Help about rabbit fur

[BugsLola1411]

Hie.....My white female rabbit's fur on her left side is going rough.......Have tried to clean it.....But that does not help.....
Any ideas as to what I can do????

 

[alli]

What do you mean by it it going rough

 

[Ivythelionhead]

Can you tell us what you mean by the fur is getting rough?

 

[Aki]

I don't really understand what you mean either - the main normal problem with fur is moulting. Some rabbits don't look good while they do (my Aki tends to look ridiculous when she does as she has a dark coat with a white undercoat and it makes weird patterns with strands sticking out). If your rabbit's fur is dirty or is indeed rough (but just on one side?), that can indicate another problem. Explain in details what you mean, give your rabbit's age. A photo might help too.

 

[BugsLola1411]

The fur is not moulting....... Initially I thought it was dirty......Soo I cleaned it.....
It did not help......
There is a patch on her left side where each strand of fur seems to be sticking to the other........Because if which it seems rough to touch.....
It is not sticky or anything.......She is about 1.7 years of age.

 

[BugsLola1411]

The rest of the fur on her body is soft as it has always been

 

[alli]

Oh okay. Keep me updated. Could u send me a picture?

 

[BugsLola1411]

It cannot be seen in a picture........It's rough to feel

View attachment 1485865043252.jpg

 

[katiecrna]

Is it dry or flacky skin?
Are the hairs sticking together? Can you brush a comb through it without it getting stuck?
I'm trying to see if it's actually the fur itself or the skin under it.

 

[alli]

Use cornstarch and brush it in or vegetable oil

 

[alli]

Leave the stuff there for a few minutes and then rinse it out

 

[BugsLola1411]

The brush is sure to get stuck.....Like I said earlier.....The hair is sticking to each other.

 

[BugsLola1411]

She hates to be cleaned.....She is a drama queen.
Won't the vegetable oil or cornstarch be tough to remove

 

[Aki]

The weird thing is that it's only on one side. Is it something that you cleaned and that came back or has it just been that way for a few days with you not succeeding in cleaning it? Is there anything she could be rubbing against? Is she a house rabbit? Free ranged? Because if it's always on the same place, the cause is probably external. Is she a single rabbit? I think looking for the cause is more important than to try to clean her. She will do it herself once the problem is not there anymore.

 

[BugsLola1411]

We tried cleaning it but it didn't go....
She is a house rabbit who is left free to roam around. I do have another male rabbit...Bugs, who is neutered. Lola on the other hand is not spayed yet.

 

[Aki]

If they are in contact, the male might have pissed on her to mark her or tried to mount her on her side. It's not rare for a neutered male to still display hormonal behavior when they are in contact with an intact female.
I never tried starch or oil, I would be worried about making a mess. If the rabbit really can't clean herself, there are shampoos for rabbits that work well. It's not recommended to clean a rabbit often, but sometimes you have to (I have to do it with Tybalt sometimes as he developped pododermatitis from not cleaning his back paws which leads to 'dreadlocks' with poos stuck inside if you just leave him be). It works very well. You just take a small basin half filled with warm water. You just wet the side of the rabbit, shampoo, rinse (trying not to wet the rabbit more than necessary) and dry well with a towel. I do everything sitting on the floor, with the basin in front of me so the experience is not to scary (and that I don't risk injuring my bunny if he wriggles free). Your rabbit won't like it. Most rabbits don't like to be handled in the first place. But she'll live ^^. My rabbit generally hates on me for an hour or so afterwards, but his hair is clean and soft again.

 

[BugsLola1411]

Thanks a lot....Will surely try it