Bunny Shedding Tufts

[SunniShine]

Okay, it's molting season and my 2 bunnies are shaggy looking, especially Bear the boy bunny. I didn't even realize these were shedding tufts until my teenage daughter started plucking them off of Honey Bee, our little girl. Now this is ideal for my OCD and I just wanna pluck every single one of them out myself, but there's an issue; BOTH Bear AND Honey seem to get offended if I do. Obviously, I'm forcing myself to refrain BUT I'm curious as to why they won't let me.....

Has anyone else experienced this themselves????? I'm extremely close to my FurBabies, very active in their daily care and spoiling them so I'm perplexed as to why this is an invasion of their boundaries????? Any insight????? Thanks!!!!!

 

[samoth]

My buck doesn't like me pulling loose fur, but he's not the most social guy in general.

My doe doesn't mind, and she's the type that loves getting attention & groomed.

As for taking offence, I tend to think there's an associated physical sensation they may not care for... or maybe they just don't like "plucking" and prefer "grooming."

 

[SunniShine]

My buck doesn't like me pulling loose fur, but he's not the most social guy in general.

My doe doesn't mind, and she's the type that loves getting attention & groomed.

As for taking offence, I tend to think there's an associated physical sensation they may not care for... or maybe they just don't like "plucking" and prefer "grooming."

Thank you!!!!! I was wondering if maybe it was reserved for only certain others to do, kinda like how cats will get real close to groom themselves then start grooming you (licking your face, neck, hands, etc) like you're a member of their litter.

Also, Bear is adopted like all of our other FurBabies are and he was definitely mistreated. Whoever originally had him seriously decided they didn't want him anymore and tossed him outside!!!!! Thankfully somebody noticed him and realized he was a domestic bunny so animal rescue was able to secure him and get him to the humane society. Poor baby didn't even know what he could eat and was severely emaciated when we got him.

I'm pretty sure he was physically abused by a female also. He twists his pretty little head and stiffens up if you get too close to his neck, more so with me than hubby. I read that it's good to scratch their shoulders in case they have an itch since they cannot reach that area so whenever I open their houses up so they can have free-reign and run around, I scratch across their shoulders before giving them ear massages. However after noticing Bear's consistent strong reaction I now avoid shoulder scratches altogether with him and slowly from the front give him 1 finger head rubs then transition into his ear massages.

Anyway, I'm curious as to whether it's like a clique thingy and maybe not in THAT clique. Or, if it's just how these 2 are. As every bunny parent knows, bunnies have their own unique personalities and with respect to molting tuft plucking, I cannot make bunny heads or bunny tails as to why I'm not allowed; ESPECIALLY with Honey since she's closest with me and doesn't like me to pluck them either but allowed my 13 yo daughter to pluck them for 10+ minutes!!!!! Honestly, that's why I'm so perplexed by it!!!!!

 

[SunniShine]

Okay, it's molting season and my 2 bunnies are shaggy looking, especially Bear the boy bunny. I didn't even realize these were shedding tufts until my teenage daughter started plucking them off of Honey Bee, our little girl. Now this is ideal for my OCD and I just wanna pluck every single one of them out myself, but there's an issue; BOTH Bear AND Honey seem to get offended if I do. Obviously, I'm forcing myself to refrain BUT I'm curious as to why they won't let me.....

Has anyone else experienced this themselves????? I'm extremely close to my FurBabies, very active in their daily care and spoiling them so I'm perplexed as to why this is an invasion of their boundaries????? Any insight????? Thanks!!!!!

I've attached 2 photos ~ the first shows how shaggy Bear looks and the second shows Bear & Honey Bee getting ear massages. Notice all of the bunny hair on my leggings, lol!!!!! I think the reply I've gotten so far is correct about the sensation. Bear is still skittish, despite having him for several years, and I think being female makes him even more skittish about touching from me. I really do think so woman really hurt this poor baby.....

 

[Preitler]

That's something I see more with my older rabbits, this year it was especially bad. Even treated two for possible mites because I just wasn't sure if it's still in the range of normal, although there were no bald spots there was some dandruff.
There was a lot of plucking to do, mostly on their back and rear, getting fistfulls of fur off every time, I could fill a pillow with all that. And they do not like it being messed with back there. Pestered them whenever they got in reach, and when I did hold them to get the job done I always gave a treat afterwards.

 

[samoth]

I also get better luck incorporating light plucking with grooming. That way, they think they're being groomed and not plucked

And Preitler is right regarding older age in my case: mine are 8 & 10.5 years old, and I think they like it less the older they get...

 

[Jocee]

Yea my brother has a rabbit that is having fur issues similar to the ones in the photos, her fur looks exactly the same, I checked for mites, and even rubbed some oil into her bald patches just incase it was mites, but no couldn't find any, so we concluded it was just alot of fur loss, and my brother thought she is much older than the original older said she was, because she just looks old. So we do the same as samoth (pluck her and groom at the same time, as she doesn't seem to keep up with her fur shedding and coming out. She didn't like it at first, but my brother gives lots of pats beforehand to calm and relax her, and then he begins the grooming and removing of shaggy fur, the doe is getting more and more used to it, we also give her a treat while my brother is doing this.
I agree it must be something in older rabbits.