizeable amounts of hair throughout the year, they need help. This is not ordinary bunny biology. Observe molting patterns in your pet as the seasons change, and react accordingly.

If everything is normal, clean up after your rabbit and make them as comfortable as possible. Your email address will not be published. Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. Contents hide. All rabbits molt their hair two to four times a year.

There are no breeds of rabbits that do not shed hair, though some people believe that Angora rabbits shed the least. Personally, I think that angoras shed less because they are normally kept as fiber producers for wool and yarn , and because of that their hair is usually routinely combed.

Rabbits shed to ensure that they have healthy coats of fur for the upcoming season. For example, they need shorter and less dense fur in the summer and warmer coats in the winter. Rabbits do not shed their coats year-round. Instead, rabbits shed two to four times a year. These periodic sheddings are referred to as molting and each one will last a couple of weeks. If you brush them daily during those molting times, the shedding will be much less noticeable and bothersome.

This takes place at roughly 18 to 24 weeks of age. At the end of this teenage molting, know has an adult coat and will molt two to four times a year. After that teenage molt, your rabbit will molt roughly once a quarter about every three months.

Rabbits shed most in the spring, which is when the heaviest molt happens at the end of winter. This makes sense because your bunny is going to be getting rid of her heavy winter coat in preparation for the warmer days to come.

In years gone by, hair balls used to be diagnosed as a cause of gastro-intestinal stasis gut slowing, commonly known as GI stasis. Therefore hair balls are a secondary problem and not usually a cause of GI stasis. Get into the habit of checking droppings daily.

Droppings that are small and dry, or becoming hard with less being produced should ring alarm bells and you should take your rabbit to see a vet as soon as possible to try and prevent a bout of GI stasis.

Droppings strung together on strands of hair show that the rabbit is passing the hair through the GI tract and as long as they are eating well and passing large droppings in large quantities then this is perfectly fine to monitor. However, if your rabbit is subdued or unwell in any way then he may be developing GI stasis which needs urgent veterinary attention. This usually happens on the flanks, just above the tail, and on the belly.

Use a cat moulting comb to remove the dead loose hair. House rabbits living in centrally heated homes often moult incessantly, especially heavy coated breeds. This is an annoying side effect of keeping pets indoors heavy-coated dogs living indoors do the same and there is nothing you can do except groom your bunnies and vacuum your home daily!

Cheyletiella parasitovorax is probably the most common mite in rabbits, and often just referred to as the rabbit fur mite. Many rabbits carry the mite with no clinical signs. Problems and infestations occur when the rabbit is unable to keep the mites numbers under control, which can be for a variety of reasons.

The hallmark of Cheyletiella infection is areas of dense, flaky, encrusted skin particularly on the back, either above the tail, in the nape of the neck or down the spine, although occasionally it can become much more extensive.

The sources of Cheyletiella infection are often debated but the common consensus is that most rabbits have low grade infestations that are not detectable until either something triggers the mite population to flare up from time to time, or the rabbit can no longer keep the mite population in check by effective grooming.

Cheyletiella mites can travel on hay, and can potentially act as a Myxomatosis vector. Cheyletiella infestations can be treated with a course of ivermectin injections given at 7 to 10 day intervals and repeated for 3 -5 weeks depending upon the severity.

Spot On topical vermectin or selamectin treatments are also available.