Hair pulling

[2buns2luv]

I’m the proud mommy of 2 female holland lops. Although they are from different litter they seem to have bonded well and are very affectionate towards one another.  We have a ferret tunnel in their house that they simply adore but lately our black bunny, Shadow has been filling up the tunnel with hair. We’re not 100% sure of how old she is, but she hasn’t grown in size since we bought her unlike our other bun, Luna. We took the tunnel out of their pen and we haven’t found any hair in their pen, but would the hair thing come back if we were to place their tunnel back in their house, and any suggestions on why my beloved bun might be doing this. ~*~ awesome website also~*~

[2buns2luv]

Meant to add, that they have both recently been to the vet for their check ups and are given papaya hairball tablets daily as recommended by the vet. Their water bowl is filled with fresh water twice daily, unlimited hay supply and a diet with mixed vegetables and the occasional fruit treat.

[Lisa_43]

Are you really sure you have two females? Bunnies pull their hair out to build a nest for giving birth, they may do it for other reasons, but in my experience my bunny did and next thing she had babies.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

That’s the first thing that comes to mind as well…It’s super hard to sex bunnies so maybe shawdow is pregnant…Take a look at her ‘chin’ and see if that’s where the fur is coming from…are you able to tell where the fur is from?
The other thing is maybe one or both are molting or maybe they are fighting…bunnies can pull hair when they fight… Keep us posted!

OOHHH and Welcome to BinkyBunny!

[MarkBun]

Yeah, are they altered? You should check for testicles on both buns. It does sound like nest building. Sometimes buns will do this though even if they aren’t pregnant. Georgie Girl did it a couple of times eventhough she was a single bun.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

That’s true Markus!! Kokanee made a nest one day *rolls eyes*

Do you know how to sex your bunnies, 2buns2love?

[2buns2luv]

we were also worried about them not being both females. Which is partly why the vet visit came so soon. She assured us they were both females and going by what pictures we’d seen of female “bits” in books. They were both the same sex. There’s no noticable hair loss on her chin. I checked her over this morning which she DID not like (she’s not  a bun that enjoys being picked up)  There isn’t any loose hair in their house, so this has me a little baffled.  Would sexual maturity have anything to do with this?  We’re not exactly sure how old Shadow is.

[babybunsmum]

doh!  my post got eaten

here’s a brief summary of what i had written… i think k&k’s thought about them scuffling in the tunnel is probably why hair ends up there.  especially now that you’re certain they’re both female and unsure of exact age.  i gather that they’re both relatively young – 6 months to a year old – which isright about when hormones can be kicking in and little territory wars over the tunnel could be errupting from.  good idea to keep a close eye on them since hormones – and hence, fights -  can escalate & lead to dangerous injuries.  i know it seems hard to believe since they’re the best of cuddle buns now, but i saw that happen between my baby bun & my (now departed) brownie bun when baby reached sexual maturity.  hoo boy the hair flew!  i’m also assuming here that neither is spayed yet… so good idea to plan to get them spayed soon.

edit to add…. just to clarify, i managed to breakup brownie & baby’s fights before either was really seriously injured (had a few nicked ears that bled) and then was careful to keep them seperate.

[kimberleyanddarren]

yes K&K summed up what i was going to say really, i think it probably is from running about being generally hormonal and as you havent found masses of anything everywhere in the house i think it would be likely nothing to worry about!

[RabbitPam]

An idea: could you get a second tunnel so each could have her own, in case they are fighting over the turf? Then if they go in together it’s because they want to be together, not just want the tunnel. Not sure this thinking applies to bunnies, or just to my nephews, who always wanted one of each whatever…

[Beka27]

welcome here.  does the vet have a suggestion on when they should be spayed?

 

[Gravehearted]

welcome welcome!  as Beka said -  it is really important to have your bunnies spayed.  did you vet talk to you about this yet? many vets don’t have a lot of experience with rabbits, so it’s very important to make sure your does to give your bunnies proper care.

females are VERY territorial and it only gets worse when they reach sexual maturity at around 3 – 4 months.  they are also at very high risk for uterine cancer if unspayed, and it also sounds like she may have been experiencing a stressful false pregnancy.

help with finding a bunny vet

[KatnipCrzy]

I thinks it sounds hormonal- false pregnancy.  Female rabbits even though they have never been bred or exposed to a male- can pull their fur out and make nests.  Sounds like she thought the tunnel was a perfect place.  So even though you have 2 female bunnies- it really would be best to spay them- there are many health benefits.

 

 

[2buns2luv]

Shadow and Luna now have an appointment with the vet to be spayed. It’s gunna cost me an arm and a leg ($1,000) but when you love someone or somebun, money isn’t an issue. Thank goodness for extra work shifts, but means daddy is gunna be spending a little bit more time with the “kids”.

Will keep u all posted on how well my little darlings are doing post-op.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Trying posting this again!

$1,000 seems really high! Reno was in heat when she was spayed so hers was costlier than the other 2 girls, but I’m still pretty sure it was less than $350 (Scooter will know I’m sure). I’m sure there are lots of good bun-vets there in Calgary but if you decide to drive them up to Edmonton I can give you the name of our vet!
– Annette

[ScooterandAnnette]

Hi 2buns2luv,

This is Scooter, Annette’s other half. Our vet is very good and specializes in “pocket pets” (e.g., rabbits, rodents, and other exotics most vets don’t know much about). They’re probably on the expensive side, but I think it cost something like $250 to spay Reno two years ago. Our other female bunnies were around that much as well…it’s hard to keep them out of heat when there’s a male bunny around, even though he’s neutered.

I completely agree with Annette. $1000, even for two females, is highway robbery.  Get another estimate. I’m not familiar with Calgary, but there’s gotta be more than 1 rabbit-savvy vet in a city of over a million people.

And as Annette points out, you can drive 2.5 hours to Edmonton, get them BOTH spayed by our vet, and even drive back for less money. Or even stay in town overnight.

[2buns2luv]

hehe funny you mention Edmonton. I’m hoping my boyfirend will take me to the mall there for my birthday. Do bunies do ok when travelling? Ours have a travel carrier, and they seem to enjoy playing in it, even sleeping in it on occasions.

I’m hoping to hear back from our lizard and gecko’s vet tomorrow sometime, since I’m still in a bit of shock as to how much spaying my babies will cost. *fingers crossed* The price I was quoted per bunny was $484 and that was all inclusive. Apparently it’s the same price that this vet charges to spay a cat. Even tho I agree totally with spaying, it is a costly venture. I don’t think new pet owners are fully aware of how much it actually can cost. Highway robbery indeed.

[ScooterandAnnette]

For 2.5 hours I think they’d be quite fine in the car. Before we found a petsitter we used to take ours on car trips to Winnipeg with us – that’s a 14 hour drive! If it’s warm make sure they have access to something cool (we’ve used ice packs before). I’m glad Scooter chimed in because I was sure Reno was much less than the price you’ve been quoted – and I’m using Reno as an example because they charged us more for her since she was in heat. The other 2 girls didn’t cost as much. What we paid was the total price for having the procedure done, the pain meds they provided, the cone etc.

If you can’t get a good price there then perhaps think about planning the trek up to Edmonton – bring the girls in for their spay, spend the day at the mall…
– Annette

[Beka27]

if she spends the day at the mall… there goes her savings!!! 

definitely call around for other prices.  if you can save 400-500 bucks by driving 2 hours, i would do that.  reserve that vet for emergencies or check-ups if they’re not that expensive otherwise.  if you already set up the appt with the 1st vet, i would call them back if you get a better price elsewhere and tell them honestly why you are cancelling.

[kimberleyanddarren]

i only have to pay £50 approx. $100 to get hopscotch neutered

[KatnipCrzy]

You said the $450 is all inclusive.  If you call around for prices- find out if bloodwork, IV fluids and pain meds are included.  Some spays are quoted cheaper $$ but then all of the other things are “optional”- but highly recommended- especially for a rabbit!  I don’t see a problem with traveling to a recommended rabbit vet to get a cheaper spay- but keep in mind that if your bunny needs any post-op care- you think the incision looks red, bunny is licking too much, or any other possible worry- unless you drive 2 hours back to the other vet- you will be charged by the local vet to see her.  At my vet clinic- if an owner thinks the incision looks red- if we did the spay we do not charge to see the pet- the only possible charge would be for cone, ointment, meds, etc.

I would ask for more info on what is included for what price- if anything else is optional or required.  Sometime when you add all of the other things in- it can be close to the same price.  My vet clinic requires bloodwork, pain meds and IV fluids- so it seems like we are more expensive- but we really are not (unless you decline all options at another vet).  But even a Spay at Clinic A is not the same as a Spay at Clinic B- differences in the level of bloodwork run and differences in anesthesia used will affect the price- and this can be almost extremely difficult for a pet owner to differentiate between when comparision shopping.

Julie

[Author]

Messages