Bald spots.

[mocha200]

The other day My dad fed the bunny’s while I was at a friends house and today he remembered he saw a bald spot on lulu. He said he didn’t get a good look at it because she wouldn’t let him hold her. I am wondering if If is from shedding? because there is now scrape or scab. here’s some pics and vids.

 

 

[KatnipCrzy]

It could just be from shedding- it does not look irritated, red or inflamed- I would keep an eye on it to see if it changes.

[mocha200]

yes thats what I was thinking. The thing is she got done shedding a few weeks ago. and If she is shedding it is very little. I will keep an eye on it and see what happens

[LizzieKnittyBun]

If it does get scabby, I’d take her in for a mite check, but if it isn’t then I’d say it’s probably just shedding : )

[Lintini]

When my boys weren’t getting a long a few months ago Lion had a bald spot just like that from Bagheera yanking out his fur. Brats. Could have been just a little tustle too perhaps?

[LittlePuffyTail]

Bindi gets big bald spots that look similar from shedding. He has one on his cheek and one on his side right now.

[mocha200]

But she isn,t shedding. Just mocha is. Its posible when mocha was humping her he grabbed some fur. The other weird thing is that one of our cats has a hole bunch of bald spots on him. But we think he is liking them.

[mocha200]

I just found a chunk of fur from lulu on the floor, do you think mocha’s doing it?

[mocha200]

Update!: Okay…. So I was just in my room checking lulu’s bald spot and It seemed the same as yesterday ( no better – no worse) And I decided to rub my finger lightly over her skin to see if it hurt, But instead she started scratching right behind her ears, right on the bald spot and when she was done all the fur was pushed away so you could see her skin. ( you can only see the bald spot if you pull back some of the fur or if she is stretched out.) So do you think It was caused by her scratching? if so how do I make her stop.

I would also like to point out that they haven’t had there nails cut for a few months because I am to afraid to do It and my dad is always to busy to do it. I talked with my mom about taking them in the get them clipped but for an appointment it is $40 for each rabbit! is it normally cheaper to just get there nails clipped then to have an appointment?

[Elrohwen]

My vet charges $15 per rabbit to trim them – no appointment is needed. Another office near my house charges the same thing. Some places force you to have at least one appointment first before they’ll trim the nails on a regular basis, but not each time they come in.

Is it right behind her ears? I notice that my buns have thin and sparse hair back there – maybe it’s already thin from shedding and a little scratching made it more obvious?

[mocha200]

yes It’s behind her ears but I have never felt less hair back there. do you think It would help if her nails are cut. ( don’t worry I will try to get them cut ether way.)

[RabbitPam]

Find out if they insist on an appointment at $40 to do a nail trim. If so, and you’re willing to pay that, then YOU insist that she get examined thoroughly around the bald spot and her ears and let them you know you want to come away with an accurate diagnosis and treatment if needed over and above the nail trim. So if something else has caused it, get her nails trimmed, and also a perscription or meds or a balm or whateveris needed.

Otherwise, get a nail trim only for no more than $15.

[mocha200]

Do you think she would take a look at it if it was just a nail trim?

[KatnipCrzy]

If you are paying for just a nail trim- don’t count on the vet looking at the bald spot.  How long as the issue been going on with your cat?  Are any of your pets indoor/outdoor?  I am wondering if fleas could be an issue- and if any of your pets go outside they could have brought some into the house.

[Elrohwen]

I agree with Pam that if you have to pay the $40 exam fee, they should look at her. If they agree to charge you a lower rate and just do the nails, then no, they won’t look at the bald spot.

[Sarita]

I would call the vet’s office to clarify the $40 for an appt. That would obviously be an appt with the vet and let’s face it, I would really doubt that the vet is the one doing the nail clipping. It’s either a vet tech or a kennel asst, not a vet.

[mocha200]

Well I am really thinking I might have to go in. Today part of it is red and a little scabby. I don’t think this is going to go away on its own.

[mocha200]

Ok, so my mom just looked at it for the first time and she thought it looked kinda bad. When we were looking at it she hopped away and started scratching the spot, My mom says that she think it must itch. she says that we probably don’t need to go to the vet if she isn’t sick, but if it gets worse maybe she will let me. she also looked at the scab type thing on her ear and she thought it was really weird.

My mom clipped her nails for me to see in that helps. but I think as long as she has nails it won’t get better. Would neosporin help? The only thing I would worry about is that after she scratches it she licks her foot and she might eat some of it. I know that the non pain reliever stuff doesn’t hurt them but I am not sure how much would hurt them.

Our cat doesn’t have fleas, He has a nervous lick. he is really weird in the winter cuz he can’t go outside and he keeps licking in one spot over and over again, and then switches to a different spot.

[Monkeybun]

If it’s itchy, and getting worse, it’s definitely vet time.

[mocha200]

My mom says not unless she is sick. But I am thinking if it gets worse she would let me.

[Deleted User]

I doubt has anything to do with cat fleas because you would know if they had fleas, you would find flea debris on both of them. It could have started as a bald spot from mocha possibly pulling out a tuft of her fur then became a dry spot that she favored and sratched sore, but it is impossible to know from the photo. Make sure to get an exact quote from the vet before you go in.

[mocha200]

What do you mean quote?

[Sarita]

An estimate on the cost for the vet visit and possible medications.

[mocha200]

ok, thank you sarita and petzy. still not gone yet but the scratch looks like its healing but now she has two bald spots right next to each other.

[Monkeybun]

2 spots doesn’t sound like its getting better to me :/

[mocha200]

well the second isn’t really bald it is just thin hair.

[Deleted User]

Thin hair is likely the beginning of another bald spot caused by her scratching. You have to find the source of the itch and only a vet can deterimine the causel at this point. Round patches with fur loss can be an indicator of a parasite such as ringworm for example which is a fungal infection that is easily treated but requires a veterinary prescription. If it were a parasite you want to get it cleared up sooner than later, for her sake, and also because she could infect yourself and other pets in the house, too.

[mocha200]

here is a video of her bald spots, Sorry its kinda dark.

[Monkeybun]

I agree with Petzy, the only way to find out if its just an itch, or a parasite or something else is to go to the vet. I think this counts as being “sick”

[Deleted User]

OK. I see it. It is impossible to diagnose yourself.

When you go in to the vet, take this sheet I linked below with you, it’s something I like to do just to get the vet’s attention. It won’t hurt to have it on hand.

It is a description of the different causes of fur loss and skin problems in rabbits written by Dana Krempels

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/furloss.html

[mocha200]

I called the “good” vet and asked how much a skin scraping would be and they said about 32 dollars. and my mom said that it might not include the office call. what do you think?

[Deleted User]

I think you need to ask them again and this time more specifically. If you have trouble remembering what you want to know when you speak to them, because it is easy on the phone to get side-tracked, make a memo card where you jot down that you need to know the cost for getting your rabbit looked at and you may need a skin scraping. You need to know the total cost.

[mocha200]

the total cost would be 80 something and at the other vet i don’t like as much, it would be under 50. my mom says ” if she is eating and acting normal then why waist your money” ahhh

[Monkeybun]

well, my grandma was eating and acting normal all through her cancer. Doesn’t mean she was healthy. Parents, bah!

[KatnipCrzy]

Has the cat been seen for its bald spot? Do you ever see her scratch- is she maybe trying to scratch the base of her ears?

[mocha200]

No our cat hasn’t been seen for his spots because we figured out why he is doing it. When our cat can’t go out side he gets nervous and try’s to climb on every thing. he even got in our ceiling and we had to block it off because he started peeing in there. so now he climbs all over our cabinets in our kitchen poor guy. so when he has nothing else to do he just licks himself.

I can tell she is trying to itch there because after i touch it she starts to itch.

I decided not to go to the vet yet because I know its not ring worm because she has none of the symptoms so I am just using bag balm to try to sooth the itch and help her hair grow back.

[Monkeybun]

you can’t really diagnose it on your own. It could be another form of parasite, and leaving it untreated could make it worse.

[mocha200]

Update: I have been putting bag balm on her at least once a day but her bald spots have become one big bald spot when my mom was helping me put it the bag balm on she thought it looked more red then normal ( i thought so to) and said maybe the bag balm was making it worse. but I am pretty sure I forgot to put it on yesterday because I got sick, so that might have been why it was more red. I feel so bad for her I hope it isn’t bothering her. what should I do?

[KatnipCrzy]

There is really not much you can do at home to treat it since you don’t know what is causing the bald spot.

[mocha200]

It is caused by her scratching it.

[Sarita]

But the question is why does she keep scratching it?

[Sarita]

To me, that continually scratching one area is not acting normal because you find cause for concern. So while she may still be eating, it doesn’t mean she’s not uncomfortable and there are better solutions than bag balm. So, it may not be a total waste of money if you can find out the cause of the scratching.

[mocha200]

yeah…. but would a skin scraping at the vet give me an answer? or would i have to end up doing other tests?

[mocha200]

I found this on the HRS website.

HOW CAN WE RECOGNIZE PAIN IN RABBITS?

Pain may be evident as a limp or a change in gait, withdrawal or protection of an injured part, awkward or abnormal postures, licking, rubbing or scratching at an area, or indicated by decreased food and water intake.

Do you think she could be in pain?

[Sarita]

Not necessarily pain but discomfort if she keeps scratching. The same way you would feel if you had an itch you couldn’t scatch or kept scratching because it irritated you.

[Sarita]

I see you posted this on the 20th and it’s a week later and it’s not better and you still see scratching.

[mocha200]

My mom just doesn’t think its abnormal. Its really expensive for a scraping and vet visit were i go.

[mocha200]

Its been a week already! oh wow i didn’t know it had been that long.

[mocha200]

To give you an idea on how big it is now, it is about as big as a 50c. piece. and if you don’t know what that is then its like as big as a NIC connector.

[Monkeybun]

Yeah… time for a vet visit. After a week, and getting bigger, not better? It’s your (and your mom’s cuz you aren’t legal age) duty to take your bun in, expensive or not.

[mocha200]

yeah i know that but my mom doesn’t! I talked to my dad and he said “we should wait another week and if it gets worse then maybe we will take her in, Its not like its an emergency.” then I said, ” what if she has something that mocha or the cats can get.” then he says. ” i don’t think so.” AHHHH!!!!! What can I do! I don’t get why they care, They aren’t paying for it! Do they think someone is going to think there weird for letting there daughter take her pet rabbit to the vet? ahhh.

[RabbitPam]

If it’s bigger, red and worse, it sounds like it’s becoming an emergency. The only way it isn’t a health problem that’s getting worse is if her other hair is falling out in a normal but large shed, and what you described doesn’t sound like shedding. You can mention to your parents that if left untreated, it could be much more difficult and expensive to treat than a simple vet visit now with a prescription to clear it up. They are both responsible for the proper care of an animal in their home if you are underage.

[mocha200]

Thats the thing. She wasn’t really shedding when it all started but now she is. She is shedding so bad that you can’t even touch her without hair flying every were. She only started shedding this bad within the last few days.

[RabbitPam]

Oh, gee. Either it’s the beginning of the shed, and she’s OK, or the shed will complicate things and mask it. Watch her to see if she keeps scratching at the bald spot, or if she changes that behavior now that a large shed is underway. Keep an eye on her eating, make sure she drinks a lot, and brush her gently all over. If it is the shed, you can help her by keeping her from ingesting hair. But if she continues to focus on that one bald spot intensely, then it may be more than one thing happening. Can you call your vet and explain your situation, and ask her to give you signs of what to watch for that would mean she needs to be seen right away? If you have a checklist of symptoms that make it an emergency, it will be more convincing for your parents. If it’s a big shed, you will be relieved. No reason why you can’t call a vet to ask questions.

[RabbitPam]

BTW, you can always send an email to your vet linking her to this post. That way she could see your pictures and read up on your situation directly, now that you’ve written it here.

[mocha200]

here is a video on her bald spot and how bad her shed is.

Edit: If you listen closely you can here her tooth purring, She hasn’t ever tooth purred before! she is such a sweetie!

[RabbitPam]

I may be way off here (Sarita, what do you think?) but I am actually reassured by your video. It looks like a clean area of skin, with mild scratch marks from her scratching, but that area behind the ears tends to be thin in the fur to begin with, so it could just be shedding down to the skin. Many bunnies here have that when they shed. I would definitely get a good comb (got the Hairbuster?) or brush and groom her several times a day, gently. Her behavior may be a good indicator if it’s more than a shed.

[mocha200]

Yes i have the hairbuster but she is afraid of it because when it grabs her lose fur she gets scared and runs away, but I will try to get her used to it and I will maybe wet my hand and pet her.

Should I keep on putting bag balm or neosporin on it? or should I just take a damp paper towel and wash it to keep anything out of it?

[mocha200]

Her spot is not red at all today and still looks clean. She is still shedding up a storm though! I just pet her and it goes flying! lol.

[KatnipCrzy]

I think her fur looks greasy from the bag balm- that alone could be uncomfortable for her- and if you are not sure the bag balm is TREATING anything- I would discontinue it.

[mocha200]

ok. should I wash her bald spot with water so the grease comes off?

[KatnipCrzy]

I would probaby just give it a day or 2 and see if the greasiness resolves on its own.

[mocha200]

ok.

[KatnipCrzy]

keep us updated!

[mocha200]

it looks good today and its not greasy anymore.

[mocha200]

update: it looks like there is 2 small bald spots now instead of one big one, but there is still thin hair in some parts. the newer bald spot ( the smaller one) looks like its a little red and maybe some dry skin on it today but I think it was just because she scratched it. Should I put some neosporin on the spot? I think it helped last time.

[RabbitPam]

I’m getting convinced that it’s related to the shedding, and since it’s getting better with two smaller bald spots, I would leave it alone overnight to heal and calm down. If it’s more red, or she scratches it excessively because it is flaking, I would reapply a small amount of the neosporin, or the bag balm, to the dry area just for her comfort. It all sounds promising now.

[mocha200]

today when the buns were in the hallway and they got in my moms craft room, and i here her say ” have you seen her bald spot lately?” and I said ” why?” she said ” because it looks bad.” and she said she is going to call our new vet for our cats and see if they do rabbits. But if it is getting better maybe we wont go in.

[RabbitPam]

No! If your Mom wants to take her in, let her! She should be the judge of whether vet care is needed, and you want her to take more responsibility for acting on caring for the bunnies if they need medical attention. And frankly, we are sitting here on the internet unable to see for ourselves and can’t begin to know what’s causing it. Go to the vet whenever she says you’re going.

[mocha200]

its not red today but the second bald spot has dry skin. My mom has to make an appointment for our cats to get shots today and said she would see if they do rabbits but the only reason she brought up the vet the other day was because she thought I was worried. So I don’t she would mind if that vet does rabbits.

here is a video I took a few minutes ago on how it is doing.

[mocha200]

I checked it a little bit ago and it was red again it must turn red after she scratches it to much or something.

[Deleted User]

Mocha, we can’t tell from pics and videos at this point. I would go to the vet as your mother is willing. It is possibly a type of mite that is not visible with the bare eye.
Update us when you come back from the vet.

[mocha200]

ok so my mom was looking up about bald spots on rabbits last night and saw that it could be mites which a vet can only know. So she said if i use my money i should go. I am sooo glade that she is all for now. So i have a pet carrier that should be coming in the mail at the end of this week or early next week. ( it acually came yesterday but they sent the wrong size so we had to send it back. ahhh) Should I wait till it comes or go without it?
Note: we have a carrier but it think it is to small for both buns and i think lulu would be more happy if he came with.

[Monkeybun]

I think you should go sooner than next week if you can.

[mocha200]

[code]https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/113933/Default.aspx [/code]

I made a new topic about it. I can’t go sooner because my vet is gone the rest of the week.

[Monkeybun]

Ahhh ok, I missed that. Well, can’t be helped then

[Judith]

 That sure looks like fur mites.  And the bunny scratching makes sense.  

Bunny needs to see a vet that knows which products are safe for fur mites in rabbits.  Hint:  Revolution (kitten formula) or Ivermectin.  NOT FRONTLINE.

 

 

 

 

[jerseygirl]

Hey Mocha, I’m glad your taking them in. I just had my 2 checked and the vet did find some mite eggs. So they got an injection of ivermectin. The have to have 2 more of those. If it turns out to be mites check out what they use because you might have to go back for the following injections. So your parents would have to be ok with that. Otherwise they might just give a topical treatment of Revolution instead.
If they think that will do it, this might be the better option for you.

Jersey has patches like this and the skin looked fine yet it does appear mites are the culprit. So they don’t always have typical symptoms. The vet just took some of the loose fur from around the bald spots and looked under a microscope. She preferred not to do a skin scraping. Hopefully your 2 don’t have mites but if it turns out they do, its not a huge deal. Just treat and clean their environment really well after.

[mocha200]

if Lulu ended up having mites would they treat her and mocha? or would I have to have him tested to?

[Monkeybun]

If Lulu does have mites, you’d want to get mocha treated too, as well as completely clean and disinfect their entire area to kill off any mites that are hanging around.

[Author]

Messages