A rabbit that loses a lot of hair can sometimes panic inexperienced rabbit owners. The hair is sometimes even scattered in the cage or when you pet the rabbit, large tufts stick to your hands. A bald spot here or there is also common. Still, you usually don’t have to worry and it comes to normal hair loss during the molting process, where the rabbit gets a new coat. However, hair loss can also indicate a disease or condition. For example, allergies, various types of mites or fungal infections can also cause hair loss. Hence, it is helpful to recognize the difference between both forms of hair loss. How can you find out whether it is normal moulting or a more serious cause?
- The molt of a rabbit
- Extra care for rabbits during moulting
- When is hair loss worrying?
- Conditions that can lead to hair loss
- Hair loss from parasites and disease
The molt of a rabbit
Frequency
A rabbit goes through a period of molting every three to six months. A light moult usually alternates with a heavier moult followed by a lighter moult again. The precise frequency can vary from rabbit to rabbit: some animals moult every three months, others only every four to five months.
Violence and duration
Every rabbit is also different and there are big differences in the severity and duration of the molt. Some rabbits take up to a week to get a new coat ?? to attract. In other rabbits, it may take a month or more for molting to end. Some rabbits develop bald spots in various places during moulting or even become completely bald. Other animals barely show baldness.
Because the molting of a rabbit can be so intense, this is sometimes very scary for new owners. Is it normal for a rabbit to lose so much hair or go almost completely bald? The molting in rabbits is often much more severe and drastic than in other animals.
Extra care for rabbits during moulting
When your rabbit pane it is very important that you brush the animal extra often. Do this at least once a day. If you have an angora rabbit, twice a day is the minimum. Do use a soft brush, as rabbits’ skin is fragile. You can damage the skin with a brush that is too hard.
Brushing is also important to prevent your rabbit from swallowing too much hair. This can cause blockages and hairballs in the intestinal tract. The most important thing to avoid blockages is a correct diet with a lot of hay and little commercial food. A rabbit must also have unrestricted access to water at all times. Especially during moulting, it is important that a rabbit drinks a lot of water so that swallowed hair can pass through the intestines more easily.
When is hair loss worrying?
Experienced owners of rabbits usually know immediately whether it is a normal moulting problem or some other problem. New rabbit owners are often worried or even panicked about the hair loss. Two rules can help you in that case.
When in doubt, go to the vet
The most important rule: when in doubt, take your rabbit to the vet. He can immediately check whether it is normal hair loss as a result of molting or whether there is a medical problem.
Are there other symptoms?
The second rule: when the hair loss is due to a disease, you usually see more symptoms than just hair loss. Your rabbit may also have red skin, scabs or dandruff or scratch itself more often than usual.
If those additional symptoms are not there, the chance that something is wrong with your rabbit is smaller. The place on the body where the hair loss mainly occurs can provide an indication of the cause.
Conditions that can lead to hair loss
Hair loss can be the result of an allergic reaction in your rabbit. But dental problems or ‘harmless’ things such as boredom can also cause these symptoms.
Allergy
If your rabbit is allergic to the bedding or any food part, you can see hair loss. Usually there are other symptoms such as scratching, sneezing or red patches on the skin. When in doubt, you can buy a different ground cover and see if the hair loss decreases.
Dental problems
If the hair loss is mainly around the mouth, this can indicate a dental problem. Dental problems can cause the rabbit to produce a lot of saliva, causing the coat to become wet and burning, resulting in hair loss. You often notice other symptoms with dental problems such as eating less quickly or grinding your teeth.
False pregnancy
Female rabbits that have not been spayed sometimes go through a mock pregnancy. They then act just like a pregnant female rabbit. This also includes pulling the hair off the coat to build a nest with it. Avoiding a false pregnancy is just one of the many reasons why every nurse should be sterilized, in addition to avoiding uterine cancer.
Boredom
A bored rabbit may wash itself or other rabbits too often, resulting in hair loss and bald patches. A rabbit needs at least three to four hours a day outside the cage or hutch. A rabbit also needs a lot of toys as a distraction in order not to get bored
Hair loss from parasites and disease
Hair loss in a rabbit can also be due to parasites: tiny organisms, sometimes barely visible to the naked eye, that affect your rabbit’s health and can lead to hair loss. Especially mites and ringworm sometimes occur in rabbits.
Fur mites
Mites are parasites. They are small bugs, hard to see, that settle in your rabbit’s fur. With an infection of mites you often see other symptoms such as dandruff, bald spots, thinning hair, often scratching and redness of the skin in addition to hair loss.
Ear mites
When the hair loss is around the ears, your rabbit can suffer from ear mites. Check the ears regularly to see if they are clean inside. With ear mites or other ear disorders you will see crusts or cuts in the ear. Your rabbit will also scratch its ears or shake its head remarkably often because of the itching.
Ringworm
Ringworm is not a worm but a fungus that affects the skin of a rabbit and can also cause hair loss. Moreover, this fungus is also transferable to humans. Rapid treatment by the vet is therefore necessary.
With ringworm, your rabbit usually has bald patches and slightly red skin. You often also notice a light or hard crust on the bald spot. Usually the bald spots are on the head, ears or front legs.