Wednesday, January 20, 2010

How could I help my rabbit during molting?

He is molting something fierce. I have been pulling out big clumps of fur but it seems like it makes the flying fur worse. I have been thinking about putting him outside during the day to cut down on the fur in the house (he has a rabbit run) but it's cooler outside than inside. Will this mess up his molting or will he get too cold?How could I help my rabbit during molting?
Rabbits shed every three months. Every alternate time they'll have a light shedding that may not be very noticeable. Next they'll have a heavy molt that you will not be able to escape.





Rabbits will shed in different ways. Some will take a couple of weeks or more to lose their old coat of hair. Other rabbits will be ready to get rid of their old coats all in one day and these are the rabbits who cannot be neglected once they start shedding.





You can often remove a large portion of the hair by just pulling it out with your hand. Another good way to remove hair without is to lightly dampen your hands and then rub the rabbit. Or use a spray bottle to spritz the rabbit with a fine mist of water, then massage the fur coat with your hands. Loose hair comes out, sticks to damp hand, and you can roll it off!





However you remove it, remove it as soon as possible or your rabbit will do it during grooming. Bald spots are quite common. They should start to grow back within a week or two.





Rabbits need to be brushed at least weekly. In addition to removing any loose hair, this weekly brushing session helps prepare them for the multiple daily brushing that they must undergo when their heavy shedding begins.





Rabbits are fastidious groomers. They insist on being clean and tidy and will lick themselves like cats. And like cats, they can get hairballs if they ingest too much hair. Unlike cats however, rabbits cannot vomit. If hairballs are allowed to form, they can become gigantic masses of tangled hair and food and will block the stomach exit, causing the rabbit to starve to death while his stomach appears to be very fat.How could I help my rabbit during molting?
juniors molt out their baby fur. That's just one of the normal molts that will go on during the lifecycle of a rabbit. Ideally, your rabbit will go into a really big, clean molt once a year and then keep a nice coat for a number of months. It seems that it rarely happens that way, but it could! As your rabbit ages, you may find that it takes longer to molt and that the good fur stays for shorter periods of time.





I like to see a deep molt on a rabbit whose fur is past its prime. Generally, you will see dark fur around the muzzle and maybe around the eyes that spreads backwards over the head and down the middle of the back. The flanks will be the last to go. During this time, it will be easy to brush away dead fur and perhaps even pluck a few of the last remaining dead hairs to help your bunny get ready for a show.





Sometimes, though, you will find your bunny sitting in a white cloud of molting fur. There can be so much fur, in fact, that it looks like a doe has been trying to turn the entire cage into a nest. With this sort of molt, remove the excess fur daily and brush your bunny to remove as much dead fur as possible.





Your rabbit may go through light molts throughout the year. During these light molts, you may be able to brush away the dead hair and continue to show your animal with success. During a heavy molt, it is best to keep your bunny at home.





hope that helps!!!
Why would he be shedding when it's getting cooler at this time of year? Does he have a skin condition? I would think that he should be growing his winter coat now, not losing fur. Do they normally lose their old coat when the winter coat grows in?


If he's uncomfortable or the fur is flying all over the place, why don't you take him outside and brush him? That should get rid of a lot of the extra fur.


Unless it's extremely cold where you are I don't think that being outside during the day would hurt him. It might help regulate his system too so he would stop his shedding.


If he doesn't get better take him to a vet because he might have something wrong with his skin.
Yeah, putting him outside would definately help with the fur in the house. Just keep doing what you're doing, pull out those clumps, and do plenty of brushing.
So long as its not a huge temp drop, he will be fine outside during the day etc in his run. You can give him papaya tablets to make sure if he swallows to much fur it will go out the other end properly. If he isn't drinking, eating, or pooing, you need to take him to a vet as fur loss can also indicate illness. Other then that, brush him often, give him some papaya, and wait out the furry storm :)
spry sum water on him and brush himm until dry
I wouldn't bring him outside because he would face several dangers like predators (local dogs and mean neighbors) and flystrike. You should get get a bag and a hair brush and start grooming. You should also feed him some Oxbow papaya tablets since a hairball in a rabbit can cause death. The tablets will help break down the hair.
I don't havea rabbit, but the only thing that pooped into my head to do was brush him. It should get the dead hairs out aand leave room for the healthy ones. Do you bathe him/her? Maybe the shampoo is affecting him/her. ASk your vet if the problem persists
Don't know where you're from but i'm coming to live with you... It's 112 degrees here right now... he should be fine outside... rabbits preffer cool weather anyways... just brush him every day and get all that hair off of him and he should stopp all the shedding in a few days to about a week...

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