What is this bump?

[angoralvr]

Ok, this might sound like a really wierd question. Last night I was grooming Henri’s stomach and I noticed a wierd bump on the bottom of his stomach. I don’t think it could be one of his testicles because it is long and rather large.  I would say it is about the length of the tips of three or four fingers next to eachother. I am not trying to be gross or anything here, I am just wondering if I should be worried about it. It didn’t seem to hurt him when I touched it. Does this sound like anything familar? Should I take him in to get it checked out?

[Gravehearted]

Check again to see if they are indeed testicles, but it sounds awfully large for that.
Bunnies do have nipples on their tummies – but there shouldn’t be other bumps. It sounds like you should get him checked out for sure.

[Scarlet_Rose]

When was the last time he was at a vet? Is there a way you could talk to the previous owner and ask about it and if they could hand over any medical records for Henri? I am not familiar with anything like a bump of that nature. Did he have any kind of surgery, could it be a scar?

[skunklionshow]

I recommend a vet…sorry that seems to often be my answer lately.  Bunnies are prone to mammary and fatty tumors.  The vet’s touch can likely id if it is a benign fatty tumor or something more serious.  Good Luck and keep us updated!

[Sarita]

It’s so hard to know just by your description and I agree it would probably be best to have the vet look at it – better to be safe.

[angoralvr]

I think I am just stupid. The other night when I was feeling it, he wouldn’t really stay still for me to figure out what was really going on. Last night he was a lot calmer and I realized it was a matt! He doesn’t have any other matts and I guess I just didn’t expect it to feel like that. I got it out last night though. Sorry for freaking out over nothing.

[Sarita]

LOL – it’s perfectly understandable. I’m glad it’s only a matte.

[osprey]

Hah that is funny!  Glad to hear it was a mat and not something worse.

I have made that mistake too.  My bunnies are all shorthairs, so I do not have a lot of experience with long hairs.  We had a bun come into The Haven who was a fuzzy lop.  He had lived outside, then in the shelter, probably never groomed in his life.  He was a mess.  One of the other volunteers was trying to groom him, at least to get the major mats out and give him a haircut.  He had a huge mass on his leg right under his tail, and the lady doing the grooming could not find his skin.  She and I were both convinced that this was some enormous tumor.  Auntie Heather took over, and she was able to very gently tease the lump away from the skin.  It was just a clump of fur, poop and dirt.

[angoralvr]

That’s pretty much what it was with Henri. I didn’t think about the fact that it could be a matte when I first felt it because he doesn’t have any other mattes. He was well groomed when I got him and I have been brushing him everyday. I am guessing that this one what just there the whole time and I didn’t notice because it was between his back legs in a spot that is a lot harder to get to. It was pretty stuck to his skin and I couldn’t feel the skin under it so it didn’t even cross my mind when I first felt it that it could be just hair. Oh well, I guess I still have a lot to learn about the joys of a long haired rabbit. Matt is trying to get me to cut his hair short, partially because he thinks he looks funny so fluffy and partially because he wouldn’t track stuff around so much then.

[Gravehearted]

ooo I am very relieved to hear it was only a mat of fur!! Much better to feel silly than to be worried about Henri!
It should have occurred to me to suggest it could be a mat, sorry it didn’t occur to me, which is pretty dumb since he’s a very fluffy lil man 🙁

Grooming angoras is a lot of work, since it’s very important to also get to the undercoat. We often have bunnies who come into our rabbit haven shows and it takes a volunteer to brush out a neglected angora coat. So, it really is good if you can keep up with it on a daily basis. You might also choose to trim his belly fur if it keeps matting on you.  I’ve also heard that it’s a good idea to offer extra protein to long haired buns, since they’re constantly growing their coats.

there are some good articles to help you with grooming of Henri, since long haired bunnies need special care.

http://www.ontariorabbits.org/diet/careinfo7.html
http://www.mybunny.org/info/groom_long_haired.htm

[skunklionshow]

Glad to hear its nothing…well its a matt!  I have 2 obese cats.  They are short hairs but due to their chubbiness, grooming can be an issue.  I usually get Max’s hair cut at the start of the summer b/c he lays on his back all the time and matts up really bad.  Phoebe gets her butt shaved b/c she can’t keep it clean very well.  She’s a whitey, so she looks awful dirty.  You might just want to consider shaving his belly.  Don’t know if its safe for bunnies, but cornstarch is very helpful when getting matts out.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Oh hey, don’t worry about it, I’m just glad it all panned out the way it did and you didn’t need to go to the vet. It’s good that you are a very observant bunny owner and noticed it as it could have been something serious.

[Author]

Messages