Aging Rabbit?

Question
How do you tell when a bunny is getting older?  We adopted a rabbit 3 yrs ago (dwarf mostly white short hair) and were told he was between 1-2 yrs old.  Now his very dark brown ears have been losing pigment (?) and he looks like he has sort of salt-and-pepper colored ears (like an older person).  Does this mean he is older than we thought? He is pretty much the same otherwise, although occasionally he has a little bit of runny poop (not often) which didn't used to happen.  He has not lost weight. Any comments, suggestions?

Answer
Dear Aileen,

Most rabbits do not get gray hair as they age, though black rabbits sometimes get a little bit of "peppering" as early as three years of age.  So the lightening of his coat isn't necessarily a sign that he's an Old Man Bun.  :) Some rabbits' fur changes color seasonally, with the summer coat being lighter.  When he shed again, you'll be able to tell if this is just a cyclical thing.

The runny stool could be a problem, so please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

The most common causes are incorrect diet:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

and undetected dental problems:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

You can find a good rabbit vet to help you here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope that helps!

Dana