Worried about my Angora Bunny during Shedding Season

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Frankiewhite

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Hey guys !!

I have a 6 mo. old angora bun (she is the best). With shedding season here, I've noticed some hair connecting poops - which I saw is what happens when bunnies ingest hair. I've been monitoring her eating, and have been giving her more greens and hay with less pellets. Hay is always available to her at all times. She has been drinking (but not as much as usual) and eating everything left in her home.

Today however, I noticed way less poops and some cecotropes left over (which I have never seen before). She is still running around and was binky-ing this morning.

I should mention that she is a litter trained rabbit - and has a caged in home but spends a lot of time running around my apartment.

Please help! What would you suggest? I want to make sure I give my rabbit the best care, she is my baby !
 
The biggest thing that helps my bun during his shedding time is to brush him.

I'm not sure if brushing an angora is different because of the type of fur they have but I own a "small animal Furminator" and it helps brush out the undercoat that sheds. It has worked wonders for us. I would just caution to brush carefully as buns have very sensitive skin that can rip or get cut should you hit a knot in their fur, no pulling!. Also be careful around the sensitive areas... the tail, feet, under the chin, tummy, etc.

Good luck!
 
I'd be careful about the furminator- it has been recalled more than once for literally tearing skin on bunnies and removing way more fur than necessary. Yes, you can be careful, but if your bun makes a sudden movement, it could be disastrous. I would say using a slicker brush is your best bet combined with pulling the "clumps" out. You can also give her papaya digestion tablets found in health food stores.
 
I've heard people wet their hands and run it through their bunny's fur to pick up any loose hairs. Digestive support tablets help also. You can also set your rabbit down on a small chair and have it eat it's pellets and GENTLY pull out clumps of loose hair (that's what i do)
 
Yes, I've heard about the issues with the Furminator but after dealing with basically GI stasis every molting season with my bun, our vet decided it was in our best interests to use it, just very carefully and not overdo it. Since we have, our bun hasn't had any GI molting issues. Also my bun is an intact male and has extremely thick skin so a lower chance of getting a cut or tear.

As with anything you must choose the appropriate option for you and your bun. Because Angoras have longer hair another type of brush may work just fine. You can also give daily belly massages to keep to gut moving and promote physical mobility :)

We also use Oxbow Digestive Supplements.
 
You seem to be a good bunny mom and your doing everything right. Just continue to keep a close eye :)
Ps- I'm totally jealous you have an angora!
 
Have you ensured she is eating her hay really well? If she isn't, that combined with reduced pellets, could account for the smaller poops. Increased veggies might be a cause for the uneaten cecotrope.

Some amount of ingested fur is normal. You just don't want to see thick strings of it connecting their fecal poop, or a significant reduction in the amount and size of the fecal poop. Probably the best way to limit ingested fur for angoras, would be to have the fur clipped short (if your rabbit isn't outdoors in the cold). Also good access to water(from a dish and not a bottle) and lots of grass hay, particularly some with the stalkier stems as that has lots of indigestible fiber, and it is indigestible fiber that increases gastric motility... of course that is only if your rabbit will eat the stalky bits. But you also have to balance that with making sure your bun is getting enough protein as well, for the new fur that is growing and so no significant weight loss occurs
 
If your rabbit is amenable, try brushing her (if you don't, she'll have knots anyway), you can end the brushing by petting her with wet hand to catch more lose hair. If she hates brushes, like mine, you'll have to do everything with your hands ^^.
The best thing to avoid stasis is to eat lots of hay and keep her stomach hydrated, so you did what you had to. I would give her mostly wet leafy greens and a lot of hay. It's normal for her to drink less if she's eating more greens. If she shows signs of slow guts, like she seems to do, it probably means she isn't eating enough hay (at least her body in hay everyday). I would try a better hay (like the organic pricey one) during the moult to stimulate her appetite.
The cecotrope problem generally indicates that the alimentation is too rich. I mean, it can happen for the rabbit to miss one accidentally because he was startled or something, but if it happens more than once it means there is a problem with the diet. What pellets are you giving and how much?
 

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