Flaky Skin, bad diet, Neglected bunny!!

Good Morning Follks,

I hope you can help me.
I have recently fallen in love with a gorgeous bunny that needs rehomed.
He is very overweight and his skin is very flaky which I think is because he has such a bad diet and very little exercise.
His skin is making him very grumpy and I want to know if anyone has any advice they can give to help make him a little more confortable.
I'm going to be grooming him a lot so see if removing the excess hair makes a difference but maybe bathing him in something might help. Any suggestions?

I should be getting him on Saturday morning, he is going to the vet Friday to get a full MOT. I'm very excited

Flakey skin in rabbits is usually a sign of mites, rather than being diet related. You vet will be able to give him ivermectin to get rid of the mites.

it sounds like mites. this can be symptomatic of dental issues too but can be an issue all of its own. the vet can give you an injection of ivermeticvaan to use which will sort out the mites. for poor fur quality it could be to do with the mites(you may even see bold patches) and also could be diet related. dont change his diet quickly as you will upset the gut and cause major problems do it slowly. get him checkd by a vet and if you already have rabbits keep him quarrintined. the most likely things he will need are if poor diet possible dental, claws clipped as they will likely be long... possibly needs muscle building up if been kept in hutch with nio run area.... more space but built up gradually.. .myxi and vhd injections(given 2 weeks aprat) and neutering. provided you are up for these costs plus any other unforseen issues he may or may not have then well done for taking him x

bathing rabbits should be a last resort to remove sticky poop from bottem(better usually to use corn flour and remove dry) as they hate water. x

Thanks

Thanks for the advice.

He is getting checked out at the Vet tomorrow and pets at home are paying for this so if there is a mite problem they should hopefully pick that up and treat him.
i had a look through his fur yesterday and couldnt really see any signs of them and as he is mainly white they are usually easy to spot.

we'll get him sorted ium sure, im determined to make him a happy buny again.

wrong mites arent usually easy to spot you dont see the mites.. you would only see flaking skin as in rabbits they are microscopic.... however if it was fleas you would see dirt. x

ooh i didnt know that.
Man im rubbish my last rabbit didnt have anything wring at all so i didnt really need to worry.

the vet then shoulld pick up on the mites and treat him. fingers crossed!!

Lesli&Bumble said:

ooh i didnt know that.
Man im rubbish my last rabbit didnt have anything wring at all so i didnt really need to worry.

the vet then shoulld pick up on the mites and treat him. fingers crossed!!

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yes the immmediate thinking of flakey skin is possiblity of mites.. after that you start thinking possibly a bad coat and then u have to look in to reasons for that possibly not grooming..... i mean it could be something else but likely to be mites... dont worry wasnt trying to be nasty just that therte are soooo many myths about buns and its great to be able to help those who are still learnign... im still learning and have had rabbits since i was about 7yrs old...ok so back then was with help of mum.... and these days im stilll earning lots! im sure your vet will pick up on it, there is asection on ru about how to tell if your vet is rabbit savvy... good luck with the new arrival! xx

A word to the wise, the Ivermectin at the vets can be quite costly so if the vet recommends drops rather than an injection (used in more severe mite infestations) you can pick up the Beaphar Ivemectin spot-on for rabbits for about £4. The one at the vets can be around £20+.

bunlover said:

wrong mites arent usually easy to spot you dont see the mites.. you would only see flaking skin as in rabbits they are microscopic.... however if it was fleas you would see dirt. x

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If you're as short sighted as me you can see them - from about 2 inches away :lol:

lilbun said:

If you're as short sighted as me you can see them - from about 2 inches away :lol:

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can u.. i stand corrected then... i didnt think u could! (see told u we were all still learning!)

Sooz said:

A word to the wise, the Ivermectin at the vets can be quite costly so if the vet recommends drops rather than an injection (used in more severe mite infestations) you can pick up the Beaphar Ivemectin spot-on for rabbits for about £4. The one at the vets can be around £20+.

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is that one the safe one then cuz i never know which spot on ones are safe.. i know the xenex gave chelsea a horrible burn all over her back after only one drop bles sher and have heard some are dangerous.... good to know which ones are safe and which arent! x

bunlover said:

is that one the safe one then cuz i never know which spot on ones are safe.. i know the xenex gave chelsea a horrible burn all over her back after only one drop bles sher and have heard some are dangerous.... good to know which ones are safe and which arent! x

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Ooh nasty! I've not come across that problem. I often use xenex for lice in guinea pigs so will watch out for that. I usually use xeno 450 on the buns but it's not cheap

bunlover said:

is that one the safe one then cuz i never know which spot on ones are safe.. i know the xenex gave chelsea a horrible burn all over her back after only one drop bles sher and have heard some are dangerous.... good to know which ones are safe and which arent! x

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Yes it's fine...it says for rabbits on the box and the active ingrediant is the Ivermectin, same as the Xeno 450 but far cheaper...my vets recommended it to me.

Xeno contains ivermectin which is fine to use on buns...Xenex contains permethrins which can cause nasty skin reactions in some cases

well for just now Pets at home are footing the bill so i really dont mind what they treat him with, just as long as the poor things is put out of his misery as you can tell he is fed up.
it might be a grooming issue as he is so fat he cant clean his own bum properly so that might be a cause as well.

thanks for all the advise im definately taking note for the future.
can't wait til he can come home with me.

Hi,

thought Everyone might like to know that I got Bumble on Friday evening and he's now all mine.
The girl from Pets at home phoned to tell me that he has had the all clear from the vet and his skin problenm is just due to a very poor diet, the last owners were feeding him hamster food!!

He is a lovely wee things and loves being stroked but he is still a little scared and i think this is due to the fact that he has very little in the way of affection.
I keep his cage door open while i am in the room but to start off he was very wary of jumping out, but we left him to it and gave hime praise in the way of cuddles and strokes when he did come out and now he is happy jumping in and out by himself and even jumping up onto my bed.
The last owners didnt let him out much at all which made him rather fat, but i think if he carries on like this the weight will fall off.
he is even managing to clean himself now, which aparently he didnt do before.
Think we have a good friendship forming here.

thanks to all of you for all your advise, im sure i'll be asking loads more wuestions in the future.

bunlover said:

bathing rabbits should be a last resort to remove sticky poop from bottem(better usually to use corn flour and remove dry) as they hate water. x

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cornflour?well i never knew that,i'll take that on board!