Caring for a Shedding, Molting Bunny

When the weather changes from mild to hot and you break out the shorts and flip flops, your bunny will undoubtedly be shedding his/her winter fur coat.  When a bunny sheds, it's called molting.  Bunnies typically molt about twice a year, though one molt may be barely noticeable and the second look like a blizzard of fur.  Baby bunnies have three molts their first year since they also have a baby coat to shed, but again, some of these molts will likely be mild.

Removing the Loose Fur

The first step is to have a good quality brush ready for when your bunny molts.  My favorite is the Hair Buster brush, as its rubber strip helps to catch and gently pull away dead, loose fur as you brush.  The bristles are rigid steel, so you need to be gentle and might possibly need to distract your bunny, such as brushing during feeding time when your bunny is preoccupied with satisfying his hunger.  You will likely need to brush your bunny 1-2 times per day during a heavy molt, and this can last for a couple weeks (or longer).  Don't worry, brushing only takes a few minutes per day.  Some bunnies tend to molt quickly and others look like homeless bunnies for weeks.

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