Fur shinny and full

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

JenniferMN

New Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
NULL
I just recently got a female Mini Rex and her coat is amazing. Is this because she is just a baby 8 weeks old.
The breeder was giving her a mix of flax seed and black sunflower seed.

I am wanting to continue this with her as well as start our other mini rex.

What have you tried or use to keep their fur shinny and full?
 
All mini rexes have amazing soft fur! It is genetics, not really what they eat. I have not had to add anything to my bunnies' diets to keep their fur in good condition, nor heard of anyone else doing that. Perhaps it's a show breeder thing? In general, I think a healthy diet will do just fine. Seeds are not good to give a pet bunny that is well-fed and doesn't get much exercise, because seeds are very high in fat. Your breeder might get away with feeding seeds to breeding and show buns who work a lot, but I would not give it to a pet bun.
 
Are your rabbits going to be for show or just pets?

We give black oil sunflower seeds to all of our show buns and they absolutely love them. I haven't tried flax seed but we don't have mini rex either so coat isn't as big of a thing for our buns.
 
A well-conditioned coat is a combination of two things: genetics and diet.

Rabbits purchased from reputable show breeders will have thick, luscious coats that feel especially smooth because of the breeder's efforts to select for a balanced, well-fleshed animal. You wouldn't think genetics could play such a large role, but show rabbits feel drastically different than rabbits bred for pets or "oops" litters and the like.

Diet is really important too. Some people push low protein diets which are not necessarily best for the domesticated rabbits of today. I feed the same amount protein (16-18%) to all my rabbits - show/breeding and pets. Their pellets are the main source of that, and pellets are supplemented by mixed grass hay for fiber intake. I don't add anything else to my feed. However, some breeders will up protein a bit more before a show with oats, BOSS, oils, etc.

The combination of these things is what has to come together for the best body and coat condition. A well-bred rabbit on a poor diet will rapidly lose condition, just as a good diet can improve the condition of a poorly-bred rabbit. The balance is what you have to find, and a lot of that is trial and error - what works best for your bunnies.
 
Thanks everyone, I am not planning on showing her I was just wanting to keep her pretty :)
I was also told that when she gave the seeds it was a very small amount (1tsp) per day in order for her not to get fat.
 
I'm curious how much flax and sunflower seeds do you feed and do you also feed pellets? I've heard really great things about flax seeds but was also told the only down side is they might get fat- so to only feed 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon for Jersey Woolies - which are pretty small rabbits.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top