Shedding More Than He Should?

[snugbun]

Hi,
I am new to this board.

I have one bunny, Snuggles, who is a male (neutered) Dutch X. He is about a year and a half old.

It seems like he is shedding a lot more than he has in the past. It seems like he's been shedding for the past few months. He doesn't have any bald spots, and on his last vet check up (in June) I was told he is very healthy.

I am a little worried about how much hair seems to be floating around my apartment. This morning, I sat and groomed him and literally had handfuls of fluff coming off of him.

He does have free choice hay, has pellets and wet greens, and gets fresh water several times a day. His cage is located under a window, and I do leave the blinds open when I leave for work so he can have a little sunlight. He spends several hours out each day and most of the day out on weekends and is very social and plays. He seems like a very happy little guy.

I'm just concerned if there is anything I can do to limit the shedding? I don't want him to end up with a blockage or anything, and I'm worried about developing bald spots.

Thanks for any advice/input.

 

[MikeScone]

I wouldn't worry about it. The summer shed is usually a big one, and the length and severity of sheds seems to vary from year to year. Maybe the weather has something to do with it, but I've never been able to make any real connection.

Natasha's summer shed this year was explosive - the day I returned from vacation she started dropping hair like mad from the middle of her body toward each end, and in a few days she looked like a poodle.

It took a week or two for the worst to pass, and now, six weeks later, she's pretty much back to normal with a really nice soft coat. On the other hand, sometimes Scone would just shed a little bit each day for months. You just can't tell.

 

[kirst3buns]

:yeahthat:

I think I have enough hair floating around my place to build another bunny! I have a mini-rex that looks like a cactus with tufts sticking out all over. I just use my furminator and brush him at least once a day and every time I pet him, I pluck out more. As long as he has access to hay and water, things should be fine. I would also keep up with the grooming for as long as this lasts. Mine can sometimes take weeks.

 

[SOOOSKA]

Hi Snuggles looks like a real Cutie (I assume that is Snuggles in your Avitar).

Two of my Bunnies are really shedding at this time. I would assume it has something to do with the weather. Mine are in AC apartment.

Vega has gotten so light the past month.

Susan

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our Dutch seems to be shedding all the time. Peter, a very large Chin is the funniest. Sometimes he goes from front to back or back to front so he has a traveling stripe. A couple of times he's shed from under to the top so he had a very shaggy stripe down his back.

 

[hillrise]

Only thing I'd recommend is that because he seems to be molting extra is try to prevent hairballs from the excessive molt. Pineapple seems to be a common treat that helps.

 

[kaelyx]

Shadow sheds a lot of fur when it starts to get hot, sometimes enough to make another bunny. It's amazing how much fur bunnies have.

I never worried about it because she never lost enough for me to notice her fur get thinner, and from the sounds of it Snuggles doesn't have bald spots due to his fur shedding.

I do suggest petting him to help the shedding process. This helps reduce the amount of fur he swallows when he grooms.

 

[snugbun]

Thanks all!
I'm glad to hear its normal.
Here is a picture of the little furball:

 

[golfdiva]

I just had this discussion w/ my vet! If you are talking about molting a few times a year - that's normal. If you are talking about excessive shedding between molts, the vet said that is usually do to the lack of (he said some amino acid maybe?) in the diet. Anyway, the vet said to put one drop of canola oil in the rabbits pellets and that would help.