Buck and Hair Pulling/Eating?

[PippinTheHolland]

First time on the forum so I hope I’m posting this correctly and in the right location! Let me know if I need to change/move anything… Anyway, I recently adopted a Holland Lop Buck who I’d say is about 3.5 or so months old and cute as can be! The issue? Obsessive hair pulling and ingestion. In the span of 12 hours he went from healthy and fully furred to completely bald on his chest (like bare to the skin bald). He will sit and rip at his fur obsessively and I sit helplessly as no amount of hand feeding, treats, toys, or other interaction keeps him distracted for very long before he goes back to it. It’s now been about a week since I initially noticed and he is still continuing the behavior. 

I did a LOT of research on it, but came up with very little information on hair pulling in bucks (I realize it’s pretty common in does due to nest building) and especially not on hair ingestion. The only real conclusions I found were mites, lack of fiber, boredom, and sexual frustration. 

I don’t think it’s boredom as he is a 100% free range/cage free rabbit who gets full access of a room with plenty of space and toys while I’m away and then full access to our house when I’m home. He plays with our foster dog (while supervised) and is constantly doing zoomies and binkies in-between naps. I was initially concerned about mites, but there is no scratching involved, the skin is healthy and pink, and it’s all localized pulling on his chest area (although I won’t rule mites out!). Lack of fiber was the big concern for me as he really isn’t much of a hay eater. I have him on a timothy bale from the local feed store which he has access to 24/7 and after seeing very little eating of it I decided to also purchase some orchard grass to see if he would prefer it more. I’ve seen a slight increase but really not a ton. I’ve also tried some tips and tricks suggested online to incorporate more fiber over the past few days to see if that helps days but alas, I am still seeing the pulling (maybe I’m not patient enough?). As for sexual frustration, he is still intact (neuter appointment set up for the beginning of summer) so I guess this could be a reason behind it. We do have a female rabbit in the house that we hope to introduce him to post-neuter but she is housed in a different part of the house, the two NEVER interact, and she has never set foot in his “area.” I assume it could also be stress, but am not sure what would cause stress, as to me it appears he has everything that could make a little guy happy (minus a buddy which as stated we hope to start introducing mid-summer!). 

I’ve called the vets and unfortunately none in the area are very rabbit savvy so I am not getting the best information on that end. I’m going to keep calling around but also figured I’d utilize all of my resources and start a thread to see if anyone could give any insight. His poops are normal and his appetite for pellets and his behavior are also normal! Sorry to go on and on, I just figured I’d put a little background and see if anybody had any advice on things I may be missing or need to change! I want my little guy to be happy and healthy… hair pulling is not part of that! Thank you so much to anyone that responds!  

[jerseygirl]

Sorry you are dealing with this. It must be hard to see in such a young bun.

One of things not mentioned on hair pulling is dental pain or general pain and displacement behaviour. That he is not a good hay eater makes me suspect that his teeth might be behind the behaviour. Unfortunately rabbits this young can have dental problems. Usually genetic in nature.

At this stage, I would perhaps try giving hay cakes or 100% hay pellets (not the kind that have to be soaked) just to get the fibre in him. It may help in 2 ways – help him to pass the hes ‘fur he’s ingesting, and give him fibre he may be craving and *hopefully* stop the fur pulling. What about some fresh grass? Would he manage that okay?

Are you happy to post your general location? Perhaps then some members can direct you to a rabbit savvy vet.

[PippinTheHolland]

He eats his pellets enthusiastically – he gets 1/4 a cup at 8:30am and 8pm – but when I see him eat his hay it’s usually just a couple little bits every once in a while. My previous Netherland Dwarf seemed to eat hay nonstop, so that’s why I feel he’s eating so little (unless I’m just not very good at knowing how much they’re supposed to be nibbling on it!). 

Hm… That thought zipped through my mind but I didn’t think much of it since he is so young but after doing a quick couple of google searches I’m thinking you may be on to something with your assumption. Some of those symptoms really stuck with me, such as drooling and wet fur on forelimbs, and reduced coat quality. He doesn’t drool per say, but if his mouth touches anything, he for sure leaves a little wet mark! We joke he’s a little slobber-bun and unfortunately I figured it was normal as he’s got the little stubby holland face. The fur on his forelimbs isn’t typically wet, but if he briefly licks/grooms at it then he leaves a little bit of wet behind (more so than normal as he is a bit slobbery). As for reduced coat quality, I wouldn’t say his coat is poor at all. He (besides his bald chest) is fully furred and healthy looking. However, although his coat is shiny and fluffy, in some places it’s a little… scrappy? I passed this off as growing into adult fur and shedding – but he surely wouldn’t be winning any competitions! He doesn’t really fit in with the other symptoms, however I feel like the wet mouth may be a good indicator.

I will look into giving some hay cakes in him. My biggest concern is him not passing all of the fur he’s ripping out which worries me. The grass is just starting to green up here so I’ll go out and grab some from the garden after I finish writing this post, thank you for the suggestions.

I am located in Western Montana, the best luck I’ve found is Billings which is a whopping 300+ miles away (which is where he’ll be neutered and why we can’t get him in until July). I’d be willing to travel if necessary.

For those dealing with teeth issues – how exactly does this look for treatment, daily care, and behavior in the rabbit? I’m fully committed to helping him feel better, I would just love some insight. For now I’ll keep calling around and seeing if there is anything else that pops up on what could be causing this behavior. 

Thank you tons for your advice and insight – I’ll keep up the research!

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