Can you force a moult?

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PulpFaction

PulpFaction

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Frank the Thrianta buck has been holding onto a dead coat for a while now. (I'd say almost a month.) Is there anything I can do or feed to help this moult happen so we can try to be ready for a show next month?

He currently gets 18% feed (he's perpetually on the light side,) with a sprinkling of flax and BOSS, and lots and lots of timothy hay. Is the high protein and oil supplements causing him to hold this crappy coat?

Rachel
www.homelesshomesteader.wordpress.com
 
you can try a variety of things. most of which involve a change to the diet.

I've heard/read:

1. dog food
2. cat food
3. adding wheat/oats
4. stopping supplements
5. move to a new location
 
My best guess would be the oil supplements. I would stop the flax and slow down on the BOSS. If you are wanting to put weight on him, try a tablespoon of milk plus pellets as a top dressing on his feed daily.
 
Ok, well I don't know about offering dog or cat food, but I will definitely stop those supplements and hope that and the stress from this past weekend's show gets things moving a bit!

Milk on the rabbit food, huh? I don't keep regular milk in the houses, but have soy or dried milk. Would either of those work? He's very muscular, i'd just like to see a little more cushion on top of that to round him out a bit.
 
Sorry, I should have said calf manna, instead of milk pellets. Here, it depends on which feed store you go to, as to what they're called. I had a broken buck that a friend took to a show. The commented that he needed a bit more condition. I used the pellets until the next show, and he took BOV and BOS in 3 others (triple show), without any negative comments on his condition. I also got a couple of positive comments on his coat condition. I hope this helps. :)<br /><br />__________ Thu Jun 17, 2010 7:26 am __________<br /><br />
 
Generally people recommend BOSS to induce a molt, but since he receives some on a regular basis it probably won't help.
 
You need a drop in protien to start it, sometimes just changing the brand of pellets does it. So stopping any supplements will do it. Once the coat is real good and moulty then start up slowly with the conditioners again.
 
I've got a lot of questions on fur. What is a dead coat, when do rabbits normally molt (is it seasonally?), etc. I've watched quite a few rabbit judgings this year, and I still don't seem to have the hang of it.

Does anyone know of pictures of explanations that show different rabbit coats? I don't mean the fashion type, I mean the ones the rabbits themselves wear.

I'm thinking maybe I should just hang out for a while at an experienced breeder's and get the coat terminology and the actuallity fixed in my mind.

But until that happens, are there any resources that talk about rabbit coats in specific terms?

Thanks!
 

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