Coat blow - shedding in the extreme

[lindner.michelle]

Hello fellow bunny owners - my Netherland Dwarf Loki is shedding. It's bad. I took him out on the deck yesterday and groomed him the way another rabbit would - gently tugging on his fur. Clumps came out. Because he has such a short coat my furbuster comb does not work well. He seemed to really enjoy his grooming.

I certainly don't want all that extra fur to end up in his tummy.

I noticed before we started his 'grooming' that there were balding patches he'd already started. I looked around on-line and yes bunnies can have this happen.

My question is - do all netherland's do this? Is it more common in short hairs?

My last bunny was a lionhead with lop ears - someone called him a teddywidder - he would shed but only once did he have a balding patch that grew back in.

Thank you for any insight you can provide.

 

[majorv]

Rabbits can have small patches that are bare if they are blowing their coat pretty bad. It’s important to brush regularly during this time. We also gave papaya tablets to our rabbits when shedding season came (for us it was twice/year).

 

[lindner.michelle]

Rabbits can have small patches that are bare if they are blowing their coat pretty bad. It’s important to brush regularly during this time. We also gave papaya tablets to our rabbits when shedding season came (for us it was twice/year).

Thanks!

 

[JBun]

It really varies with each rabbit, not necessarily breed related, though can sometimes be diet related. I don't have any that shed heavy to the point of balding, but with my dwarfs, one seems to almost always be in a light to medium molt regardless of season, he just never stops shedding. Then there's his sister who is complete opposite and seems to almost never shed(so nice!), maybe once a year and it's a pretty light molt.

 

[zuppa]

Hi, I agree that it is not breed related but individual, I have lop in my avatar I never see any fluff around when she is in shed, she grooms herself and consumes it but it is important that she eats lots of hay otherwise they can get blockages from hair, that's why it is important that you help with brushing during shedding time. But I also have another lop I've adopted him more than a year ago in January, and he is shedding almost non stop, when brushing him there's no bald patches but he kinda releases his soft white undercoat easily and lots of it comes out and after brushing every two weeks he looks much thinner only with his tan coat, which is not so soft. But he was only 4 months then and now he is shedding a little differently a bit less than last winter, and looks prettier. Also he shares place with his two mates and they also groom him helping a lot with shedding.

I have a lionhead very fluffy he also grooms himself and his girl helps him as well so I don't have to brush him at all, I am checking every time I do the nails so once a month at least but he is very tidy, no need in brushing he never has any knots, which you'd expect with hairy lionheads.

So it is very individual indeed.

Also if your rabbit is still young under 6 months he might be just changing his baby fur to less fluffy, sometimes babies are very fluffy and after 6 months they don't have long hair at all or only have around their head.

 

[zuppa]

Hi, I agree that it is not breed related but individual, I have lop in my avatar I never see any fluff around when she is in shed, she grooms herself and consumes it but it is important that she eats lots of hay otherwise they can get blockages from hair, that's why it is important that you help with brushing during shedding time. But I also have another lop I've adopted him more than a year ago in January, and he is shedding almost non stop, when brushing him there's no bald patches but he kinda releases his soft white undercoat easily and lots of it comes out and after brushing every two weeks he looks much thinner only with his tan coat, which is not so soft. But he was only 4 months then and now he is shedding a little differently a bit less than last winter, and looks prettier. Also he shares place with his two mates and they also groom him helping a lot with shedding.

I have a lionhead very fluffy he also grooms himself and his girl helps him as well so I don't have to brush him at all, I am checking every time I do the nails so once a month at least but he is very tidy, no need in brushing he never has any knots, which you'd expect with hairy lionheads.

So it is very individual indeed.

Also if your rabbit is still young under 6 months he might be just changing his baby fur to less fluffy, sometimes babies are very fluffy and after 6 months they don't have long hair at all or only have around their head.

There's something strange today with this site it looks very different, were any changes made lately to design? Very unusual