Excessive Shedding

[Barley N. Hopps]

I'm just wondering if rabbit molts get worse with age? Barley has been shedding BIG TIME for at least two weeks and there doesn't seem to be any stopping in sight! He's terribly scruffy looking with tufts all over the place, and even his back (which I thought he finished shedding) seems to be starting all over again. He's eating well, getting lots of hay, and drinking, and his litter box is satisfactorily "decorated" so I'm happy to report there's no issue there! It just seems to me that his molts get heavier and heavier, year by year!

Also, I brush him at every opportunity but he's getting pretty fed up with it and bounces off more often than not when he sees me coming with the brush in hand. He will tolerate a little hand-grooming and tuft-pulling, but, oh, how I'd love to get after him with the vacuum cleaner! I won't of course.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I notice that rabbits go through more frequent, less noticeable molts when they're younger. My Hollands and Hotots might molt 3-4 times within the first year, but it is light shedding. The only time I really notice is when the head molt starts because those tufts are more obvious when they're missing.

Mature rabbits molt 1-2 times a year, usually the whole coat at once. So I think it's more obvious when they're older.