fading color and constant shedding.

[BlackAndChrome]

I have a Himalayan Netherland Dwarf fixed buck that I purchased about a year ago. He is about 2 1/2 now if I was given the right age when I purchased him. He had been very neglected from his previous owner, left in a 2X2 cage for 6-8 months, exposed to elements, very loud dogs, pellet and stale bread diet, etc. He was very timid and slightly aggressive when I first got him but has improved substantially in the last year. He is still not a personable rabbit but tolerates handling without any trouble and doesn't appear to be bothered at all by basket rides too and from his cage and his outside pen (he yawns so he must be comfortable). Anyway my question is regarding his fading black areas (ears, feet, and tail) and his constant shedding.

For reference here is a picture of Bud when I first got him.

And here is what he looks like today.

Now I have done some research into the cause of the lack of color and came up mainly with the fact that Himalayans lose there color during hot summer and get darker in colder winters. Now my only doubts about this are that although the weather has certainly been warm we have had far hotter summers here in Kansas. His outside pen is entirely shaded from the sun, and along with that he spent the previous summer outside entirely and was full black this time last year.

He has also been shedding this entire summer, non-stop.

Any possible causes or is this not really something that can be solved or should be worried about?

-Nick

 

[Happi Bun]

Wow, that is quite the drastic change. I have a himi and while he does go through a slight color change depending on the time of year, it's nothing nearly that intense. Rabbits shed their hair every 3 months to give you a general idea. Sometimes you will hardly notice, other times you will feel like a hair bomb just went off, haha. It could be related to the unusually hot temperatures where you are, or perhaps even diet related? I would post what you feed your guy.

 

[BlackAndChrome]

Well I guess his shedding is kinda lite right now, running your hand over him picks up a pretty good clump of hair but nothing like when he's shedding bad where you can pinch and pull large tufts of hair.

Diet wise he gets unlimited pellets in his cage with access to hay. He used to eat a good portion of hay but once I started taking him outside he's just too picky for fresh grass. He goes outside for 6-8 hours per day and even if I put pellets out with him he only eats grass. That's why I don't bother with restricting the pellets in his cage. He's slimmed down a lot since I first got him, he was rather fat from all the pellets and junk food without exercise. I still haven't gotten around to sticking him on our postal scale.

 

[Runestonez]

We adopted a Japanese Harlequin Holland lop about 4 years ago...
He was iin pretty much the same type of situation you described for your boy!
Except our boy escaped his cage or was finally "set free". A neighbour saw him outside over the course of 2 weeks in mid-winter here in Ontario...how he stayed alive is anyones guess.

He was a dark gorgeous orange with black markings!
One day he started to moult...and he moulted and moulted...and finally when he stopped he was the lightest peach and grey! lol

Our guess was better food and the loss of his heavy winter coat. He never did get darker again!

Danielle