Hair loss on rabbit's ears

farmergirl · #1 07/10/10, 01:47 PM

I am fairly new to raising meat rabbits. Been doing so for about 9 months, so this is the first time that I have had rabbits through the heat of a Texas summer.
My Californian rabbits have all lost the dark fur on their ears. It's not that the ears are BALD, it's just that the dark hair fell out and seems to have been replaced by white hair.

They are all otherwise healthy and acting normally.

Anyone familiar with this?

rabbitpatch · #2 07/10/10, 02:03 PM

How old are your rabbits? My californians have grey instead of black markings anyway, but they seem to be lighter in the summer and darker in the winter. Mine also seem to get lighter each year. One doe is nearly 3 and her grey is very very pale, almost silver.

farmergirl · #3 07/10/10, 03:08 PM

The senior doe was given to me, so I don't know exactly how old she is, but I'd guess at least a couple of years. Even the 3 month old babies have very light colored ears, which started out darker when they were born in April.

I really don't think it's a fungal or mite infestation, as no one is itching/scratching and the skin looks normal under the lighter hair.

I purchased a new young buck a couple months ago. He's having the same thing happen with the hair on his ears.

rabbithappy · #4 07/10/10, 03:22 PM

Most all rabbits lose hair on their ears during the summer. The ears are the main place that heat escapes the body on the rabbits, so the lack of hair in summer just helps out this process. In fall & winter, the hair will grow back thicker. As far as the darker color returning, I don't know. I just got Californians recently, so time will tell if their darker color returns. One of my junior girls' feet & tail is almost totally white, the other's only lightened up a bit.

Devoville · #5 07/10/10, 03:54 PM

Californian rabbits darker 'points" are temperature sensitive. The colder it is the darker the points are when the grow in new fur and the hotter it is when they moult the lighter. None of my rabbit loose fur on their ears during the heat, that is caused by something else.Rabbits cool themselves through their breathing not their ears.

farmergirl · #6 07/10/10, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devoville

Californian rabbits darker 'points" are temperature sensitive. The colder it is the darker the points are when the grow in new fur and the hotter it is when they moult the lighter. None of my rabbit loose fur on their ears during the heat, that is caused by something else.Rabbits cool themselves through their breathing not their ears.

How hot does it get where you are? It's been near 100 degrees with very high humidity here for the last couple of months.

MaggieJ · #7 07/10/10, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devoville

Rabbits cool themselves through their breathing not their ears.

Many, if not most, rabbit experts would disagree with you on this. While it is true that rabbits will pant when too hot, panting indicates that the rabbit is already distressed... It is not the primary means of cooling.

The ears of the rabbit have veins that dilate when the rabbit is too hot, allowing the blood flowing through to cool somewhat. Many people spritz the ears of hot rabbits or apply water to the ears to provide additional relief from the heat. A spray bottle is always available in my rabbitry in summer.

Owners of lops sometimes report that their rabbits hang those long ears in their water crocks.

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-11/ear.html
http://www.showbunny.com/temperature.html

farmergirl · #8 07/10/10, 08:33 PM

Spritzing the rabbit's ears

Now there's a thought! I bet my flock of buns would sure appreciate that this summer.

MaggieJ · #9 07/10/10, 08:37 PM

Don't make the water too cold or the bunnies won't like it. It works by evaporation, so tepid water is okay. I use a fine mist and aim over the rabbit's head for the most part, letting the fine spray drift down on them. Some like it better than others, but all seem refreshed by it.

farmergirl · #10 07/12/10, 05:48 PM

Maggie,
Would an automatic mister system work? I could set one up on a timer to go off for a few minutes every couple of hours.

MaggieJ · #11 07/12/10, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmergirl

Maggie,
Would an automatic mister system work? I could set one up on a timer to go off for a few minutes every couple of hours.

I should think an automatic mister would be ideal. You will likely have to fiddle with the timing/duration a bit at first but it sure beats running down to the rabbitry with the "water gun" every few hours. The heat is not so bad here, usually... so I can get away with just three bunny checks a day, unless anyone looks "off".

farmergirl · #12 07/12/10, 09:34 PM

Thanks for the help

My bunnies will be so much more comfortable this summer with a cooling mist.
Right now we check morning, afternoon and evening, and the buns are in a large airy barn, with their cages set on the dirt floor to keep them as cool as possible. When they are set up like this I end up having to move the cages every few days to keep the area under them clean. If I set up the mister system, I can raise them up off the floor which will make cleaning SO much easier on me!

MaggieJ · #13 07/13/10, 06:23 AM

Since they are in a barn, you will have to adjust the misting so that you don't get too much moisture accumulating. If your climate is hot and dry, this will likely not be an issue. If it is hot and humid, please be careful of mold and mildew, which can cause breathing problems. I'm not sure what and how you feed the buns, but you don't want damp pellets or hay laying around for any extended period of time. Just some things to keep in mind.

farmergirl · #14 07/13/10, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaggieJ

Since they are in a barn, you will have to adjust the misting so that you don't get too much moisture accumulating. If your climate is hot and dry, this will likely not be an issue. If it is hot and humid, please be careful of mold and mildew, which can cause breathing problems. I'm not sure what and how you feed the buns, but you don't want damp pellets or hay laying around for any extended period of time. Just some things to keep in mind.

Thanks for the pointers

The barn is open on two sides, so there is a good bit of air flow in the summer. It has been quite humid here lately...heat index was in the low 100's yesterday.

I'll need to arrange the mister system so that their food doesn't get damp. I think I can do this by running a small mister line at the very back of their cages, over the top. I'll play around with it to come up with the best setup. My DH has started misting their ears by hand in the afternoons per your advice. Thanks again!

MaggieJ · #15 07/13/10, 01:59 PM

Glad to hear you have good air flow, Farmergirl. That really helps the mist evaporate... and of course evaporation is what causes the cooling. Some people use wet burlap to provide cooling by evaporation. It would be a good choice for rabbits such as Angoras, whose fur quality would be damaged by water.

farmergirl · #16 07/13/10, 02:56 PM

I'm wondering if setting up a fan for them during the day would keep them comfortable until I get something more permanent setup. I could hang a box fan in such a way that all four of the rabbit cages get a nice breeze on them.

MaggieJ · #17 07/13/10, 04:37 PM

A fan would certainly be helpful.

farmergirl · #18 07/13/10, 06:24 PM

My rabbits thank you for your advice and interest in their comfort, lol!