Bald Patches

[glass-daisies]

Hi, I have two dwarf lop eared bunny sisters called Daisy and Pheobe and they're about a year old. They live in a hutch/run outside but frequently are brought into the house for exercise and basically human company!

Anyway, today I took them out and I noticed Phoebe has a large bald patch near her neck. Should I be worried? It's not red, or sore /weeping etc. It just looks like she has a bald patch. I've had a look and the skin that's exposed is clean and completely healthy to what i can see!

Does anyone know what it could be?

Thanks.

 

[JimD]

Giving my best guesses here....

#1 - It could be that she's molting.

#2 - It could be mites. Is there any flaking...like dandruff? Mites can only be seen under magnification and it usually requires a vet visit to confirm that as a diagnosis.

#3 - Is it possible that she or the other rabbit is pulling her fur out? Are they hutched together?

~Jim

 

[glass-daisies]

The skin is completely clean, I've checked it again when I went out tofeed them, no dandruff or flaking or any signs of soreness. It's like her normal skin but without fur.

Yes, she's hutched with the sister. They have fought in the past, but it was when they were younger and it only happened once, a little bit of a scrap really... I'm not sure whether Daisy could be pulling her sister's fur out. They're out for exercise either in their run if I'm in the garden or in the house if I'm not and they never fight or bicker... Could she be doing it whilst I'm not around?

I thought maybe it was moulting, but is that possible giving the time of year? It's just in one small patch in between her neck and her stomach, sort of on her chest.

Thanks.

 

[JimD]

Rabbits generally shed every 3 months. I don't think my buns are aware of this though, because they seem to be shedding or molting all of the time. Weight, diet, season change, temp change,and stress can all prompt a buns to shed/molt.

If the skin is okay, there's no flaking, the buns not scratching....I would suspect that it's a molt or heavy shed. Some buns will go almost completely bald during a molt before their fur grows back. Takes a week or two for the new fur to start growing in.

Just curious....does she drink her water from a bowl. Sometimes, if the fur is damp too much of the time, it can cause the fur to fall out and possibly develop a fungal skin condition. This condition is usually very obvious....it actually does not sound like your issue, but just wanted to try to cover all the bases.

~Jim

 

[glass-daisies]

The patch is completely bald, and she isn't scratching at it at all.Also, when I touched her around that area to have a look at it she didn't jump or show signs of it being uncomfortable.

No, they drink out of a double ball water bottle...

 

[JimD]

Keep a close eye on it just in case, but I would guess that it is probably due to shed/molt. You should see new fur start to grow in in the next week or so.

~Jim

 

[zoecat6]

My Flemish Ben has a large bald spot on the back of his neck also. I finally figured out its from his girlfriend excessively grooming him.

 

[glass-daisies]

Thanks

They'll be out again tonight and I'll have another look, and keep my eye on it. If the fur doesn't show signs of re-growth or it becomes red/sore I'll take her to the vets.

zoecat6 - They do groom each other... I wonder if it could be that...