Missing patch of hair getting bigger?

[Noel_dee]

My boy Theodore randomly developed a patch of hair missing from his face inbetween his eyes, it is not irritated or hurt it literally looks as if someone has taken a buzzer to his face, it is getting bigger by the day and I don’t know what to do about it! His skin is smooth and pink. I took him to the vet to have it checked out and she had no idea what it is. About a month ago I did adopt a holland lop doe, so my vet suggested grooming is excessive, but my holland lop is so small she’s a baby and there are no clumps of fur around the perimeter or her enclosure suggesting she is grooming him too much on the face, would it be an illness or mites? The two are separated so I have no clue. I’ve read forms talking about missing fur but non were about on the face. What could the problem be?

[Sarita]

The only other thing I can think of is sebatious andonitis. I don’t think it’s very common although one of LongHairMike’s rabbit’s had this.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Immune/Adenitis.htm

[Noel_dee]

his skin is not enflamed or hurt at all, looks like a buzz cut to the face

[Sarita]

That’s odd – did the vet do any medication for mites? Mite be worth doing even if the vet didn’t see mites.

[Noel_dee]

She only told me to keep an eye on it and call if it has gotten bigger, its the day after the vet and I’m already calling her again.
No medication was prescribed to him, she thought he got stuck on something that pulled it out (first picture) but today it has gotten larger(right picture) he’s not walking funny or eating less, his bowl movements are normal. I’m going google crazy.

[LongEaredLions]

It could be a fungal infection, although that should cause irritation. A weird shed pattern?

[Noel_dee]

It is that time of year where he’s shedding, but I don’t notice his face having clumps or fir to shed like the rest of his body. The patch still looks the same today.

[MissGabbster]

It could be that he started his molt on his face? The face doesn’t always look like it should molt but it does, and sometimes to the point of baldness.

[Noel_dee]

So, it might just be shedding? Is there anything i can do to stop it? Will it grow back?

[LongEaredLions]

If it is shedding, it will grow back. A healthy diet is the best thing to promote proper hair growth.

[bunnluff]

Bella had a missing patch of fur on her neck sorta between her ears when she had fur mites, however you’d definitely see skin flakes if it were mites. But it could still be fungal. This may be a bit controversial but I used diluted tea tree oil on her neck where she couldn’t reach and the mites cleared up. It was about the only thing that actually worked. Tea tree oil is very anti-fungal and anti-parisitic but it’s use is questionable in rabbits. I don’t like to load my fur babies with medicine if it’s not absolutely necessary.

[MoxieMeadows]

Oh the poor baby!

I’ve seen a lot of molting buns, but never have seen or heard of molting so they had a growing bald patch on their face. It just doesn’t sound right…If you have seporated them and the patch is growing even bigger, I highly doubt that the cause was your other bun over grooming him. Maybe something fungal?

[Noel_dee]

should i apply tea tree oil diluted on his face? its been a while now and its still the same size, no flakes or irritations just missing fur on his face. I’m at a loss and very concerned it won’t grow back or will spread eventually.

[Noel_dee]

I’m not too sure how to get this picture up but it got so much worse in a matter of hours. I think the baby is pulling his hair out is that even possible? It’s patchy now and bigger since I last checked up on him an hour ago!!!!!

[Noel_dee]

[MissGabbster]

I’m still thinking molting since he doesn’t have skin flakes or irritation. Plus he has a pattern on his face. Have you tried gently plucking at the fur around his bald spot?

MoxieMeadows; My Ox molted himself a bald spot on his face. It was hilarious! I don’t want to hijack this thread but there’s a picture on the “Show off your nutty tuffs!” thread.

[Noel_dee]

so he could be doing this to himself? i checked on him and literally an hour or so later the patch got HUGE. i also noticed he can stick his face (if he tried hard enough) through the pen that my younger girl is in.
pluck his hair?!

[MoxieMeadows]

he could be scratching at himself, and I guess it could be a molt. To completely rule out your other bun being the problem. I would seperate them completely, just so you could rule that out as a possibility.

Does the patch of skin look like fur is starting to grow there again?

Does the skin look pink, and irritated like he is pulling out his fur or scratching it out?

is his face damp when you check him, like someone is grooming him?

Is the rest of his body molting?

Those are questions I would ask myself to rule certain things out.

Hope this helped.

 

[Noel_dee]

No fur appears to be growing back. His skin is pink, smooth not flakey yet there’s Afew red patches as if it was scratched or pulled. I have noticed him stick his head in my younger girls cage and I see her groom his head excessively yet I’ve never seen her pull it. I have never noticed him scratch at himself I do not believe it is him the patch is too big and done too fast for it to be him.
His face is not wet when I notice it is bigger. He is molting but not in his face. I’m so worried to won’t grow back

[MoxieMeadows]

Usually fur will grow back, unless it’s like a deep scar or something. I wouldn’t be too worried about that.

[bunnluff]

Posted By Noel_dee on 5/04/2014 7:55 PM

should i apply tea tree oil diluted on his face? its been a while now and its still the same size, no flakes or irritations just missing fur on his face. I’m at a loss and very concerned it won’t grow back or will spread eventually.

I would only use that stuff if it were possibly mites, which it does not sound like it is. I only apply it to the back of the neck because i know they can’t reach there and lick it off. This just looks like a heavy molt to me. My rabbits used to molt really heavily when we lived in warmer weather. They would have these weird indents on their face where fur was falling out. OR you said he can squeeze his face between the bars? It’s probably the bars rubbing a bald spot on his face.

[Andie101]

Tea tree oil is toxic to rabbits, even though there are some farmers who swear by it still. Avoid!

[Noel_dee]

He can squeeze his face in to the baby to be groomed but the patch is in between his eyes not where the bars would be. Its still pink and bald!

[Tina]

Did you ever find out what was wrong with your bunny? Mine is doing the same thing but no sign of mites

[Wick & Fable]

Hi Tina and welcome to BB! This post was last active in 2014, so you will likely not get a reply. I am locking this thread, but I welcome you to create a new one for your situation so you’re able to get replies from our active users!

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

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