hair regrowth

Hello!

I have recently bonded my two neutered boys. They have been together for about a month now. Bob is the dominant one. In the a.m. and p.m. Bob seems to require some reassuance from Z that he's the 'big guy'. He tries to mount Zeus, and Z scoots away. Sometimes, Bob gets a liitle of Zeus' hair. I check daily to make sure that Z doesn't have any sores from this. As of yet, I hadn't noticed any.

However....I was just wondering about fur regrowth.
As I was combing Z the other day, I noticed little black spot on his back (where Bob has been resting his head on him, and sometimes getting some hair). I saw hair growing in, and just thought it was regrowth.

But when I took Zeus and Bob to get there nails trimmed (I'm learning to do this myself) she said that that those were spots where Z had sores (from the bonding proces). SHe said the same thing happens when horses get sores. THe hair grows in differently (colorwise). But Z's regrowth is still black. She noticed a few on bob too.

There are no fresh sores on either bun right now.

On horses the hair will grow back white if the layer of skin that provides the pigment is damaged for example some horses will have patches of white hair where a rug has rubbed at their wither or a poorly fitting saddle has created a sore. I have not experienced this with rabbits though.

Thanks!
I can't seem to find any articles on it either. I am very curious though b/c if Zeus did get sores from bob...
Although I realize it happens, especially during a bonding...
At least, if they are from sores, there are NO fresh ones!:roll:

If there are no fresh sores, and the bunnies seem to love each other, don't worry about hair regrowth. It will eventually grow back.

Have both boys been neutered?

oh yes, they've been neutered!

thanks, Antigone (great name by the way!)
That's what I thought too. Hair has already started growing in...

What colour is he? It's normal for rabbits with agouti coats (brown or grey speckled) for the fur to look funny growing back. It's because the very tip of the fur is black, then there is a brown section and the last part is grey. So when the fur first comes through you just see the black tip, when it's grown out it will look normal brown.

Have a closeup look at his coat and blow into the surface to reveal the undercoat. If the fur colour varies along the strand that's what you are seeing.

Rabbits very very rarely grow fur in a different colour in reaction to scars. But that's unlikely as you haven't seen any broken skin and I'm sure you wouldn't have missed a big wound as you've been checking regularly.

Hi Tamsin! That's what I thought too! eus is black agouti though. THe spots growing back look like little black spots, but with a closer look, I can see haor growing in.

Thanks!