Update from MimzMum – Itchy Bun?

[MimzMum]

Hello everyone! Sorry I’ve been so lax in posting, life in my corner of the globe has been unbelievably messy for the last few months.

Sooo…when we last left off I had just discovered that my supposedly she-bun was a he-bun. I did wind up getting him neutered and he tolerated the surgery very well and healed beautifully. (I think it was the second week of December that we had him done.)

Also, we were going to rescue a bun that we were unsure of gender and it turned out to be a doe, so my daughter is caring for her (her name is Pip) and they are VERY happy together. (my daughter and her bunny) We were so thrilled to be able to give her a home, now we just have to see if the two buns will enjoy each other’s company.

My current situation is this. In the last few weeks or so, Mimzy is shedding much more profusely than before he was neutered. He seems to be awfully itchy, scratching more and chewing on himself. When I brush him (everday) I use one of those "Love Gloves" and I take off about three other rabbits each time. Even so, he continues to shed and I’m starting to see strings of pearls in his litterbox. This is very alarming, as I am particularly fearful of wool block. I keep his cage very clean, but each evening and morning I still have to remove tufts of hair from the floor and walls.

Could this be a result of his hormones finally dropping out of sight? Or could he have some kind of skin condition? He has not been near the other bunny and will not be until I resolve this problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Oh, and BTW…both of my dogs have been living in the house with us since before Christmas (they are normally outdoor) and I wonder if the smell or sound of them might be making Mimzy nervous enough to shed or molt? No bare patches as of yet, but I can’t imagine that is far off.

(Dogs are nowhere near the bunnies, but it’s a small house. We can’t put them out until we stop seeing subzero temperatures.)

Many thankies in advance!

Blessings,

MimzMum

[Gravehearted]

glad to hear he was neutered and is doing well.

you might consider adding some papaya tablets, or dried unsweetened papaya or pineapple as a treat to help the fur move through his system. The daily care and brushing really help and so do LOTS of hay and fresh water. The heavy shed may be partially due to turning the heat on in the house.

It sounds like he may have mites or fleas if he’s very itchy and biting at himself. Any sign of fleas or dandruff? Mites are harder to see, unfortunately. The best bet is a call or trip to the vet – since they’ll likely recommend advantage (flears only), revolution (fleas and mites) or shots of ivemectites (mites) if it is fleas or mites.

[MimzMum]

Thank you Gravehearted! I am not sure where to find papaya tablets, but I’ll hunt them down! ^^
No signs of fleas, (we don’t have them in Alaska) dandruff or mites. (I have to watch out for the mites because I have three cats also, one is an indoor/outdoor.) I think the heat may be right, since we have gone through a deep cold spell. I’ll try to keep that turned down from now on.

I make sure he eats his hay and always has fresh water. Does the water need to be very cold or is room temp okay?
He also has quite a penchant for carrot tops. Do those help digestion much?

Also, would changing what I use to clean the cage help? I was told white vinegar is the safest since it cleans but doesn’t harm the bunny. What would you recommend?

[MimzMum]

(Please excuse the double post here, folks.)

Okay, we tried lowering the temperature in the house and that seems to be making things better for my little baby. I’d get a little fan if our stores sold such a thing at this time of year! *grr!* I also rotate more freeze bottles through his pen and reintroduced some bedding, which seems to catch a lot of fur as it comes off. (The only downside is, sometimes it makes him go into sneezing fits, no matter how well I shake it out before putting it in the cage.)
Not as much fur came off on the glove yesterday, much to my relief!
Dogs have been outside more also, which seems to make bunny much happier. As long as I don’t have to be babysitting Fido, I can spend more time with bun. A definite improvement in his opinion. (He’s still waking me up all hours of the night throwing his litter box around and then waiting at his door for me to insert my hand…lolz…”You there! Noserub! NOW!”

I did notice he has a chunk of hair missing from just above his right eye on his forehead. It actually looks like he got a bad haircut. I have no idea how this happened, as he is a lone bun still and there’s nothing sharp in his cage he could’ve rubbed it off with…obviously, neither can his teeth reach that far.

Looks like most of his guard hairs are gone. I’m guessing this is a molt of some kind?

All in all, he seems a bit more comfortable. Thanks so much for the suggestions!

I also went ahead and ordered some papaya tabs. Can’t wait to see what he thinks of them! ^^

[Gravehearted]

it certainly could be a molt, since some bunnies “blow their coat” and shed very rapidly – but it wouldn’t be all itchy and biting himself like you were describing.

the white vinegar shouldn’t be cause an issue. i
don’t think the carrots tops aid the digestion, but it’s good to vary your veggies since carrot tops are high in calcium.

[MimzMum]

Oh gosh, thanks for that! I switched him to large leaf parsley and he is beginning to accept it. Hopefully that is not as rich in calcium. Perhaps his itching was due to diet excesses? He does eat more carrot and green leaf lettuce than hay, and tends to ‘hunger strike’ for goodies. I worry if too many hours pass before I see him gobble something. (He also prefers pellets before hay, and I’ve tried both timothy hay and orchard grass.)
Darn sweet tooth. We both have a problem with it. >_<

There has been a significant improvement even since yesterday in the biting and itching. The dogs haven’t been indoors as much and I’ve been able to spend more time with him. I think he was maybe feeling lonely and didn’t have enough to do/wanted more attention. Well, he got it! ^^

He now wakes me VERY early and will mess with his litterbox long enough to get me up. Then he promptly presents himself for noserubs. His petting/grooming time is a lot longer now than it used to be. He is getting quite used to it!

Hair loss is beginning to slow down a bit. I am not pulling as much per glove full. He definitely loves his freeze bottle!

[Gravehearted]

well it sounds like his shed is starting to slow down, which is good news! flat leaf parsley is a very good veggie choice   I’m sure he’s really been enjoying the extra time and love you’ve been lavishing upon him too.

I really don’t think the other things you were feeding him would have let to the itchies or biting though.  it might be that he has dry skin.

[MimzMum]

Hm. That is a really good idea. I know MY skin is terribly dry. Our humidity here is extremely low as a general rule.
lolz…they don’t make a bunny skin lotion, do they? ^^

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