mr. shenanigans is losing hair on his neck

[lala]

 mr. shenanigans is losing hair on his neck! is it fleas or shedding or over grooming o ya he’s a lion head bunny and his big mane of hair is almost gone! it was so fluffy 

[lala]

and what can apple cider vinegar do for a bunny?

[Elrohwen]

Some lionheads lose their mane with age and during sheds. Sometimes it grows back in, sometimes it doesn’t, but either way it’s normal. How long has it been since his last shed?

Also, I’m not sure what you mean by your apple cider vinegar question? I don’t know any reason that bunnies should have cider vinegar, or any other vinegar. White vinegar is good for cleaning cages and litter boxes though.

[lala]

this is his first one, he is 8 months old now, and i heard put some apple vinegar in his water and its a natural flea repeller

[KatnipCrzy]

i would not recommend putting apple cider vinegar in the water- they might drink less which is not good.  And it might change the natural PH of his urine making it more acidic and possibly causing crystals or sludge to form.  The best way to keep your bunny flea free is to use Advantage or Revolution-  and you can always ask your vet to see what they recommend.

I do not use anything on my bunnies- though I have treated to prevent any possible fleas coming into the house when I got a new bunny- I applied a dose of Revolution to make sure they were not bringing any in- even if I could not see any.

So it depends on how high risk your bunnies are to get fleas and what other pets you have in the house that could bring in fleas.  But I have not found many “natural” remedies to be very effective at all.

[Beka27]

I’m not sure about apple cider vinegar in water being a flea repellent, I’ve never heard that. I wouldn’t put that in his water tho, he could make his stop drinking and that would be bad. He needs just plain, fresh water.

Are you having problems with fleas? Is he an outdoor rabbit or do you have other outdoor pets that are bringing fleas in?

[Deleted User]

Seriously, you don’t want to put anything in your rabbit’s water. Water is as important as is hay for a rabbit, and adding vinegar to it will cause your rabbit to go thirsty. There are many weird tips for flea prevention in pets — they are all balderdash. If your rabbit has or is at high risk for getting fleas, get the proper dosage of Advantage or Revolution from your vet.

[Minty]

I have only heard of ACV being added to a bird’s water. I used to have a lovebird, but I didn’t do this. I think the main reason was for antibacterial purposes, but if you are changing the water daily it shouldn’t be needed. It’s also supposedly a type of natural antibiotic for birds who have digestive problems. I have no idea if this is actually true. I wouldn’t recommend it for a bunny though.

[Elrohwen]

Honestly, fleas are not a huge risk for a rabbit and they tend to go for other animals. If he lives inside, it’s highly unlikely that he has fleas, unless you have an infestation from another animal bringing them in. If he lives outside, it’s a possibility, and you can treat him with Revolution if he has them, but flea prevention is not really necessary in rabbits the way it is in dogs – even for outdoor rabbits.

[Deleted User]

Does he have bald spots where you can see the skin? It could be he’s just molting or else it could be another type of parasite, not necessarily fleas. you need to figure out first what the cause is, a vet can help you with this. can you post a picture of the affected area?

[RabbitPam]

If he’s losing hair and has fleas you can see, or bug bites in the skin that’s now exposed with the hair loss, I would let a vet look at him to be sure those are flea bites and to give him an appropriate treatment. Otherwise, it sounds like a normal shed.

Plain water is actually the very best remedy for almost any potential ailment. It’s true for people, too. Keeping well hydrated allows all the body functions to cleanse themselves and function smoothly. You become a hostile host to illness and parasites when you’re very healthy, so give him lots of good clean water and only try the recommended flea treatments mentioned above, unless he doesn’t actually have some. No need for prevention indoors without exposure.

[Author]

Messages