Is Brie... molting?

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briemommy

briemommy

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Brie has begun to cover everything I own in fluff. And when I pet her I come away with fur all over my hands, in my mouth, and up my nose. My initial response was that its that time of the year. But you know, I don't know rabbits. What if it isn't? She's losing a lot of fur in only some places and no fur in others. She's also becoming grey in some spots.

What if she's not molting? (Is molting the word you use for mammals?) who else has a lionhead with one gene? Is it normal for the mane to not shed? Is this even the right time to shed? What if she's sick? :shock2:
 
My angora is shedding. They shed multiple times a year, so I don't think it is really linked with a specific time of year. Start plucking the fur off her ASAP and keep an eye on her poops and eating. They can eat a lot of the moulting fur and get wool block if its not removed.
 
Is your bun developing any bald spots, or is it just overall shedding? I would think bald spots would be of concern, but if it's even and all over, it's probably a moult.

I have an English Angora that moults every 3 months - regardless of seasonality - and when that fluff starts getting everywhere I know it's time to dive in :) Best thing you can do is to get all that loose fur off of your bun so it's not ingested during grooming. I pluck my angora, but I'm not sure how it works with lionheads?
 
My bun is molting big time right now. It started about 3 weeks ago and is just finishing up. During his molts I usually try to pull out as much loose hair as I can at least once a day. I don't want him grooming himself and eating all that hair. He doesn't like being brushed but he puts up with me grooming him. I usually sit next to him and gently pull out any loose tuffs of hair. He seems to like it as he lays there relaxed. I assume it would be similar to getting groomed by another rabbit.

Thankfully it only lasts a few weeks because man that is a lot of rabbit fur. I end up vacuuming him cage multiple times a day as there are fur balls that collect in the corners. Doesn't help my allergies thats for sure.

So try to groom or pet out as much fur as you can and really push eating hay to prevent wool block.
 
I'm new to rabbits too and mine is just starting to shed like crazy, theres fur EVERYWHERE! I would brush him of I could but I'm going to schedule him a dr appointment soon and let them do it bc I don't want to ruin our friendship we have going on.
 
Yeah sounds like shedding/molting. Hehe when Harvey gets his big molts he leaves behind furry butt prints behind on the carpet and it gets caught in the ceiling fan. I was amazed how much one little rabbit could shed without becoming bald.
 
Katielovesleo3 - Don't be afraid to groom :) I've found with my bun that it's really more like a bonding experience as long as you go slow and gentle. I know I've plucked Bea too long when she gets really squirmy, and she'll pout in her hutch the rest of the day, but with short gentle sessions it's good for both of you :)
 
I *think* my lionhead is single-maned... she's only molted once so far (shed her juvenile coat) and lost like 1/2-2/3 of her mane density, very little of which has grown back after two months. every bunny is different and every molt can be different, though.

I have a furminator for long-haired cats under 10 lbs and it's a miracle worker on a molting lionhead... best thing about the furminator is it comes with a money-back satisfaction guarantee, so you can try it out and if you or your bunny don't like it, you can get a refund.
 
Every time I try to helps him out and pluck the easy stuff out he runs off. So I try to do it during supper time and he will run come back and eat then I try to get another and if I touch his fur he runs comes back and repeats. I hate to catch him bc I know he hates it so much. :/
 
Oh no, juvenile coat? Does that mean Brie might just look like this forever? She lost a lot of her white fur on her hind quarters and its now grey with a weird white diamond area. :(
 
Oh yeah, five months. That's where she's at. So it seems she's still losing fur, just very slowly now. She's turning into a grey rabbit with a white mane. I'm hoping the grey is her undercoat and the white will grow back, or I will have to hunt down the breeder who sold my BF a seal point colored rabbit that's not even show quality (cause they're not a recognized breed) for $200. 200! After being on this forum I've discovered that it was highway robbery! Now her color is going to change? What!
 
You must remove it so they don't eat it & get serious digestive problems. Feeding papaya helps with the bits they manage to eat, but is no substitute for hair removal. Twice a day I hold Honey gently on the floor with 1 hand while using my other hand to remove tufts of hair. When it gets more manageable I use a soft, flat toothbrush. I'd rather she be upset with me than sick.
 
Oh yeah, Orlena... I groom her in some way every day. A while ago the fur on her entire back were easy to pull out in tufts. She stopped shedding so hard, and now her sides and thighs are mounting. It's so strange to me.

I'm not sure where the bunny farm is, but it was a backyard breeder in Southern California. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area so BF drove a few hours to get Brie for my birthday. He said she was nice...
 
Georgie's a lionhead - though really, she's a mullet head because she never grew in the thick skirt and full mane. She molts about twice a year like a little - well, mofur. Like you, I can literally pluck out tufts of it. One sitting alone with her can net me enough fuzz to build another long haired hamster with. She hates it too so I usually have to set her down in my lap and let her hide her head in my elbow or under my arm while I do it and I get heel flicks galore once I'm done. Still, I can't let her eat all of that hair because I get brown pearl necklaces from her anyway during molt time. Strangely though, the enforced grooming makes her more snuggly after she gets over the insult of it. I will note that she's got two coats. A winter coat and a summer coat and one is much fuzzier than the other. Also, she lost her mutton chops after her first molt but after this most recent molt they're back again! So it could be something similar for Brie as well, different features for different coats. I didn't have a color change with George - but she's straight up black so she wouldn't have the variation Brie would anyway.
 
Last week got a little warmer and 3 of my bunnies have started to moult, but since today it has started snowing and i feel horrible because they're moulting their thick coat!! Bunnies most a few times a year anyway :)
 
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