Do rabbits lose weight when they molt?

[1357rabbitlover]

My bunny Alice is going through a molt but has been losing weight for a few days now, she has never been a big bunny, you've always been able to slightly feel her ribs, but now you can feel her ribs easily and you can feel her hips and spine too. She's acting herself, binkying, eating, drinking, and pooping as usual. I am just getting a bit worried as this happened to my friends bunny and she died about 2 weeks later but the vets couldn't find anything wrong with her and Alice isn't spayed and i've heard that once unspayed females reach 3 years old they are like 75% likely to get uterine cancer

 

[Imbrium]

I would definitely get her in for a check-up; adult bunnies shouldn't lose weight like that. she's definitely at risk for cancer if she's unspayed at 3 years old - if that turns out to be the case and you catch it early, they might be able to spay her to get rid of any cancer.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

1357rabbitlover wrote:

My bunny Alice is going through a molt but has been losing weight for a few days now, she has never been a big bunny, you've always been able to slightly feel her ribs, but now you can feel her ribs easily and you can feel her hips and spine too. She's acting herself, binkying, eating, drinking, and pooping as usual. I am just getting a bit worried as this happened to my friends bunny and she died about 2 weeks later but the vets couldn't find anything wrong with her and Alice isn't spayed and i've heard that once unspayed females reach 3 years old they are like 75% likely to get uterine cancer

Unspayed females don't reach any particular age where they are significantly more at risk of uterine cancer. I've had many unspayed does past 3 years of age and have not had complications. Don't worry!

Now, about the molt. When rabbits molt, they don't only lose fur. They usually lose flesh condition as well, which can make the rabbit feel overall bony or rough...it's normal. If your rabbit is on a low protein/low fat diet (like a timothy pellet/timothy hay combo or very limited alfalfa pellets), you may need to bump up the diet during molts to help Alice keep some condition and move through the molt.

When my rabbits are molting, I will often add a teaspoon or so of high protein supplements to the top of the pellets daily. Increasing protein seems to help induce or finish off a molt, depending on what stage they're in. Calf manna is a good supplement to use.

Other people will use rolled oats or black oil sunflower seeds.

 

[1357rabbitlover]

Oh thats good to know! None of my other bunnies have ever been through a molt before except Alice now and Buckley about a month ago and he lost a teeny bit of weight.. well i will add suppliments to her food, but she shares a home with 2 other females will it be ok to put suppliment over the food even for them too? also will giving her some alfalfa hay mixed in with her readigrass help too? thanks alot

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

It would probably be best if you could feed her separately. The bunnies will usually scarf up their "treats" quickly, so even if you just sit her alone for 5-10 minutes until they are gone. It wouldn't hurt the other bunnies to eat it, it's just that you want to make sure she is getting some. Mixing in a little alfalfa would probably be good too. You don't have to add these things permanently, she could be weaned back to her usual diet once her condition/fur starts coming back in.

 

[katherine at sacred stories]

Charlotte--how's your bunny doing? Hoping all is well!!!