If your rabbit suddenly loses fur, there is no reason to be alarmed. Don't worry, it's totally normal! The easiest explanation is that your bunny is shedding. It's just time to change some old hairs to suit the time of year you're in.
In this article on our site, we will explain to you what it is and how is shedding in rabbits, what to do at this time and why it's important to brush them often.
What is shedding in rabbits?
Like other pets, rabbits change their fur to regulate their body temperature and thus adapt to seasonal changes. They usually do it at least twice a year and in some animals the shedding goes almost unnoticed, while in others the rabbit suddenly loses a lot of hair, appearing bald and leaving small clouds of fur where they sit or lie down.
The most visible moult is that of spring, when temperatures rise, because it loses the hair of the first layer that no longer needs to. The rabbit changes its thick, heavy winter coat for a lighter summer coat. If it gets cold again in the fall, it changes back. Now the light skin of summer is exchanged for the warm fur of winter. However, the molt does not take place “just like clockwork”, but it can go little by little and in phasesThat depends a lot on the climate and the region. In some places in October it is already colder and the bunny needs to be warmer, and in other regions the weather is still more of “golden autumn”. In any case, the rabbit's guardian should help him with the brush. If you want to know why the rabbit should be brushed during the molt, keep reading the following tips.
How long does shedding last in rabbits?
The duration of the shedding in rabbits depends on each one and especially on its breed. Sometimes they need a few days and sometimes weeks to finish changing the hair. In theory, they lose their hair progressively but some change it to patches and sometimes bald spots form. Don't worry, if your rabbit has bald patches during the molt, it's totally normal! Look at the bald spot and see if the skin is he althy. If there are no injuries, there is no reason to worry.
If you don't know if your bunny has already started shedding, we recommend that you look to see if she sheds hair (or more than usual) when you pet her, if there are hairballs on the floor and, above all, everything, in their poo. And it is that especially during the shedding of the rabbit's fur it often happens that its balls of feces come together and look like a string of pearls It's dueto the hair you swallowed while you were washing yourself. If the appearance of your rabbit's poop has not changed and the space between the balls is even, it is a good indication that your rabbit is he althy and its digestion is working well. But why is your bunny's digestion important during the molting season? We explain it to you in the next section.
Risks of Shedding in Rabbits
Shedding is a time that is not entirely without problems. In this phase, rabbits ingest more hair when cleaning themselves, which can lead to a problem in the intestinal tract Ingested fur can lead to hairballs that can quickly cause life-threatening bowel obstruction. But there are several ways to help our friend and avoid it.
Tips to avoid hairballs in rabbits
To avoid hairballs, preventive measures should be taken, especially during shedding, such as the following:
- Brush the rabbit: It is essential that you brush your rabbit regularly to remove loose hair. In addition to ingesting less hair, the rabbit will lose less fur everywhere. If several rabbits live together, they also help each other with grooming and cleaning, an act that we should not interrupt. To brush your friend, the brush is better than the comb, since the teeth of the comb get tangled and can hurt him. The hair brush is only suitable for superficial combing because it does not penetrate to the inner layer. With this, the rabbit gets used to daily brushing to remove loose hair. The flexible metal bristle brush is perfect for styling top and bottom hair. With the right pressure, we can help our rabbit with shedding.
- Provide hay: so that the hair swallowed during shedding causes less problems, we can help them with fresh food. Fresh hay is not only the ideal and he althiest way to feed rabbits, it also has a positive cleansing effect on the gastrointestinal tract. For its part, fresh grass stimulates digestion and "sweeps" the fur from the rabbit's intestine.
- M alt for rabbits: You've probably read or heard that m alt can help rabbits with balls in their stomachs. However, it is not always advisable to give m alt to our pet nor can it be of any brand, so it is best to consult our veterinarian first.
For more information, you can read this other article on Rabbit care.
Can you skin a rabbit?
If during the change of hair they get knots and you are not able to remove them with the brush, you have to cut them. However, it is recommended to always take our little friend to a specialist to cut his hair Rabbits are very nervous animals and there is a risk of hurting them while we skin them. Their fur is strong, but their skin is thin and delicate, in addition to the fact that the experience of cutting their hair with a noisy clipper is scary, we can cause trauma forever. Thus, our advice is do not skin a rabbit, unless strictly necessary.
As we have seen, knots in the hair are very dangerous for rabbits, so it is important to treat them as soon as possible to prevent them from getting worse or your bunny ingesting them by mistake when grooming.
