Fur becoming pale over time, vitimin d deficiency?

[Autumn's Dad]

For a long time I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me but now I am pretty certain- Autumn has slowly been loosing her colour. She started off a fawn colour back in 2015 but has since turned a dusty/very light brown colour. Pictures cant illustrate it, it seems. She was born in mid 15 so it’s not age induced, could having her permanently indoors be causing a vitamin d deficiency? She is otherwise happy and (to my knowledge) healthy.

Thank you for your time

[Bam]

It’s not uncommon for buns to change color their first few years. It’s the same with dogs, they often don’t get their adult color and quality of fur until they’re about 3.

[Autumn's Dad]

Thanks for the reply bam, I didn’t know they could do that.

[Gina.Jenny]

Gina and Mini clearly change shade when they moult, you can see the new coat come in, in distinct patches. Jenny actually grew some red/brown highlights in one moult, which really stood out in her dark grey fur!

[Bam]

There are vets that say rabbits can get vitamin D deficiency from getting too little direct sunlight, f ex Frances Harcourt-Brown has written about this. But I don’t recall reading about change of coloring as a sign of D-deficiency.

[Azerane]

I have wondered about vitamin D deficiency since my buns are indoors exclusively, but I’m really not sure what to look out for in that regard or how big of an issue it really is.

[Bam]

It is debated, Azerane. Q8 takes her Chewie outside during the tolerable season (=when it’s not too hot for bunnies in Kuwait), and she bought him a UVB-lamp for the intolerable season, but he avoided it. I can see that happening, bunnies aren’t big fans of bright lights.

Frances H-B has written about D-deficiency and aquired dental disease in rabbits. She found that inddor buns with no access to sunlight had lower levels of vit D in their blood than rabbits that had access to sunlight. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10576278 But then she says it doesn’t matter for the calcium-uptake as long as the diet is sufficient in calcium, it only matters if the diet is low in calcium. https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food

[Autumn's Dad]

Sorry I missed your replies (and bumping an old thread)
G.J- interesting, it’s pretty cool to that that happens, Autumn too sometimes gets red strands in her coat.
bam- thank you for the info, it’s good to know it won’t harm them.

[Author]

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