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Tips for the shedding bun?

Teal'c

Alpha Buck
I read on here that bunnies molt so I'm no longer running around, "She's going bald! She's going bald! Help! Help! She's going bald!!!!!" But still....there are hairballs everywhere. Is there anything I can do to help Teyla shed this out as fast as possible? I brushed her and brushed her and brushed her and she basically shedded out a Teal'c. :shock: The hair is getting everywhere, especially in my eyes and it's just killing me.

Would a bath help? More and more brushing? I've taken to vacuuming her cage every day because there is a layer of grey hair on the bottom. She's making her own carpet!

Thanks.
 
I wouldn't bath her just cos she's moulting - i think the buns find it really stressful and I doubt it'd get out any more than brushing ...

I've had Asta just over a year and I think she moults about 4 times a year! You'll need to get used to having hair everywhere!

I find stroking them and gently pulling on the tufty bits (not pulling as such, just 'encouraging' them to come out) works better than a brush, but maybe you have abetter brush than me.

I find they lose loads when they get stressed too - I did their claws the other day and it's like they just shed hair as a defence mechanism when they're stressed :lol:

Good luck with the hoovering ....
 
:shock: Oh boy. Good thing she's just as precious as can be! But why does she shed so much more than Teal'c?
 
When Charm was loosing all his hair a bath actually did him the world of good. We were bathing him because of the mess on his bottom even though he had gut stasis! So don't ask me how long he'd been in that state. But anyways we got out most of the mess, blocked my plug hole and noticed a dramatic reduction on how much hair we were finding. The bath removed far more hair than the actual brushing ever did and contry to the above post it did not stress him at all. Well appart from his initial jumping into our arms, when the water got going he was loving it. He even moved at the slightest encouragement to let us get the showerhead where it needed to be. He was far happier afterwards.

In short? Will it help? not a clue. Will it stress your bun? It really depends on the bun.
 
I find that the pet brushes don't work to get out Bailey's lose hair when he is moulting. They just seem to skim over the surface. I tried a flea comb as it was really fine, but his fur is too soft for the comb to penetrate properly. I also tried a human hair comb, but it was a bit scratchy and he didn't like it. So I went back to just using my hands to pull the loose fur out. Its scarey how much the brush doesn't get! I do this thoroughly a couple of times a day when he is moulting heavily, as well as whenever I pick him up. He hates me when he is moulting :roll: ;)
 
It's really not recommended to bath a rabbit, but running wet hands over their fur gets loads of hair out - I have a bowl of water and just damp my hands so they're not dripping, stroke, roll the stuck on fur off my hands into a ball and do it again. Particularly round their back end, you can pluck and pluck it out - they're not impressed but they do seem to shed a lot there!

I would also get some 40mg chewable bromelain tablets from holland and barrett, or papaya tablets, and give one of them a day to help them pass the hair they are swallowing.
 
I find one of the rubberised dog drooming gloves, really useful. here
I used to just do the finger grooming, combined with a soft brush, but the started getting annoyed. This way is much quicker, and I had one for my old cat anyway. :)
 
I have a slicker brush with small metal bristles that does get some of the hair out. Fidget is having a mega-moult though, she's just short haired but fluffy if that makes sense, and it's like plucking out another rabbit! I do tend to just pull it out with my hands, but that resulted in me being bitten last night :shock: :roll: :lol: .

I wouldn't bath a rabbit unless it was absolutely necessary. They're very easily stressed and not easy to get dry, their fur is so fine and dense!
 
I guess you have to work out whats best for you and each individual bun. With Lavender she will sit while we comb her and/or 'pluck' her (by this I mean gently removing the tufts by hand), but Charlie is a complete pain and hates being combed/brushed/plucked/the wet hand thing/grooming gloves and everything else I've tried except - the vacuum. I'm am being completely serious. We put the brush on the end of the tube bit, Charlie sits on Steve's lap with Steve stroking him and ruffling his fur up, and I run the brush of the hoover over him! It makes his fur go quite cool and I think this is why he likes it. Charlie is also a bit of a lap bunny and loves his fuss so this works for him. :shock:
 
It's really not recommended to bath a rabbit, but running wet hands over their fur gets loads of hair out - I have a bowl of water and just damp my hands so they're not dripping, stroke, roll the stuck on fur off my hands into a ball and do it again. Particularly round their back end, you can pluck and pluck it out - they're not impressed but they do seem to shed a lot there!

I would also get some 40mg chewable bromelain tablets from holland and barrett, or papaya tablets, and give one of them a day to help them pass the hair they are swallowing.

hi elve:wave: you mentioned these tablets when i had statis scare with daisy - i think she may well have had some fur inside her as i've now seen poos with a pooey fur string attaching them. i've been grooming but like everyone says its not easy ! :shock: so i'm very interested in these tablets, what are they and how do they work? i could pop and get some today if you are sure they are ok for everybun? thanks :)
 
Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapples. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it helps the stomach contents move along, so if there is hair it helps them pass it more easily. My Bailey loves them, I'm giving him one a day at the moment, half at night and half in the morning, although you don't have to give it in 2 lots if you don't want to :) It really does seem to have helped him pass the hair through. Luuna won't take them from me, but shes only been here a day so far, she might decide she likes them later! If your bun seems disinterested, try breaking one in half and offering it to her like that, it might help release the fruity smell :)
 
Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapples. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it helps the stomach contents move along, so if there is hair it helps them pass it more easily. My Bailey loves them, I'm giving him one a day at the moment, half at night and half in the morning, although you don't have to give it in 2 lots if you don't want to :) It really does seem to have helped him pass the hair through. Luuna won't take them from me, but shes only been here a day so far, she might decide she likes them later! If your bun seems disinterested, try breaking one in half and offering it to her like that, it might help release the fruity smell :)

hi :wave: it may have been you who suggested it actually or both soz:oops: but very useful anyway :) thanks for update have also done a google which said they help in digestive orders and inflammation so also good for arthritis - so think me and the bunnies could both benefit - what a find !! we'll have some each morning with our breakfast !! :D
 
hi :wave: it may have been you who suggested it actually or both soz:oops: but very useful anyway :) thanks for update have also done a google which said they help in digestive orders and inflammation so also good for arthritis - so think me and the bunnies could both benefit - what a find !! we'll have some each morning with our breakfast !! :D

Pretty much everything I said in that post was what Elve told me or others, so she can take the credit for it :lol: I didn't know they helped with arthritis too! They are quite yummy though, I eat them too sometimes :oops: :lol:
 
Would some pineapple juice be okay as well? If so, how much? And is canned okay, if I can find some without added sugar?
 
I think that the heating during the canning process destroys the enzyme. I also think I read that the enzyme is found in the green top of the pineapple? I'm not sure if you can feed that bit? Hopefully someone will read this who actually knows something! Unlike me, I'm a bit unsure :lol:
 
Its not homeopathic :) Its literally just the enzyme from the pineapple, which is the bit of the pineapple that would be doing the job if you fed the fruit on its own. Its just extracted and made into a tablet :)
 
You can also get papaya tablets from bunny websites, this does essentially the same thing, but they are papain, the enzyme from papayas and the pineapple enzyme. Again these are concentrated, but theres no point in feeding something more dilute that is going to be little to no benefit.

http://www.bunnymail.co.uk/ Under 'foods'
https://www.thehayexperts.com/product_info.php?products_id=134 They also come in 500 tablet pots, they probably have an expiry date though, depends how fast you will get through them.

If you're not happy with them, then lots of grooming, lots of hay, lots of water and fewer pellets is probably the only other way, which I'm sure you're already doing :)
 
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