Male Rabbit Ripping out his fur

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kellys

kellys

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Please help me!
I have a male lion-mane bunny that i got in july of 2010. We have had no problems with him and our other animals (cats and dogs) for reference. Early december of last year he lifted up his head when I came back from living at school I noticed a large sore under his neck (my mom must not have seen it due to all the fur). We thought maybe he got a cut and it got infected so we brought him to the vet, they cleaned it up and gave us antibiotics and it healed right up, and the fur started growing back. About a month later he was on the couch and I noticed him ripping out the fur under his neck making it bleed a bit (like if you waxed). the next day it was getting infected again so back to the vet for more antibiotics. since then he has not stopped, every time it gets better he rips it out again. Any vet we bring him too tries but cannot figure out why he is doing it, We can't afford to keep putting him on and off antibiotics for the rest of his life and i don't want to put him down, help!
if anyone knows anything i can put on the hair under his neck (non-harmful) that will stop him from either grooming or pulling it out, or has insight as to why he has started doing this you would be my bunny's life savior.
 
Are the cost of the antibiotics worrying you? There are many reasons he is ripping out his hair, but I would think its a boredom or stress related issue.

I have a cheap solution i use on my buns and other animals in leu of going to the vet for minor stuff. I use it on my bunnies for cuts or sores. It helps promote hair growth too. Its called emu oil. its all natural (the vet said I can use it on anything) so if he licks it no problem. here is the website www.emumagic.com. Check it out!!

Good luck with your bun.
 
A lifetime of antibiotics shouldn't be in anybunny's future, regardless of the cost. It could be boredom or stress & you can see if more toys help or think of any reason for stress. Another possibility would be low humidity, as it started in December. If so, you might expect it to start clearing up now, with warmer weather & you can humidify next winter. And I think I'd try a vegetable oil of some kind before using oil made from an animal.

If nothing seems to work, couldn't you just be proactive & trim off the hair under the neck every couple weeks?
 
I just would like to note that I am not a supporter of using a product made from animals on an animal. But the emus are raised for human comsumption anyway, not specially for the oil.
 
The problem is that since it started growing back in December (it was maybe a few cm) he just rips it back out. Or he bites his skin. I'm going to look into the emu oil and compare it to the veg to see what would be best, as between the cost and a life on meds it's not a happy one. We thought it might be boredom too so we have tried everything we can think of to fix that. Thanks for the suggestions though, I really appreciate it and will let you know how they go!
 
Are you sure thatthe "cut" under his neck from pulling hair is not actually an abscess? Yes it is possible that he is pulling hair out of boredom etc but it would not be uncommon for an abscess that is not treated aggressively enough to reoccur causing discomfort and, scratching and hair pulling.

it would feel more like a lump and may disappear with antibiotics only to reoccur again
 
I would use something that I use for my own skin. I melt beeswax [bought at a health food store] & some olive oil in an empty microwaveable container, then stir with a popsicle stick. Or you could use cocoa butter. Or just try existing thick cream for the skin, like a lip balm or something made for a rash. I don't like the idea of a herbivore eating an animal product & would use it only if I knew nothing else would work as well.
 
That's what the vet thought when it reoccurred but there was never any bump just an open sore from ripping out the hair. When he does it it looks like it would if you waxed and had the little bit of blood coming from each follicle. Like a bunch of red specks where the hairs were
 
Hi there..
Did you ever get to the bottom of this... my bunny does exactly the same every three months or so! I have baytrill - again!
 
sonnyjim said:
Hi there..
Did you ever get to the bottom of this... my bunny does exactly the same every three months or so! I have baytrill - again!
Click to expand...

Hi, is your rabbit fixed? Some intact bucks like to rub their chin on things and can rub it raw or create an abscess under their chin.
 
No... its got very bad. He has slit his own throat open now. I have a specialist appointment at 9am.. but can't go to bed because he won't stop. It's awful. :(
I think an abcess in the creases on his neck.. the original vet thought a possible sweat rash. This is very bad now. If I put I picture up, you wouldn't believe he's still alive!.. he's still loving his food, drinking and pooing but grinding his teeth in pain here and there. For now I have bandaged it and put a t shirt on him.
 
Maybe he is just bored. I hope he is ok and stops pulling out his fur soon! Maybe give him some toys to play with.
 
This is him now with a bandage and his top. Although he can still get to the edges so I can't go to sleep. I cant wait to get to the specialist in the morning. I hate the way the world stops on a Sunday!

20140112_153324.jpg
 
Definitely not bored! He has everything... its an irritation that he has just not left alone. His claws have slit his throat to the flesh because he can't cope. I just need tomorrow to come now.
 
Are his claws long? You should definitely trim them to stop the rabbits claws tearing into his flesh and cause infection.
 
That is a very bad open wound. Could you get him to an emergency vet tonight? That wound is going to be very susceptible to infection.

I would suspect there is something irritating the skin, or maybe a sliver or something that got into the skin. Another possibility is that there is something wrong internally, maybe in his throat, that he is trying to get to. You'll definitely want the vet to take xrays, and also take a look at his throat and teeth to make sure there isn't anything wrong in there. It could have to do with his teeth.
 
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