The one truism of rabbit showing is that your rabbits will go into a molt on show day, especially if it's a big show, like ARBA convention or breed national show. RABBIT PRODUCTION, pg 105, speaks on molting. There is a juvenile molt beginning at about 2-4 or 5 months. Heavy feeding tends to cause the juvenile molt to begin earlier. then there is an annual molt in mature rabbits, just as most mammals have. This molt will vary in when it starts by geographical location. Rate and duration of molt depends up on amount of energy consumed in the diet. Rabbits fed excess calories maybe in almost continual molt. The growth rate of hair is faster with a high nutrient intake, so the rate of hair turnover if faster. Show rabbits fed a restricted diet reduces the amount molting and keeps prime condition a bit longer. Rabbits may be sent into molt by disease, anything causing loss of appetite, suddenly high unseasonal temps or most other stresses. When i have a rabbit that, for some reason, I want to start a molt or speed it up I feed a high energy feed. Wheat and corn are two high energy (calorie) grains, Calf Manna is high energy, a friend used Purina Puppy Chow. To get a rabbit in prime fur, ready to show, and keep it, I try to slow down fur production a bit, essentially to delay start of next molt. To do this I reduce the amount of energy in the feed. Rather than change the pellets used, I add rolled oats to the pellets. Rolled oats have a lower calorie content than my pellets. By mixing 4 parts pellets to 1 part rolled oats and feeding the same volume as usual I essentially lower the amount of energy fed. This has worked for me to get a rabbit in condition and maintain it, most of the time. There are always rabbits that will seem to be in molt, no matter what I do. this because there is a genetic element involved. Some lines of rabbits seem to molt more often and/or molt longer. One of the criteria I used in selecting breeders is molt, I didn't save breeding stock from rabbits that seemed to be in constant molt.
