Doe Shedding Like Nobody's Business

[foxviewfarm]

It is mid December in Connecticut and all of my breeders are well past their fall molt (THANK GOD. I dread mass shedding). I have one doe in particular who never slowed down shedding and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. It is an absolute struggle to keep her cage from becoming a nasty mess of matted hair and urine, while everybody else's cage is almost spotless. Most of her excess fur is on her back and hindquarters. It is definitely not an obesity issue, though. She is probably the most trim doe that I own. She eats the same ration as everybody else, is in the same barn, drinks the same water, etc. Could age have something to do with it? Her DOB is unknown, but she is fully matured and has had at least a handful of litters before I got her this spring. Any other suggestions as to what it could be?

 

[Baymule]

Grooming her will help with the flying fur. If you have a table to set her on, use a scrap of carpet under her so that she has good footing and feels secure. Have a spray bottle of water, lightly spritz her fur, if that scares her, then spray your hands. You want the fur lightly damp, not wet. Rub her back and forth, the fur will come out and stick to your hands, then you can rub your hands together to remove the fur. It may not solve the furry cage problem, but it will help.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

I use a grooming brush during molting season for some of of my bunnies. They shed bad! I do the exact same this as @Baymule said, but I add a dog grooming brush. Mine love it. The hair comes out like crazy and it makes them feel much better. I’m surprised you’re having issues this early in the season, perhaps it’s just a lot warmer there than here.

 

[Miss mouse]

My 2 California girls are still shedding while all my Flemish giants aren’t. All my rabbits are about 8-10 months old so I don’t think it’s an age thing but a breed thing. Is the barn heated? Exposure to sunlight? We keep ours at 4 Celsius and we have one west facing window above their cages