Bunnies ripping out fur and black spots

[~Jodie~]

i just got home from vacation and noticed one of my bunnies (male) had some areas on his back where the fur was thinner, i took a closer look and also saw that where those spots were , the skin was black. My other bunny (female) has lost a lot of fur above where her tail is and alot below where her tail is, it looks like she might also have sore hocks. any ideas of what this could be ? thanks

[jerseygirl]

It rather sounds like normal moulting to me. If your rabbit has black fur or the very tips of the fur is black, that’s what you would see coming through. The black spots being the new growth.

Fur will come out in clumps during a moult, and there may even be comepletely bald spots.

Do they get along well or do you suspect they’ve pulled each others fur?

Are you able to upload photos of your females hocks? Some bald area on the heal that is calloused is not uncommon. But broken, inflammed skin is more worrisome.

[Bam]

I’d suspect fur mites, if the black on his skin are small spots, like ground pepper. You should contact a vet. Black skin requires vet care. Losing fur above the tail is another sign of fur mites. There are other types of mites as well that can infest rabbits. Here’s some info about fur mites:
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/furmite/fur_mite.htm

Sore hocks should always be seen by a vet.

(We routinely issue this warning when someone mentions possible parasites: Never use any compound containing fipronil on a bunny. Fipronil is sold under many different names, for example Frontline and Sentry. It’s deadly toxic to rabbits.)

[Bam]

Just read Jersey’s answer to you: If the black color is from new fur coming out, it’s not mites, of course. My black bunny Bam has partially black skin under his fur, partially pink. I only see that when he molts in patches, as he sometimes does. If the skin is all smooth and there’s no flaking, no scabs or thickening of the skin that can be felt etc, then this is probably just a normal molt.

The thread-title had me think of something worse. Like a bunny actually ripping out fur perhaps due to intense itching and black spots like ground pepper. Could you perhaps get us a picture?

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