New rabbit owner, do I need to go to a vet?

[GimlitheGiant]

I am new to rabbit care. My 6 month old Flemmish giant is experiencing some hair loss on the back of his neck. I haven’t seen any flaking, sores, crusts, or other signs of mites. Some of the fur is starting to grow back, but a few new areas of hair loss are popping up. Should I be concerned or is this just part of the shedding process?

[DanaNM]

Note: I’ve edited your post to show the image, for some reason it wasn’t showing up

Hmmm, that is a lot of hair loss for a molt. The skin does look healthy underneath though, so it’s perplexing. I know rabbits can look pretty rough when molting, but I’ve never personally seen that much completely bare skin during a molt. Hopefully some others will chime in if they’ve seen molting look this extreme.

Given the large area, I think a vet visit would be good to rule out fungal, bacterial, and parasite infections.

Looking at medirabbit, the closest thing I can find is “Bilateral symmetric alopecia”, which occurred in an unaltered male, which they deemed to be over grooming out of frustration. Other cases are thought to be linked to hormonal imbalance, but not much is known about it. Here’s the article: http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Hormon/Bilateral.htm

Your boy’s pattern doesn’t match exactly, but if your boy isn’t neutered yet that would be my guess (if other infections are ruled out).

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Just looking at the picture, it reminds me of Wooly’s bald patches when he self-mutilates. I would still have a vet take a look to rule out any infection or parasite. If it does turn out to be self-inflicted, then there are things you can do to help with that.

[GimlitheGiant]

Thanks for the info! I took him to the vet. She didn’t find any mites, but gave me some Revolution just in case. She thinks it might be a minor skin infection, so Gimli will be on antibiotics for a little bit. Otherwise he is a happy healthy bun!

[LBJ10]

That’s great! Thanks for the update.

[DanaNM]

Thanks for the update!

. . . 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.  

[LittlePuffyTail]

Awesome.

[Author]

Messages