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Losing hair...

22 11:33:13

Question
Hiya, I have a long haired dwarf lop rabbit, over the past couple of days my rabbit has been losing a lot of hair in clumps from a diamond shaped patch on her back, it is the top fluffy coat that she is losing, and the underneath coarser hair is staying there. It is almost as if she is gradually turning into a short haired rabbit! This diamond has gradually got bigger and is continuing to do so. The rest of her body is moulting slightly but she is usually continually like this. I am a little concerned because although she is not going absolutly bald or anything, she is an outside rabbit and I am aware that the weather is getting colder, if her whole body just ends up with this short coarse hair, will this effect how well insulated she is? I have looked at the skin around that area (which was truicky because the coarse fur is quite dense!) and it doesn't look sore, and she has no dandruff. She is eating and drinking and going to the toilet as usual and is perfectly lively. Last month she was spayed, and the wound has healed up well and quickly. I do know whether this could be an effect of the operation perhaps? I hope you can help me! Thank you for spending time in replying as this is such a useful service!

Regards

Zara (and Poppy)

Answer
Dear Zara,

It sounds as if Zara is going through a normal shed cycle.  I suspect the coarse, short hair underneath the shedding spots will gradually grow out to their full length.  Even if they don't, I wouldn't worry about insulation:  rabbit fur is very insulating, even in its short form.  In fact, short fur is easier for the bunny to maintain, and is the normal form for rabbit fur.

While she sheds, be sure she gets plenty of fresh water and fresh grass hay (not alfalfa) to help push things through, along with nice, wet greens to keep her intestinal contents hydrated and moving well.  Groom her regularly, to reduce the amount of hair she might ingest.

If you ever suspect an abnormal cause for fur loss in Poppy, you can check here for possible causes and treatments:

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

Even a long-haired rabbit should not be outdoors in the cold of winter without shelter.  Please refer to www.rabbit.org for information on litterbox training and other items that will make it easy for you to bring Poppy inside where she'll be safe from the cold and predators.

Hope this helps!  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana