My lionhead is balding

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This topic has 4sd replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 7 months ago by Bam.

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- 10/03/2018 at 2:12 AM
  Elmersmama
  Participant
  3 posts
  My 5-6 month old male lionhead has been going bald. He is acting happy as a clam still, Binky’s all over! There have been some changes this last month…1st, he got a “bunny friend” that is also male. They kind of immediately took to each other and are now inseparable. Once his new friend arrived, my little Elmer started puberty instantly! His testicles emerged and he started having a musky smell….and they “dance the tango” with each other frequently. They really don’t fight, but I am noticing that the area the fur is going missing from is right around where Papacito’s face is when “dancing”. The skin isn’t irritated or flaky, and fur does look chewed on in areas…but when I have separated them they went ballistic at first…then they became lethargic, almost depressed looking and wouldn’t eat until I put them back together. I scheduled to get them fixed next month…but is this something serious do you think or is Papacito just chewing/pulling his hair out? I just barely have the $ to get them fixed, but if he needs emergency vet…of course I will put the $ towards that instead… I just won’t have a way to fix them. Also, if I give a slight tug at the hair around the bald spots, it seems pretty secure…not loose or falling out and he is not scratching himself. Papacito doesn’t have any thinning or balding and a friend told me that it could be because of a bunch of normal reasons…that lionheads sometimes have hair loss in areas…that it’s fall/molting season and that he has new hormones going haywire from puberty. Idk, I’d rather ask some experienced bunny parents…
- 10/03/2018 at 2:19 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16999 posts
  I think they’re chewing each other. You must spearte them, but keep them close. The reason is they could get into serious fighting and then never become friends again no matter if they are fixed. They can also hurt each others’ genitals or eyes or ears etc – all of which would be bad both for health- and financial reasons. They are young men now and will fight like warriors if they feel they have to. Separate but keep them in the same room, within hearing, seeing and smelling distance, but not so close that they can reach to bite.
  
  “Hair loss” at 5-6 months of age would be normal for other reasons as well, he’s about the age when his adult fur is about to come in. Bunnies can shed in patches and get (temporary!) bald spots.
  
  This is not a veterinary emergency.
- 10/03/2018 at 2:26 AM
  Elmersmama
  Participant
  3 posts
  That’s a relief…I attached pics but I don’t think they were approved yet. When I tried seperating them I did try just putting a panel between them also (I use a large dog pen instead of a cage when they aren’t free roaming), even with that they wouldn’t eat…they just kept trying to get through the panel. They did the same when I had them across the room from each other and when they were a couple feet from each other
- 10/03/2018 at 3:00 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16999 posts
  They will heartily dislike being separated, but it’s still the safest thing. It’s so they can have a long happy life together. If they get into bad fighting, and that can literally happen any moment, you’d have to separate them anyway and it’s more than likely that they’d have to be separated forever after that. Not saying it to scare you, I’ve had two male buns that I couldn’t bond (both neutered), and it was a lot of extra work tbh. I had to put up a separating gate dividing my apt in two and always make extra-extra sure they didn’t slip through when I passed through the gate.
  
  As for pictures, I can’t see them attached to your post. Will PM you with an email address where you can send pix if you want me to put them into your post for you.
- 10/03/2018 at 10:06 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16999 posts
  The pictures were there! I do think it’s the co-bunny that’s the culprit. Skin looks fine.
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