bald bunny

[pokerplayer]

thought i'd ask on here before i take my bunny to vets for them to charge me a fortune to tell me very litte.
my lil netherland dwarf is losing hair on his back. he has thin hair on his bum and back side. and several bald patches on his back.
he lives with a guinea pig. but they get on very well. they have lived together for almost a year now and hes only started becomming bald in last few weeks. he will be about.. just over a year old.
they both eat excell guinea pig pellets from burgess. and lots of hay and water.
they live outside in a large hutch.

i cant think whats wrong. he eats normally. acts normally and still acts himself everyday.

any advice or experience with this sort of problem?

cheers for help in advance

[~Jo~]

i've had a few rabbits and had the joy of experiencing all of the common problems but i've never come across this before

one of my females used to get bald patches from where the other female had been trying to mate with her and had been holding on, but unless you have a very confused guinea pig it sounds most likely to be a skin problem

suppose it might be possible for a rabbit to loose hair through stress but it sounds like you really care for him so i doubt it's that

good luck, might be generic or could just need antibiotics

quite interested, you'll have to update us once you find out what it is

hope it doesn't cos you too much!

[daisyleo]

Could be a summer moult as it does tend to work from one end of the body to the other BUT if there is very little fur left I would say it's a skin issue i.e. mites, they come in on the hay if it's not treated stuff that you buy.
We had it with a guinea pig and the mites live under the skin and make the hair fall out, it won't grow back until it's treated and if you don't treat it she will lose all her fur.

I noticed you mentioned dried food and also hay and water, do you not give any veg/fruit? guinea pigs need daily vitamin C and rabbits also need veg in their diet, just incase you hadn't been informed of that before

[Ratface]

I got 2 bunnies not so long ago who were totally bald behind their ears and I took them to the vet thinking mites (even though there were no signs of mites).

Basically he just said that was probably moulting and to leave it and see what happens - sure enough it has grown back but I didnt half panic!

Sometimes it is best to go to the vets if but to ease your mind as if you are anything like me, you worry about your animals as they cant tell you if there are any other symptoms and you wanna do what is best!!

Do what you feel is best but if they are eating and drinking fine then that is a good sign...

[feorag]

I was thinking Cheyletiella (walking dandruff) when I first read your post.

The mites usually start off at the scruff of the neck and work their way along the back - have you looked to see if you can see anything, they are just visible to the eye, but are very tiny. If you can't see anything like that, then I'm with Daisyleo that it could just be a summer moult as bald spots can be quite common during this.

[ashley]

When I worked in a pet shop, one of the bunnies had been kept with a guinea pig. All the hair from behind his neck was missing due to the guinea pig eating it.

Not saying this is what it is but bear it in mind.

[Crownan]

Mange?

[ladyboid]

i used to keep and breed long haired Piggy's and they do readily eat hair.
if the hair is totally missing in them areas it could be something else but if its the piggy you will know because it will look like a haircut ether with scissors or electric trimmer

[fenwoman]

Originally Posted by pokerplayer

thought i'd ask on here before i take my bunny to vets for them to charge me a fortune to tell me very litte.
my lil netherland dwarf is losing hair on his back. he has thin hair on his bum and back side. and several bald patches on his back.
he lives with a guinea pig. but they get on very well. they have lived together for almost a year now and hes only started becomming bald in last few weeks. he will be about.. just over a year old.
they both eat excell guinea pig pellets from burgess. and lots of hay and water.
they live outside in a large hutch.

i cant think whats wrong. he eats normally. acts normally and still acts himself everyday.

any advice or experience with this sort of problem?

cheers for help in advance

Why not go to a vet for proper diagnosis at very little cost instead of asking completely inexperienced people who cannot see your rabbit, to cyber diagnose?
If this was your child, would you ask on a forum first, or take it to a doctor? COuld be anything from diabetes, to mange, to mites, allergies, dietry deficiencies etc etc etc. To be honest, you have already left it several week and are still reluctant to seek proper care for it. Might it be worth thinking about rehoming them to someone who can afford to get them veterinary attention when they need it?
Sorry if I sound harsh but this is a bugbear for me, people who have animals then refuse to care for them properly when they get sick. If you can't afford to get vet care when needed, then you shouldn't have them.Not getting vet care because you cannot afford it, is no more of an excuse than it would be to starve them because you couldn't afford to feed them IMO.

[Ratface]

does it say anywhere that she hasn't got any money?

I'm sorry but when people give this kind of response it puts people off seeking advice.

This person said she was asking advice before she went to the vets.

And just for the record i ask other peoples advice when my kids are ill before taking them to the doctors lol!