Currently, rabbits are conceived as exceptional companion animals capable of adapting to the lifestyle and individual characteristics of numerous people who, faced with the option of sharing their lives with an animal, do not hesitate to welcome to this endearing pet.
We can highlight many attributes of these animals, both behavioral and physical, but when it comes to their appearance, an important part of the rabbit (as well as many other animals), is its fur, even more so in breeds such as the Angora rabbit, characterized by its beautiful and long hair.
You may notice changes in your rabbit's coat and this can be due to a number of factors. If you often ask yourself, "why is my rabbit losing its hair?" in this article on our site we show you the different causes and solutions of hair loss in rabbits.
Hair loss in rabbits due to shedding
It is commonly known that dogs shed their fur, but this is not exclusive to our canine friends, this normal change in fur also occurs in rabbits. It is the main cause of hair loss in rabbits and also does not denote any pathological alteration, but normal functioning of the organism.
Shedding in rabbits occurs every 3 months moderately, but 2 times a year we can observe hair loss massive, because the renewal of the coat is complete. With proper care, this process does not entail any complications for our pet. However, it can become dangerous since rabbits continually lick themselves to groom themselves. This carries the risk of swallowing hair that could later form a ball in the digestive system and cause a serious obstruction.
The rabbit can shed its fur in just a few days or it can take around 2 or 3 weeks, in any case, we must brush its fur dailyTo avoid any type of complication, for this we can use a specific brush for rodents or a cat or dog brush with rounded tips.
How to differentiate the molt of the rabbit from a pathological alteration?
When the rabbit changes its coat we can observe a general loss of hair, on the other hand, generally in pathological alterations areas that are completely without hair are observed, something that will never happen in the period of a normal moult.
Alopecia in pregnant females
If we observe that our rabbit pulls out hair and its sex is female, we may be dealing with a pregnant female that uses her own fur to form her nest, a behavior that is normal but that we can largely avoid if we provide him with materials so that he can easily build his nest, such as the following:
- A rabbit's nest
- Newspaper
- Dry leaves
- Straw
Despite having provided our female rabbit with these materials, it is normal that days before giving birth she plucks some hair, but by offering her enough resources we can minimize this behavior.
Hair loss in rabbits due to stress
Few animals are as susceptible to stress as rabbits and this state can manifest itself through hair loss affecting a certain area of the body.
It is common for rabbits to experience stress in the weaning phase, in the periods of adaptation to their new home, in the first contacts with human beings and, in the case of sharing their space with other animals, it is also common that stress is due to a lack of space. The following tips will allow you to reduce your rabbit's stress and thus prevent shedding:
- We should never overwhelm our rabbit.
- We must facilitate a progressive and smooth contact.
- It is important that he can enjoy a little house inside his cage, to hide when he feels insecure.
- If you have to share your environment with another animal, coexistence must also occur progressively.
- The rabbit's cage must be wide.
Hair loss in rabbits due to dermatological infection
There are various causes of hair loss in rabbits and it is possible that we are also facing a dermatological disease, such as ringworm in rabbits.
In this case, we will observe that hair loss occurs only in certain areas of the body and that these also have dry, scaly skin and reddish lesions that may have been caused by the animal's scratches.
If you observe these symptoms in your rabbit you should immediately go to the vet to prescribe an antifungal-based treatment whenever the diagnosis is confirmed, in addition, it is important to detect the disease as early as possible, since it can be transmitted to humans.
Hair loss in rabbits due to nutritional causes
Food is a basic pillar in the he alth of animals and if our rabbit loses abundant hair we must check its nutrition to make sure which is optimal.
It is possible that the animal pulls out its hair when there is a nutritional deficiency, which is generally fiber. To prevent hair loss in rabbits, it is important to provide our pet with fiber-rich snacks specifically for rodents, since an adequate intake of this substance will also help prevent any type of gastrointestinal disturbance.
If our rabbit has sustained bad nutritional habits for a prolonged period of time, it is possible that it is facing a state of obesity. This prevents the rabbit from scratching where the skin is irritated, which ends up triggering hair pulling.
