As all rabbit owners are aware, rabbits moult (often referred to as shedding) regularly. Initially when rabbits are young, their baby coat is replaced at around 5 months by a transitional coat. After this, the rabbit’s adult coat will develop and from here on, rabbits generally moult twice a year (Spring and Autumn). However, domestic rabbits are kept in very different conditions to wild rabbits. Therefore domestic rabbits seem to have a more variable moulting pattern. Some rabbits and especially house rabbits will appear to moult almost constantly!

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When rabbits moult, they typically start by shedding fur from their head, which spreads down the neck and back and then down the sides of their body, finishing on their rump. However, some rabbits seem not to have any set pattern and will lose fur in patches from all over their body at the same time. Sometimes a tide line becomes apparent, which looks like a line across the rabbits fur, where the moult is progressing, and often you can observe the skin as being darker where the new fur is growing through. You should get to know what is normal for your rabbit, so you are able to spot potential problems quickly, and helping your rabbit through their moult is a sensible idea.

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REGULAR BRUSHING

Get your rabbit used to bring brushed, so when they are moulting and need more frequent grooming, it isn’t so stressful for them. When brushing your rabbit sit with them on the ground. Rabbits are ground-dwelling creatures and do not like being placed at a height.

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During a moult is may be necessary to brush your rabbit more than once a day. Often breaking the grooming sessions up into smaller sessions is less stressful than one long session of grooming. Ensure that when you brush the rabbit you brush down to the skin, parting the fur as you go along. You need to remove all of the undercoat that is being shed, and not just the fur that is sitting on the top, otherwise you will get matts within the fur.

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HAIR BALLS

Moulting rabbits need daily grooming to reduce the amount of hair passing through the digestive system. In years gone by, hair balls used to be diagnosed as a cause of gastro-intestinal stasis (gut slowing, commonly known as GI stasis).

 

However, rabbits are constantly ingesting hair through grooming and it is therefore perfectly normal to find some hair in the rabbits’ stomach. Problems occur when the hair ‘dries out’ due to a sluggish GI tract and/ or dehydration.

 

Therefore hair balls are a secondary problem and not usually a cause of GI stasis. Constant access to hay/grass is absolutely vital to keep the guts moving normally, even more so when the rabbit is moulting. Get into the habit of checking droppings daily.

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Droppings that are small and dry, or becoming hard with less being produced should ring alarm bells and you should take your rabbit to see a vet as soon as possible to try and prevent a bout of GI stasis.

 

Droppings strung together on strands of hair show that the rabbit is passing the hair through the GI tract and as long as they are eating well and passing large droppings in large quantities then this is perfectly fine to monitor. However, if your rabbit is subdued or unwell in any way then he may be developing GI stasis which needs urgent veterinary attention.

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STICKING IN MOULT

The moulting process can get “stuck”. This usually happens on the flanks, just above the tail, and on the belly. Use a cat moulting comb to remove the dead loose hair. House rabbits living in centrally heated homes often moult incessantly, especially heavy coated breeds. This is an annoying side effect of keeping pets indoors (heavy-coated dogs living indoors do the same) and there is nothing you can do except groom your bunnies and vacuum your home daily!

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