Moulting Madness!

[funnybunnymummy]

When Gus first came to stay with us last August, he was moulting. I have no idea how long he was moulting for before that, but he continued to moult for about a month and then I could finally pick him up without being covered in rabbit hair!

Anyway, we enjoyed about 6 weeks of non-moulting before he started again, mid-December. And he's continued moulting since! In fact, I think this last moult has been going on for so long that he's now started a third moult! :shock:

In the last couple weeks I've noticed he'sdeveloped a "dewlap" of long, matted fur under his chin, and also he's developing some mats on hisbum, around his tail. (That fur is LONG!)

Anyway, I've been trying to brush him and pluck hair and do whatever to speed things along (and keep the hair down in the house!), but he doesn't tolerate brushing very well, nor being plucked. So I'll maybe get a handful of hair once or twice a day before he gets grumpy with me. Any suggestions as to how to groom him more effectively, etc?

I just read in another thread, too, that a too rich diet can affect how quickly a rabbit moults. Is this true? What in particular makes a diet too rich?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, because I don't think I can deal with this constant moulting! :grumpy:

Thanks!

Rue

 

[Jessyka]

Bump. I'm having the same problem.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Buy a furminator... best $40 bucks I've ever spent.

It is one wicked grooming tool! Do it once a day, ideally with someone else controlling bunny movement, and you'll be able to get it done fast & painless.

Plenty of craisen bribary also works

I sometimes wet my hands a bit, then run them over Slatey. If you do a full bunny massage, then start plucking while the other hand is massaging, it seems to go over better...

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Thanks, Autumn.

The other day I finally found a good brush for Gus, it's similar to the Zoom Groom (http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=4260)but I gotit at the Dollar Store.I've been using it every day and it's been helping immensely with the shedding. I've also been using a lint roller (which he HATES!), but it's really cut down on the huge clumps of hair he's been leaving everywhere.

My real concern, though, is not so much with the amount of fur (though, admittedly,that's a bit daunting right now!), but that this moult has been going on for so long--since mid-December--it's almost like he's been "stuck."In fact, there's a definite line between the first half of the hair he moulted and the second half! Almost like a saddle! And it nowhe seems to bealready starting another moult (albeit a much lighter one). :shock:

I was reading about diet and that too much protein can prolong a moult or even cause back-to-back moults. I'm trying to figure out what might be in his diet that's got too much protein? He gets hay during the day and limited Martin'stimothypellets (1/4 C in the morning and 1/4 C at night). Plus two salads of about 2 C of veggies (mostly lettuces, herbs and some carrot or radish tops, etc.). I know he gets more dried fruit treats (Craisins, banana chips, diced papaya, raisins, etc.)than he really should, but I didn't think fruit had all that much protein?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks!

Rue

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Sounds very similar to Slatey's diet... he is one moulty bun too... always has some moult lines somewhere on him.

I call them his high water marks

I hope someone comes along and solves this for the both of us!

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Oh, I hope so too! The hair everywhere is driving me crazy!

I must say, though, that brush seems to be working really well! I brushed Gus at least 3 times today with it and I swear he's lost 5 pounds in hair! He looks so skinny now! :shock:

But still the hair is coming off. I'm beginning tothink he's going to end up bald! :biggrin2:

I wonder if maybe changing the subtitle from "Help!" to "Diet related?" or something similar might draw some other responses?

Thanks!

Rue

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Just want to say that after we had Snuff for about 3 years, he had this major moulting issues as well, he just kept moulting. It was just that one year though, now it's twice a year as it should be.Sometimes they just moult more I think, depending on if it's warmer where you are alot of the year can matter as well.

(At the point that it started, I'd changed his diet, so, that wasn't it.)

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Thanks, maybe this is going to turn out to be a one time thing? (I can always hope, right?)

I do know that, prior to coming to live with us, Gus was being kept in an unheated garage. So I think what he's been moulting out is the winter coat he put on in the fall (and subsequently didn't need in the house!). Plus, he's had some major diet revisions since he's come to live with us. So maybe, once he's done with this moult, he'll settle into a more normal schedule? (Again, hoping!)

Anyway, I'm always battling with the kids and hubby to stop feeding him so many treats, but maybe I can use this horrible moult as a means to do that...

Thanks again!

Rue

 

[juliew19673]

What a great thread (have asked it before but think the idea that the diet might be part of it is on point)..

My bun seems to go through a "molt" every 3 months - keep in mind that the molt takes about a month - so seems much longer as he molts for the month and then I spend 1 month cleaning it up after and then he starts again - :X.

I give my Bun treats - too many baby carrots and banana chips (aware, I'm bad and have pulled back). The one thing I found that made the molt better was to give him full free run of the apartment as now the fur is spread around.. also taking him outside with a good breeze going and then just "shimmy shaking him" makes it snow outside instead of inside - works for me.

Not a great answer for you - but know your not alone..

 

[Jessyka]

I am changing Bayou's food today. From Purina Rabbit Chow, he's now going to get Oxbow Bunny Basics/T. I'll let you know if it helps with the horrible moulting, if you're interested.

 

[juliew19673]

LOL! Thats what I feed my little guy - molting like a champion! Think the sugar treats might be part of the problem (hoping) as trying to stop all carrotts and banana chips as well as putting a huge limit on the pellets (1/4 cup a day) but giving him all the hay he wants. Think to figure out if its diet related it would take about 9 months to make sure.. Not sure I can withhold treats that long :shock:.

Let me know how your experiment goes with the new pellets, would be curious to hear?

 

[elrohwen]

Julie, Baxter's shedding sounds pretty normal to me. Rabbits do shed 4 times a year, so once every 3 months would be right on target. My guy also sheds for about a month each time, so there aren't a lot of weeks where he's not shedding at all. He definitely sheds more than any dog I've known!

 

[Jessyka]

"After genetics, diet plays a major role in whether a rabbit sheds. Diet affects the rabbit's metabolism. Whenever the rabbit's metabolism goes up, that can cause a shedding of fur. Raising the rabbit's metabolism can be done through several means. Raising the amount of protein can raise the metabolism. Remember, fur/hair is main from protein. A higher energy diet also raises a rabbit's metabolism. If you notice that your rabbits have a loose hide (an indication that they are fat) and they are shedding a lot, that is a good sign that what you are feeding your rabbit is too high in energy and is causing your rabbit to get fat and molt more than it should. Greens, fruits, and vegetables are all high energy, however they have very little nutritional value for the rabbit. Corn an ingredient in many rabbit feeds can be a cause of too much energy in the rabbits diet if too much of it is used in the feed. How close the ingredient is to the beginning of the ingredient list helps tell how much is in the feed. Ingredients are listed in order by the weight percentage they make up in the feed. Another thing that can cause a raise in metabolism is a lack of water. If a rabbit doesn't get the water it needs it can cause a raise in metabolism, causing the rabbit to molt."


Interesting. onder:

 

[Pipp]

Jessyka wrote:

Greens, fruits, and vegetables are all high energy, however they have very little nutritional value for the rabbit.

Some good info in that article (a Yahoo Answer from a breeder), but this seems so wrong! :shock: I'm sure Pipp is molting much less since she's been on her huge-salad diet. And there are tons of nutrients in veggies, although they do have to eat a lot of it, ditto with hay.

He also says not to brush the rabbits, not sure if that's a show thing, but I tend to agree. The best way to get rid of the fur by far is the old 'wet pet' method. Just sit down with the bunny, a big bowl of warmish water and some paper towels, wet your hands and start petting. Rinse. Repeat. Rinse. Repeat. etc. etc. etc. Its a great bonding session, too, for most buns.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Pipp wrote:

He also says not to brush the rabbits, not sure if that's a show thing, but I tend to agree. The best way to get rid of the fur by far is the old 'wet pet' method. Just sit down with the bunny, a big bowl of warmish water and some paper towels, wet your hands and start petting. Rinse. Repeat. Rinse. Repeat. etc. etc. etc. Its a great bonding session, too, for most buns.
sas :bunnydance:

I agree, but have a way that's less messy...

Take them outside, when there's a little breeze, set them on a table (stable surface) and just start pulling hair out, let it go with the breeze (away from you, that is key). Because, as you will notice with a moult as opposed to shedding, moult just has clumps or groups of hair hanging out all over. So, pull out those over and over and over until you think most of it is off. Can take us about an hour, off and on, breaks, cuz it kills your arms, haha. Works quite well, and the buns love it, especially if there is a bit of sunshine.

When he starts, I'll totally get a vid of it.:biggrin2:

 

[Jessyka]

I have increased out of pen time, decreased pellets and started grooming with my hands instead of a brush. It seems to have cut down on the shedding a bit. He stills sheds a lot, but it's not as bad as it was.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Yes, I've tried the wet-hand grooming technique and have found it really does work the best! Plus the hair stays contained once your done. You just rub your hands together and the hair balls up really easily!

Still in the middle of moulting madness. But I'm attempting the technique of "blowing" Gus's coat. I've cut back his treats and am I'm supplementing his timothy pellets with a Tbsp of alfalfa pellets. I'm hoping this'll speed up his moult significantly! Once he's finished, I'll cut out the alfalfa and will keep him on just timothy.

Will let you know if it works!

Rue

 

[kirbyultra]

I had another thread about protein defiiency possibility in toby's diet causing his 5 month continuous molt. I am *very* skeptical of the theory but I have no other ideas so I am going to give it a shot. I just bought a bag of Oxbow 15/23 alfalfa based pellets and I'm integrating those back into his diet and have upped his daily intake to 1/4 cup a day (from 1/8 cup). He's a 4 lb bun, so we'll see what happens. One reason I think this might work besides the protein content is simply, he was eating pure oxbow 15/23 from the time he was a baby till he became a young adult and I started to switch him to timothy pellets. I figure now if I put him back on his old pellets when his coat maintained fine, his coat'll stay put better like it did before. Here's hoping! Other thing I am hoping is that it's a one time thing since Toby is just turning adult... Maybe it's some sort of adjustment period. But I am doubtful on that theory...

If not, I'll keep trying changes in his diet...

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Gus's moulting madness seems to correspond with switching him to timothy pellets too. So that's why I'm also trying the supplementing. I really hope it solves the problem as I'm going crazy with all the hair flying around the house all the time!:grumpy:

Rue

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

I am by no means a expert. But I switched Storm to Purina fibre 3 from Zupreem. Right before his moult. His moult was like 2 weeks long and his fur came in nicely.


Storm does not get veggies and in the past he moulted for like three to six weeks.

So not sure if it is diet related. But I can say changing food helped Storm. I did not switch for that but that is something I noticed.

Kat:bunnydance: