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Baldness under chin and neck

L

Lauren25

Young Bun
Hi,
I'm a new bunny owner and I'm new to this forum so please bare with me.
I've just rehomed a male French Lop who will apparently be 2 years old in the Summer.
He was being kept in a hutch outside (his previous owner did allow him in the house at times) and he's being kept as a house rabbit with me. He seems to be settling in fine (i'm in the process of litter training him) but he won't come out of his cage alone. This will be his third full day and the cage doors are permanently open (until I go to bed). I've tried to follow all the advice but he doesn't seem interested in coming out yet - I'm not too worried at the moment as it is only day 3. He seems happy when I pet and brush him and seems to be eating and drinking fine.
My main worry is regarding his neck. I noticed that he was grooming under his chin a lot (looks as though he is pulling out his fur) and when I've tried to get a closer look (very difficult as we have not yet bonded) it's all bald, red, and in places, crusty looking. He is shedding his winter coat and I did notice that some clumps of fur came out with dry, crusty, dead skin clumped on the end of them. He seems to have excess skin hanging down under his mouth and I'm wanting to know if this is normal - he is a rather large rabbit, about the size of a cat or small dog.
He drinks out of a water bowl and I don't know if that is making it worse. I had a bottle for him but he wasn't using it so swapped over to the water bowl dispenser that his previous owner had been using.
I have photos but I have no idea how to attach them.
Any advice would really help - it doesn't seem to be bothering him so I don't know if it's worth a trip to the vets. I've asked his previous owner and he said he hadn't noticed it.
Thanks in advance
 
Lauren25 said:
Hi,
I'm a new bunny owner and I'm new to this forum so please bare with me.
I've just rehomed a male French Lop who will apparently be 2 years old in the Summer.
He was being kept in a hutch outside (his previous owner did allow him in the house at times) and he's being kept as a house rabbit with me. He seems to be settling in fine (i'm in the process of litter training him) but he won't come out of his cage alone. This will be his third full day and the cage doors are permanently open (until I go to bed). I've tried to follow all the advice but he doesn't seem interested in coming out yet - I'm not too worried at the moment as it is only day 3. He seems happy when I pet and brush him and seems to be eating and drinking fine.
My main worry is regarding his neck. I noticed that he was grooming under his chin a lot (looks as though he is pulling out his fur) and when I've tried to get a closer look (very difficult as we have not yet bonded) it's all bald, red, and in places, crusty looking. He is shedding his winter coat and I did notice that some clumps of fur came out with dry, crusty, dead skin clumped on the end of them. He seems to have excess skin hanging down under his mouth and I'm wanting to know if this is normal - he is a rather large rabbit, about the size of a cat or small dog.
He drinks out of a water bowl and I don't know if that is making it worse. I had a bottle for him but he wasn't using it so swapped over to the water bowl dispenser that his previous owner had been using.
I have photos but I have no idea how to attach them.
Any advice would really help - it doesn't seem to be bothering him so I don't know if it's worth a trip to the vets. I've asked his previous owner and he said he hadn't noticed it.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Hello

It may be a good idea to take your Rabbit to the Vet as excessive grooming/fur loss under the chin may be indicative of a few possible health problems- excess salivation due to Dental problems, dermatitis (often fungal in nature if under the chin). A Rabbit may obsessively groom under their chin if they actually have a very mucky bum but cannot reach their bum to clean themselves. This is abnormal as all Rabbits should be able to carry out Coprophagy (eating their cecotrophs directly from their anus)

https://www.petcoach.co/article/cecotropes-and-coprophagy/

Drinking from a bowl may mean that your Rabbit's chin is getting wet a lot too which could be exacerbating the problem. But if he wont/cant drink from a bottle then he obviously needs a bowl. Rabbits who have Dental problems may not want to drink from a bottle , so it really would be a good idea to make sure Dental problems are not involved.

By visiting the Vet it will also enable you to discuss getting your Rabbit vaccinated. If he is not neutered then you may want to discuss this with the Vet too.

The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund have a vast amount of information on their website that I think you will find very useful

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/

These links may help re posting photos on to this site. Photobucket is pretty useless now, I find Imgur works well

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...tos-directly-from-facebook-or-another-website

https://imgur.com/
 
Lauren25 said:
Hi,
I'm a new bunny owner and I'm new to this forum so please bare with me.
I've just rehomed a male French Lop who will apparently be 2 years old in the Summer.
He was being kept in a hutch outside (his previous owner did allow him in the house at times) and he's being kept as a house rabbit with me. He seems to be settling in fine (i'm in the process of litter training him) but he won't come out of his cage alone. This will be his third full day and the cage doors are permanently open (until I go to bed). I've tried to follow all the advice but he doesn't seem interested in coming out yet - I'm not too worried at the moment as it is only day 3. He seems happy when I pet and brush him and seems to be eating and drinking fine.
My main worry is regarding his neck. I noticed that he was grooming under his chin a lot (looks as though he is pulling out his fur) and when I've tried to get a closer look (very difficult as we have not yet bonded) it's all bald, red, and in places, crusty looking. He is shedding his winter coat and I did notice that some clumps of fur came out with dry, crusty, dead skin clumped on the end of them. He seems to have excess skin hanging down under his mouth and I'm wanting to know if this is normal - he is a rather large rabbit, about the size of a cat or small dog.
He drinks out of a water bowl and I don't know if that is making it worse. I had a bottle for him but he wasn't using it so swapped over to the water bowl dispenser that his previous owner had been using.
I have photos but I have no idea how to attach them.
Any advice would really help - it doesn't seem to be bothering him so I don't know if it's worth a trip to the vets. I've asked his previous owner and he said he hadn't noticed it.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...


Hi there Lauren and welcome to the forum :wave:

You've raised a few points here, and I think a vet will be able to establish the facts for you. But in the meantime, you mention his excess skin under the chin? If he's thin now, this could be due to the fact that he's lost weight. However, it's the female rabbits that often have this - it's called a dewlap ...

https://www.vgr1.com/dewlap/

So I would first get the vet to establish the cause - either lost weight on a male rabbit or he's a female :)

Regarding the wetness under the chin, this can often be indicative of dental issues. Rabbits tend to drool when they have dental problems and also put their face into the water bowl. You should stick with the water bowl though, as he won't be getting enough water through a bottle alone.

Wetness under the chin can cause moist dermatitis:

http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Moist_dermatitis


And finally - posting photos:

These links may help .......

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...tos-directly-from-facebook-or-another-website

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?136183-Tutorial-How-to-Post-Photos

Photobucket isn't working, so you may have to register with Imgur or another photo-hosting site :)
 
Thank you MightyMax and Jack's-Jane, I really appreciate your help. I thought it may be some kind of dermatitis due to the flaky skin. He seems to have dandruff all over his coat - is this normal for rabbits?
I don't think it's anything to do with weight loss - he is quite large! I'm cutting down his food currently and I think he may have been slightly overfed in the past. Is there any way I can check if he is unable to clean his bum? I'm trying not to inspect him too much with him being in a new environment.
It seems likely that it is either dental problems or dermatitis. I will book a vet appointment ASAP.
Thanks so much for your help
 
Lauren25 said:
Thank you MightyMax and Jack's-Jane, I really appreciate your help. I thought it may be some kind of dermatitis due to the flaky skin. He seems to have dandruff all over his coat - is this normal for rabbits?
I don't think it's anything to do with weight loss - he is quite large! I'm cutting down his food currently and I think he may have been slightly overfed in the past. Is there any way I can check if he is unable to clean his bum? I'm trying not to inspect him too much with him being in a new environment.
It seems likely that it is either dental problems or dermatitis. I will book a vet appointment ASAP.
Thanks so much for your help
Click to expand...


You're welcome :)

If he has dandruff in his fur, then that's likely to be due to mites. It's a common thing for rabbits that have a depleted immune system to get an infestation of mites.

The vet will give a spot on treatment for three doses, spaced two weeks apart.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/furmite/fur_mite.htm
 
Lauren25 said:
Thank you MightyMax and Jack's-Jane, I really appreciate your help. I thought it may be some kind of dermatitis due to the flaky skin. He seems to have dandruff all over his coat - is this normal for rabbits?
I don't think it's anything to do with weight loss - he is quite large! I'm cutting down his food currently and I think he may have been slightly overfed in the past. Is there any way I can check if he is unable to clean his bum? I'm trying not to inspect him too much with him being in a new environment.
It seems likely that it is either dental problems or dermatitis. I will book a vet appointment ASAP.
Thanks so much for your help
Click to expand...

The only way to check his bum is to take a look at his undercarriage.

It sounds as though he could have mites too, flaky skin is not normal. Mites could cause him to over-groom due to being so itchy. Rabbits who have Dental problems are more prone to mites, as are Rabbits who's immune system is a bit below par

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/furmite/fur_mite.htm

I think the sooner you can get a Vet to check him over the better. Good luck :)
 
Hello and welcome. Bunny sounds like he has found a better home than he had, thankfully. The flaky skin could mean he has mites. Good luck with him/her.
 
Hi everyone. I've booked him an appointment at the vet's for tomorrow. I'll keep you all updated.
Thanks tonibun - I really appreciate it. It's frustrating that rehoming a rabbit can involve so many unexpected costs - I've contacted his previous owner who feigns ignorance to the balding under his chin, although I noticed it on the first day of meeting him so find that difficult to believe. I'm just pleased he's with me now and will get the treatment that he deserves.
It's looking very likely that it's mites. I've been brushing him a lot over the past few days and have noticed white flakes in his skin, as well as crusty dead skin around the ends of his fur that has came out. This could also explain the itching/biting of fur under his chin and the bald patches.
I've just spent a small fortune on brushes, blankets, cushions, toys, etc to make everything more comfortable for him and he has been on my rug and sofa. Will I need to replace the brush and can mites survive on furniture? I will of course wash the blankets and thoroughly clean the cage but wondered if mites were as persistent as fleas in trying to get rid?
Thanks again everyone.
 
Also, this is unrelated but he seems to constantly be dragging his litter tray around his cage with his mouth. He flips it over and then lies on the contents before hopping back into the tray and pulling it around some more. I'm not sure whether he is merely playing or whether he is trying to tell me that he doesn't like the tray being in his space - he wasn't litter trained by his previous owner and lived in a hutch. He was using his litter tray but today it seems like he isn't using it at all and instead using the rest of the cage.
I read that it could be a sign of boredom but I have bought toys, made toys (toilet roll tube stuffed with hay), and he has willow sticks to chew, as well as the cage constantly being open for if he wants to explore. I also give him regular brushes and pets. I wonder if he is just getting used to the tray - but it is difficult to keep on top of the cage when he tips out the contents. I read never to clean/spot check the cage while the bunny is inside but there doesn't seem to be an alternative. He doesn't like being picked up (he kicks and becomes quite nervous - he isn't at all nervous when he is in the cage) and so I don't like to handle him, especially when I'm trying to allow him to settle. He does, however, pull the little plastic shovel I use to scoop his droppings with his mouth and nudge it in disapproval.
He currently uses a cat litter tray (the biggest one I could find) and although he is able to turn 360 in it and seems to enjoy sitting in it, I was wondering if I bought him a bigger one, whether that would stop him moving it constantly. I thought I had found the 'corner' that he wees in but after a successful second day, he moved the tray out of that corner and then proceeded to wee in a completely different spot. I'm going to keep persevering but it would help if he kept his litter tray full and stop emptying it all over the cage! :lol:
 
Lauren25 said:
Hi everyone. I've booked him an appointment at the vet's for tomorrow. I'll keep you all updated.
Thanks tonibun - I really appreciate it. It's frustrating that rehoming a rabbit can involve so many unexpected costs - I've contacted his previous owner who feigns ignorance to the balding under his chin, although I noticed it on the first day of meeting him so find that difficult to believe. I'm just pleased he's with me now and will get the treatment that he deserves.
It's looking very likely that it's mites. I've been brushing him a lot over the past few days and have noticed white flakes in his skin, as well as crusty dead skin around the ends of his fur that has came out. This could also explain the itching/biting of fur under his chin and the bald patches.
I've just spent a small fortune on brushes, blankets, cushions, toys, etc to make everything more comfortable for him and he has been on my rug and sofa. Will I need to replace the brush and can mites survive on furniture? I will of course wash the blankets and thoroughly clean the cage but wondered if mites were as persistent as fleas in trying to get rid?
Thanks again everyone.
Click to expand...


Vets used to advise lots of chemicals to treat the environment when a rabbit had mites, but these days it's clear that this isn't necessary. I would wash the brushes and rugs but they are not at all persistent as fleas are :)
 
If bunny isn't used to using a litter tray then he won't probably know why it is in his cage. You will have to be patient and try putting his droppings into the tray and any wet paper in the hopes he will take the hint. Rabbits like to sit in their litter tray eating their hay, so if you put some hay in there that might help. He has had a big change in his life, from outdoors to being inside with a new owner. It's all very unsettling for a rabbit. It can take quite some time for them to settle. Did he come with some food as it is a good idea to keep him on the food he is used to for now.
 
Lauren25 said:
Also, this is unrelated but he seems to constantly be dragging his litter tray around his cage with his mouth. He flips it over and then lies on the contents before hopping back into the tray and pulling it around some more. I'm not sure whether he is merely playing or whether he is trying to tell me that he doesn't like the tray being in his space - he wasn't litter trained by his previous owner and lived in a hutch. He was using his litter tray but today it seems like he isn't using it at all and instead using the rest of the cage.
I read that it could be a sign of boredom but I have bought toys, made toys (toilet roll tube stuffed with hay), and he has willow sticks to chew, as well as the cage constantly being open for if he wants to explore. I also give him regular brushes and pets. I wonder if he is just getting used to the tray - but it is difficult to keep on top of the cage when he tips out the contents. I read never to clean/spot check the cage while the bunny is inside but there doesn't seem to be an alternative. He doesn't like being picked up (he kicks and becomes quite nervous - he isn't at all nervous when he is in the cage) and so I don't like to handle him, especially when I'm trying to allow him to settle. He does, however, pull the little plastic shovel I use to scoop his droppings with his mouth and nudge it in disapproval.
He currently uses a cat litter tray (the biggest one I could find) and although he is able to turn 360 in it and seems to enjoy sitting in it, I was wondering if I bought him a bigger one, whether that would stop him moving it constantly. I thought I had found the 'corner' that he wees in but after a successful second day, he moved the tray out of that corner and then proceeded to wee in a completely different spot. I'm going to keep persevering but it would help if he kept his litter tray full and stop emptying it all over the cage! :lol:
Click to expand...


What a mess!

Is he neutered Lauren?

I find that neutered bunnies settle into litterbox habits far quicker, on the whole. And neutering should calm down his behaviour somewhat.

Some bunnies just do like to move things around though. It's a fact of bunnies. Sometimes a partner bun can be sufficient distraction :lol:
 
Thank you MightyMax, that's a relief. I'll report back tonight with the Vet results.

Thanks again everyone. It's lovely to become part of such a helpful community.
 
Sorry - just read the responses re litter tray. I'm using the food that his previous owner fed him to try and keep some normality for him! I also put a lot of hay in his litter tray as well as his bedding, which he seems to love munching on. I've been putting his droppings in there and he seems to use it sometimes but not always. He only urinates during the night and does one in the tray and one outside of the tray. It seems to be that once his litter is slightly wet, he won't use it again.
He's also not neutered. His behaviour (apart from the tipping of the tray) seems to be fine and he isn't spraying when urinating so I didn't know whether it would be worthwhile. I'll see how the litter training goes! Hopefully he gets used to it by next week.
Thanks everyone
 
Lauren25 said:
Sorry - just read the responses re litter tray. I'm using the food that his previous owner fed him to try and keep some normality for him! I also put a lot of hay in his litter tray as well as his bedding, which he seems to love munching on. I've been putting his droppings in there and he seems to use it sometimes but not always. He only urinates during the night and does one in the tray and one outside of the tray. It seems to be that once his litter is slightly wet, he won't use it again.
He's also not neutered. His behaviour (apart from the tipping of the tray) seems to be fine and he isn't spraying when urinating so I didn't know whether it would be worthwhile. I'll see how the litter training goes! Hopefully he gets used to it by next week.
Thanks everyone
Click to expand...


I thought that to be the case :)

If you ever want him to have a friend, it would be really advisable to have him neutered. Also, behaviour can get 'ingrained' and the later you neuter, the harder it is for a rabbit to change.

https://www.saveafluff.co.uk/rabbit-info/neutering-spaying-rabbits

https://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/


Good luck whatever you decide!
 
Hi everyone. Just an update re the baldness. The vet didn't seem too concerned about it, as it wasn't sore/infected/scratched at all. She said it could be caused by stress, presumably from his previous home as it was like that when I got him. Everything else was perfectly healthy! I mentioned the mites and she said she would treat them (to stop them from getting any worse) but again didn't seem too overly concerned and said that all rabbits have some mites, it's only when they're stressed or run down that they badly flare up and cause a problem but that he wasn't overrun with them. Presumably, the mites have gone hand in hand with his baldness! She suggested the spot treatment but because he is so large (5 and a half kilos) he was eligible for the injection. He had one yesterday and is due his second next week. Hopefully the mites clear after that and his fur starts to grow back soon. Thanks for your help everyone.
If anyone has any bonding tips with an older rabbit (rather than a bunny) please do share. He's loving being petted (lying flat to the ground, closing his eyes, and making the 'purring' teeth clicking sound) and would stay like that for hours. But is still reluctant to leave his cage and if I lift him out, he hops straight back in.
Apparently he loved being out of his hutch in his old home (he was kept in the garden but he is a house rabbit with me) and would never want to go back into his hutch. I hope he's as eager to explore my flat soon!
 
Lauren25 said:
Hi everyone. Just an update re the baldness. The vet didn't seem too concerned about it, as it wasn't sore/infected/scratched at all. She said it could be caused by stress, presumably from his previous home as it was like that when I got him. Everything else was perfectly healthy! I mentioned the mites and she said she would treat them (to stop them from getting any worse) but again didn't seem too overly concerned and said that all rabbits have some mites, it's only when they're stressed or run down that they badly flare up and cause a problem but that he wasn't overrun with them. Presumably, the mites have gone hand in hand with his baldness! She suggested the spot treatment but because he is so large (5 and a half kilos) he was eligible for the injection. He had one yesterday and is due his second next week. Hopefully the mites clear after that and his fur starts to grow back soon. Thanks for your help everyone.
If anyone has any bonding tips with an older rabbit (rather than a bunny) please do share. He's loving being petted (lying flat to the ground, closing his eyes, and making the 'purring' teeth clicking sound) and would stay like that for hours. But is still reluctant to leave his cage and if I lift him out, he hops straight back in.
Apparently he loved being out of his hutch in his old home (he was kept in the garden but he is a house rabbit with me) and would never want to go back into his hutch. I hope he's as eager to explore my flat soon!
Click to expand...



I'm glad you've had him checked our Lauren, and hopefully a course of ivermectin treatment will cure his mites and the baldness too :)
 
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