Help! Problem with a tear duct? I can’t tell..

[simpleLOVEx3]

I recently saved two bunnies from adoption about a month ago.. the owner was about to move and could not take the bunnies with her, so she was going to put them up for adoption (again). She didn’t know how old they were, since she adopted them from an adoption center a year ago.

One of them is the New Zealand white rabbit and these past two weeks I’ve noticed a strange redness close to her tear ducts. Since her eyes and tear ducts are naturally red, it was hard for me to tell, at first, if it were a problem or not. But I’ve realized that the strange red patch has grown bigger.. I’m not sure if it’s just a loss of hair around her eye?

I tried to take pics without flash to not scare her:

 

 

The other eye seems okay:

 

 

Does anyone know what’s wrong? I’ve tried researching online of different eye problems that rabbits can have – but this isn’t actually on her eye.. Like I said, at first glance it looked like a loss of hair in that area, but now it’s gotten bigger and I’m worried. Her behavior is the same – she’s active, eating well, hopping around like everything is okay.

I just want to know if anyone else has had this problem before I go to the vet. I’m hoping I won’t get scolded for WTFWHYAREYOUNOTTAKINGHERTOTHEVETIMMEDIATELYYOUIRRESPONSIBLEJERK. I love my rabbit to death, and I WILL take her to the vet if needed. But some people are not made of money and I want to know if this is something minor/major that needs serious treatment.

[jerseygirl]

Hi there. It was good of you to take in these rabbits. Do you also have any of your own?

Are the 2 new rabbits a bonded pair? Sometimes one rabbit can over groom the other, particularly around the eyes. It’s known as barbering. Another possible cause could be if the eye has discharge that’s leading to the fur loss. Discharge because of infection, irritation or dental problems. You could also be looking at fur mites (easily treated), ringworm or loss of fur from stress.

[Beka27]

I think this is something that should be examined by a vet. Jersey mentioned barbering, one rabbit may excessively groom an eye that is having discharge to keep it clean. So discharge may not be visible to you, but an infection could be present.

Since they are new rabbits, they should both have a baseline exam with a rabbit vet anyways. The vet will give a complete check-over including teeth, ears, fecal test, etc…

[Sarita]

Welcome. What a beautiful rabbit. This could also be the result of a dental problem. It is really hard to know just by looking though. It would be a good idea when you have the money to do a baseline vet exam on them too.

[RabbitPam]

I agree of course, but I can add that Spockie did have a blocked tear duct. It didn’t look like that – rather it was wet around that area frequently. I am concerned that this is getting infected and that’s why there’s redness. Anyway, for a blocked tear duct – after the initial diagnosis – I got a prescription cream that went into the corner and melted into his eye. It worked really well after a few days. Just a small tube that I only had to buy a few times over the years and it worked very well. So it might not be more serious than that, but well worth the investment in a proper diagnosis. Things caught early often are easily and afford-ably taken care of.

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