Fluffy Flems??

[Maukin]

Just a quickie and possibly stupid question...

Are baby Flems supposed to be fluffy with soft fur? Is that a baby thing? Dugan is like a little puffball and Arwyn has "regular rabbit fur". Just a bit curious....

 

[BlueGiants]

The babies do have a very soft "baby fur" with no real guard hairs, until they are 10-12 weeks old. Then you'll see a gradual change over to the adult fur with guard hairs. Usually by 14-16 weeks, the coat is pretty close to adult. But some varieties don't get their full color until 6-8 months of age (And Steels may not get their adult color until 10 or 11 months.)

 

[Maukin]

oh good, I'm hoping that he darkens out a bit more. I knew he was lighter than I wanted, but it was not readily apparentthat he was THAT light. Arwyn has been darkening too. Darker smut (love that word!) and the hair on her back is darkening as well. Baby Dugan keeps trying to nurse and Arwyn gives him a "Get off me!!!" and then pins him and washes him. He follows her around. It's quite cute and she tolorates him in her royal presence too.

 

[BlueGiants]

She's gonna make a great Momma Bunny!

 

[maherwoman]

Ya know...I've been wondering about Teeny's foofy fur, too. I just thought his fur was a Flemmie thing...but now I learn that it might just be that he never lost his baby fur down his back.

I did see him go through getting different fur on his face about a month ago, but it didn't progress down his back like I thought it would.

What will his fur feel like when he gets his "big boy" fur in? Will it still be foofy? It feels pretty much just like it did at a few weeks old, but a little less soft than it was then...

I'm glad you asked, Maukin...I've been wondering this myself!

 

[BlueGiants]

Teeny is just at that age where his coat should be switching over from "Fluffy" to "Roll Back". Their coat is supposed to be all the same length, but guard hairs will be a bit stiffer than the undercoat. When you stroke the adultfur from butt to neck, it should gently "roll back" into place.

You will usually see it change around the face first. It'll be gradual over the rest of the body, it's not like a moult. The new fur just comes in between the baby fluff. (No, he probably won't be "foofy" when he grows up...)

 

[maherwoman]

BlueGiants wrote:

Teeny is just at that age where his coat should be switching over from "Fluffy" to "Roll Back". Their coat is supposed to be all the same length, but guard hairs will be a bit stiffer than the undercoat. When you stroke the adultfur from butt to neck, it should gently "roll back" into place.

You will usually see it change around the face first. It'll be gradual over the rest of the body, it's not like a moult. The new fur just comes in between the baby fluff. (No, he probably won't be "foofy" when he grows up...)

Judging by what you say here, he's definitely not got his big boy fur yet. If I were to pet him butt to head, it would all just stick up all over the place! LOL...

Wow...and here I was beginning to think my almost-five-month-old boy was just gonna be foofy! LOL...

 

[Maukin]

Tried to get a message out earlier and got all tied up.

Arwyn is still a bit foofy, so I notice. All of her hair does not tend to "roll back". Dugan, man, he is downright FLUFFY. Not very manly, but heartbreakingly cute. When I brought Arwyn on the drive back to breeder when I got Dugan, she commented that Arwyn "still had her baby fur."

I remember at the show petting some of the Flems and noticing that their fur seemed to be a bit stiffer than Arwyn's.

But some Flems that I've seen, in particular the ones I had and rehomed, were young, but not so... foofy. They were soft, but not in the way Dugan is.

Cathy, can you post some of the pics of your babes again so we can get a looksee on how a baby Flem should look hairwise?

 

[BlueGiants]

I can try to show "foofy fur"...

At 3 weeks old...

At 5 weeks old...

At 6 weeks old...

Adult fur... (but she was moulting around the shoulders!)

 

[maherwoman]

Oh wow...great idea, Maukin...the pictures!

And yeah, Teeny's fur isn't like that picture of that cute little sweetie (oh my goodness, what a dear) as an adult. He's more like her shoulder area, lol!