I know you're going to hate me for saying this, but take her to the vet! People on Yahoo! Answers aren't going to be able to diagnose your rabbit over the internet. I'm sorry that I couldn't help, but I know for sure that the vet can, so get a parent or friend to take you there as soon as you can.Why does my rabbit have a patch of fur missing?
There are several reasons why a rabbit can be losing hair and have bald spots here and there.
The most obvious reason would be that your rabbit is just shedding. Rabbits shed their coat every three months, and a light shedding is followed by a heavy shedding, then again a light shedding, heavy shedding, and so on. There seem to be significant differences in the way rabbits shed. Some rabbits may shed completely in a week, with others it will take two weeks or even several weeks to complete a shedding. Also, some rabbits will get some bald spots here and there while shedding, others can get even almost completely bald when they moult, and still others will show no bald spots at all. It can really vary from one rabbit to another.
During the periods when your bunny is shedding, it is vital that you brush your bunny frequently (personally I always suggest daily brushing during the moult, unless you have an angora or jersey woolly rabbit who needs to be brushed twice a day during the moult). I always advise to use a slicker brush for rabbits, since rabbit skin is fairly fragile.
This frequent brushing is necessary to prevent that your bunny ingests too much hair which can cause a blockage in the digestive system (no, not ''hairballs'') when in addition with a higher than usual ingestion of hair food passes too slowly through the digestive tract. The combination of these two factors can cause GI stasis, where the combination of slow moving food with ingested hair forms a blockage in the digestive system. To prevent food from passing too slowly, make sure your rabbit is fed a high-fiber diet of unlimited hay and water (alfalfa hay for rabbits up to six months, timothy hay after that). A rabbit should get unlimited hay and unlimited daily fresh water year-round, but during the moult this is even more important, since the rabbit is likely to ingest a bit more hair than usual so she will be more prone to GI stasis during these periods.
Whereas shedding is of course normal behavior for rabbits, bald spots and fur loss can also be a symptom of a health problem. Some possible other causes include:
- an allergy to a food or treat you are giving your bunny
- an allergy to bedding
- fur mites (typical symptoms are dandruff, bald spots, thinning
hair, scratching a lot or more than usual, redness)
- ring worm (which is actually not a worm but a fungus, and which
can also result in hair loss - moreover, ring worm can spread to
humans so should always be treated by a rabbit-savvy vet
asap) Ring worm typically results in distinct circle bald spots
that can be red or irritated
- According to some experts fur loss can be stress-related, or
result from boredom if a bunny is not given enough free time
outside the cage or hutch for exercise or when she does not have enough toys to play with, though I did not find any 100% proof of that. Stress can lead to a multitude of health problems. Stress is for sure something that can cause gas in rabbits, and according to many experts stress can also cause fur loss (though there is debate about this).
To prevent that the stress results from boredom, keep in mind
that a rabbit should get at least 3 to 4 hours of supervised
free time outside the cage daily in the living room (bunny-proof
the room, i.e. make sure electrical cords are hidden or covered
with tubing) and that you should provide your bunny with plenty
of toys such as dried twigs from untreated apple trees, cardboard
boxes, untreated wicker baskets, ...
For more ideas about toys, also check out:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/toys.鈥?/a>
In general, if you find the skin on the places where your bunny is losing fur to be red, scabby, dry or irritated instead of clear, you should take your bunny to a rabbit experienced vet asap. Also, if you have the impression that he scratches himself more than usual or really scratches a lot, he could have mites, so to make sure I suggest in any case that you take your rabbit to a rabbit savvy vet (find one near you at http://www.rabbit.org/care/vets.html) to check your rabbit, since we are not allowed to diagnose your bunny over the internet and to make sure he does not suffer from any parasites, mites, etc.
I hope this was useful to you.
could be stressed out , if there are more than ,one in the cage, they mite be fighting,
or could have .ripped its fur off on his cage , maybe call your vet let him check him out .
fleas. the same with my bff's bunny. it even happens with lions! pretty common though.
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