Pulling hair, but not a female

[Blaze_Amita]

Firstly, I've had blaze to the vet, the vet pronounced him healthy, just old. He's one of my breeding bucks(used to be). He'll be five on Feb 15th, but he sits there and pulls his own hair out. He's got soo many balding spots and he pulls all the furr off his feet/pads so I have to keep him on something more solid than his normal cage wire-resting mat. He get out as often as the weather is nice enough to get him out, like this morning while the ground was frozen not a mud mess he went out to hop and stretch more.

Why is he pulling out his hair? The vet said he was healthy. He's got a self feeder, 16 oz water bottle which he almost finishes daily, he gets around 14-15 oz, there is always a little left the next morning. I was thinking fleas, but in the dead of winter? He's kept outdoors in their make shift barn(there's barn came down in the bad weather last fall) but he's been doing this for a while, over a year-I know I should have asked a long time ago, but I never watched him until today rip his hair out. He's got toys, nails kept up with monthly. Teeth check out fine, never had a gut problem at all. His eyes are all squinty now too. I'm scared to keep brushing him out because last time he had a few bald spots and he hates it when the brush bristles go over the bald spots.

Could that really be old age? Should I expect my other Holland boys to do the same? Blaze started this right before he turned four, Gabriel turns four this April, should I watch for it in him as well?

I've got cordless clippers-albiet they're horse clippers, but I can adjust them to shave his fur down when it gets warmer if that would stop him from ripping it out.

Blaze was my first bunny so he's the first trip into old age for me.

 

[Blaze_Amita]

I know it's not a very helpful picture. I keep him on a bed of hay as well-cleared daily and fresh put in. This picture's a bit old, as I havehim on the self feeder now, not that dish anymore and he's got way less hair and is much more horrible looking now than he was there.

 

[elrohwen]

Could he just be bored? I know parrots especially will pluck feathers when they are bored and unhappy. Other animals will develop similar destructive habits. Could you try changing his environment - maybe moving him inside for a bit, or giving him time in a pen outside of his cage? You might be doing this already so it could be a moot point.

 

[tonyshuman]

Bored could be it. Also, some parasitic diseases lead to hair falling out, if it's just falling out not being pulled out. If he's pulling it out, it's probably boredom--toys or outside time will help.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

if the fur pulling is as bad as indicated,-an exam-would rule out bugs.,((lagamorph dvm specialist))--.which is a strong possibility,,,not necesarily fleas,,but stress mites,,could be all over him,-otherwise,say some mild pulling-i would try kitten formula ear mite (insecticide)-pyretherins-0.5%..behind the head-(one drop)-on the skin-see if the problem clears up..sincerely james waller--get on top of this before it turns into major-problem...:wave::rose:

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

Blaze_Amita wrote:

I know it's not a very helpful picture. I keep him on a bed of hay as well-cleared daily and fresh put in. This picture's a bit old, as I havehim on the self feeder now, not that dish anymore and he's got way less hair and is much more horrible looking now than he was there.

he is too cute to have a bad aditude....james waller

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I have an older buck who I suspect is doing the same thing, but have not caught him in the act. However, like humans and other animals, rabbits do start to lose coat condition with age. So that can be part of it too. As long as he's eating and drinking well and seems healthy, I would just make sure to keep offering hay to keep him busy and help with any fur ingestion. But otherwise, it's basically an old man thing.

 

[Blaze_Amita]

He's not healthy anymore. he eats and drinks like everybody else. He is the last of his litter alive. His sister died two days ago(Red Thunder Rabbit's owned Angel) She did the same thing Blaze did, ripped her hair out (she had toys and everything else too) dropped weight and wouldn't pick any up.
Blaze is now skin and bones practically and I'm kind of expecting him to pass shortly. I'm just gearing myself up for it. Out of six kits in his litter, he's the only one to see 5 years of age.
He's had outside time in a pen, I don't want to try putting his harness and leash on him now. He just pushed his toys and everything to the corner of his cage.
*sigh* I know I'll have to eventually lose him, but he was my first bun, so this is rough to handle.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

I will be thinking about you and your little old bun man :hug:
I was wondering, what happens if you pluck him a bit for him.. perhaps he wants someone to love on/groom him a bit.
(Not saying that this isn't an old-age thing... just that he might appreciate it...?)

 

[Blaze_Amita]

he bits me if i play and pluck at his fur or even use a soft bristle brush on him. it's not the nice playful nips, it's aggressive bits now. He's almost drawn blood on me a couple of times.
I'm thinking of giving him some pumpkin to see if he'll eat that and gain a little weight. If I can get weight on him I can keep looking for a better vet to talk to.

 

[tamsin]

It's difficult to pick a single possibility as anything that causes a rabbit stress could make them fur pluck as as you know rabbits can get stressed over all sorts of things.

Is he plucking a particular area or all over? If it's just his feet/legs/hips then it could be arthritus. The weight loss could partly be muscle loss if he's moving less. Have you noticed him less keen to exercise or any loss of strength in his backend? It might be worth trying a painkiller to rule in/out pain as a cause for the plucking.

You can put weight on by feeding a few extra pellets or a higher protein feed, a handful of alfalfa as well as normal hay and I'd feed some poridge/rolled oats (mix them with water) that's good for putting weight on bunnies.

 

[Blaze_Amita]

He doesn't hop alot he hasn't in a while he prefers to laze around, since he was a baby. But he is putting weight on now thanks to the oats, he gets a handful every day and gets romaine lettuce and carrots now too
What can i do with arthritis in him? how can i make him comfy. all his hair pulling is legs/hips, etc

 

[ra7751]

Contrary to popular belief....both oats and carrots are not exactly health food for rabbits. There is most likely an underlying problem here and it's probably nutritional. When you combine hair pullingwith "arthritis" and looking at his picture.....he doesn't look healthy and appears to be suffering from Metabolic Bone Disease. A diet deficient in the element Selenium has been linked to hair pulling. This element is one of those that has a fine line between too little and overdosing. I would take a close look at the diet....especially the fortifications in the pellets. I find it interesting that many rabbits are diagnosed with "arthritis". This is usually Metabolic Bone Disease which is also tied to nutrition. MBD develops when there is a Vitamin D deficiency. This is common in house animals. Many pellets contain Vitamin D supplements but many do not. The only other way to get Vitamin D is by exposure to unfiltered sunlight. Vitamin D is essential in the absorbing of calcium. And calcium is another issue that is totally misunderstood in rabbits.

Here are my suggestions. First, review his diet carefully especially what is in the pellets. Make sure he is getting proper nutrition. I would certainly reconsider the oats and carrots....especially in large quantities. Make sure he is properly hydrated. Ask your vet to prescribe Metacam to see if it improves him....his posture in the picture doesn't look all that good (posturing is something we are keenly aware of when we release wildlife). Discuss the possibility of MBD with your vet. Few private practice vets encounter MBD so it's rarely considered. MBD is treatable but takes time and some practices that are contrary to what is believed.

Randy

 

[Blaze_Amita]

I haven't found a KY vet yet, but I'm going to dig into the Vitamin D and extra sunshine and see what I can do. He gets the carrots and lettuce sparsly but he enjoys it.

 

[ra7751]

I encourage you to research Vitamin D and it's relationship to MBD and overall health. Just keep in mind that it is much more complex than just giving Vitamin D. And vitamins are technically drugs so overdosing is possible. One of the presentations of MBD is swollen and/or painful joints which will result in less movement and the posturing he is presenting in the photo you posted. That is why I mentionedMetacam since it's an anti-inflammatory. In other species, steroids arefrequently used but steroids should notgenerally be used in rabbits except in lastresort treatments. MBD is a systemic disorder and affects all body systems. Many cases of rabbit arthritis are actually misdiagnosed and it's MBD. It has to do with the artificial diet we feed, lack of unfiltered sunlight and the inaccurate belief that rabbits should not have calcium. And I would like to take a look at your dietary protocols and see what he could possibly be missing in his diet. If you could post regarding his diet....we can take a look. I also have some articles here on MBD since we cover that in depth in our wildlife educational seminars. I will see if I can find some for your research.

Randy

 

[ra7751]

Here is an article written on MBD in squirrels. Squirrels have a different type digestion system than rabbits but the causes of MBD are the same.

http://www.squirrel-rehab.org/rehabinfo/mbd.html

At the bottom of the page are some links that can show you what happens to baby neonates that are improperly fed and have NMBD (nutritional deficient). But be warned if anyone decides to look at those pics, they are very graphic and may be very disturbing. They are intended for wildlife rehabbers in helping recognize and treat MBD.

Randy

 

[Blaze_Amita]

Well Right now he's got Big Red Rabbit food, but he had been on Nutrena Naturewise, neither food did the trick. he has 15 ounces of water a day that he drinks, I monitor his water very very well. He gets a quarter cuts of oats, free choice timothy/alfalfa mix hay. He has an alfalfa cube to chew on as well, which he doesn't typically bother. He gets outside time when the weather works with me. he loves collard greens and dandalion greens in the spring/summer/fall and gets them when he can(in moderation)

 

[Blaze_Amita]

Could this be why he's the last remaining baby from his litter? his mother-Saturn- only had the six kits before she died a couple months later, and his sister died a week ago, leaving Blaze the last one alive from the litter. We had thought old age since he just turned 5.
*tis sad to think that out of 6 babies, only one saw their 5th birthday

 

[ra7751]

Possibly could be related. I looked at the foods you are offering. I would suggest maybe going to a higher quality food. In this case, I would suggest Mazuri. It is a high end product made by Purina. Mazuri is a huge name in zoological world....not so much in the domestic world. But they offer premium products. You can order directly from Mazuri....and Petsmart carries Mazuri rabbit diet in most of their stores. I would probably drop the oats. I have no problem with alfalfa hay....it does contain higher amounts of calcium and protein so hydration is a must. Dandelions and kale are good and nutritious....my buns don't like collards. I really think he needs an uptick in the diet and maybe some short term pain meds. A full blood chemistry would be very infomative too.

Randy

 

[Blaze_Amita]

i'll start by running to Petsmart tomorrow. it's an hour drive to lexington but Blaze is well worth the time. I can pick up a few extra water bottles(Love the Lixit's) while I am there.



The oats are helping put a little weight on him, he dropped weight badly, just like my Arab mare(horse) when it snapped cold. BUt I will cut him back a bit.