bald spots!

mamafern · Feb 15, 2007

when bunny came a week ago today i noticed that on his back over his spine near his neck his fur was thinner than other places.. i was inspecting it the other day and noticed a darker pigment under the bald spot..small, like a large freckle.. not raised. now hehas another patch but larger near his right hind leg..it seems to be spreading as well. im worried! could he just be shedding or should i take him to the vet?

ETA: he also seems very thin to me.. i can feel his spine and his hips..he has no fat covering them.im not used to rabbits so i dont know if they should be thin or not

he eats his hay and loves greens and the tiny bit of other veggies that we feed him but he doesn't like his pellets...

Aina · Feb 15, 2007

Have you seen him itching or seen his skin flaking? If so it may be a problem. Or it could just be he is molting. My rabbit got a bald spot below her neck and on both of her thighs from molting. Sometimes this is caused when a rabbit changes homes and food, and it is also a seasonal thing I think.

mamafern · Feb 15, 2007

he was living outdoors for a few weeks before wead opetd him into our house. it is warm in here (we have a nudist baby so i try to keep it warm in the house..)
and he has had a change in diet because i dont know what he was being fed before he came here.

mamafern · Feb 17, 2007

nobody has any experience with this??

naturestee · Feb 18, 2007

When you say bald, you mean you can actually seethe skin? Or that the fur is more thin? I know rex rabbits sometimes get bald spots when they are molting. If he's not a rex, I think it would be a good idea to have a vet check him. He may have a fungal infection or another skin problem.

As for body type, with rabbits you want to be able to feel their ribs fairly easily, but you shouldn't feel their spine or hipbones. Some rabbits do feel bony even when they're overweight, but in general if they feel bony it's because they don't have enough fat and muscle. It's quite common for rabbits that don't get exercise to have bony backs because of the lack of muscle.