Rabbit shedding tons of fur, why is she aggressive when touched?

A change in weather can cause increased shedding. Other causes include parasites, infection or stress. If the shedding persists and results in bald patches, have Fluffy examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating rabbits. Any treatment will depend on the diagnosis. In the meantime, clean the cage and provide fresh bedding. Make sure she isn't too hot or too cold. Look her over for redness, sores or dry skin.

It can be completely normal for a rabbit to shed. Sometimes they will shed larger amounts when scared or stressed. They can also lose fur with skin infections or mite infestations. If Bunny Boo’s skin is nice and pink and appears healthy, then she is probably having a normal amount of shedding. If her skin seems overly dry, crusty, or flakey, this could indicate a problem. You also want to watch closely to make sure there are no additional areas of baldness like around the ear. If Bunny Boo is exhibiting any of the symptoms described above, I would recommend taking her in to the vet to be checked out. She may need medication for a skin infection. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Fluffy. Loose fur is an indication of a molt but if ingested by the rabbit can cause gastrointestinal irritation or blockages. Using your hand or a glove to gently pet her and remove hair could help. Plucking small quantities of loose fur slowly might be less painful. Brushing can work with a softContinuing to assist grooming is advised. It is also noted that she is an un-spayed female, which needs to be rectified. Rabbits have a very high incidence of uterine cancer if left un-spayed. Good luck.

Thanks for your question about Puku. I didn’t see what breed she is, but that could make a difference. For example, Angoras require grooming on a daily basis due to the large amounts of hair that they grow. It also can be temperature dependent - longer haired rabbits in warm climates will shed a great deal. Of course, there are also nutritional and medical conditions that can be related to hair loss as well. An ideal rabbit diet is made up of 80% grass based hays that are of high quality, one tablespoon of Timothy pellets per 5 lbs of body weight, and 1 cup of leafy greens per 5 pounds of body weight. Greens examples include red and green leaf lettuce, romaine, endive, escarole, cilantro, parsley, mint, dill, basil, and radicchio. I don’t recommend any fruits, seeds, milk products, or other carbohydrate treats for rabbits. I would recommend considering an examination for Puku. They can evaluate the skin and look at hairs under the microscope to ensure she doesn’t have any issues there. They may also recommend blood work to evaluate her systemic health. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for your question about Autumn, and thank you for the photos - they are very helpful. Rabbits can be quite varied in the way that they molt, and this may be a variation in Autumn's molt. There is also an infectious agent that can result in areas that look similar to what is occurring on Autumn's head. It is a fungal organism called dermatophytosis, or ring worm. There can be no redness, and no itching. Occasionally there is flaking like you mentioned, and often it can resolve and recur in cycles, similar to what you are describing happened to Autumn. Unfortunately, ring worm is zoonotic, which means that it can be passed from animals to humans. My recommendation would be to take Autumn to a veterinarian for evaluation. They can take samples of the hairs on Autumn's head and perform a fungal culture on them. They can also perform a thorough physical examination on Autumn to ensure that they don't find any abnormalities - the reason I bring this part up is that typically ringworm should not affect healthy individuals with a competent immune system. Until you can get Autumn to a veterinarian, I would recommend washing your hands after handling him. I hope that this gives you a place to start, and I wish you and Autumn the best.

This could be due to Cheyletiella parasitovorax, a rabbit skin mite. It's characterized by by patchy fur loss with flaking on the back of a rabbit. I'd have Rueben seen by a vet to have this diagnosed and treated.

If the skin looks normal where the hair is missing then it is possible that the other bunny is pulling it out OR Snow White could be self mutilating as well. Also mites and ringworm are common in rabbits as well. I would encourage you to have her evaluated by a veterinarian. In the meantime please practice good hygiene after handling her as ring worm is contagious to people as well. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.