Bunny Dandruff?

[juliemaye]

Hello! My first "help requested" forum post! LOLOL! I feel like I'm making a new milestone today, hahaha!

Okay, if you read my introduction, you'll know that yesterday I adopted a Lionhead X Lop! (And if you didn't, now you know! hahah!)

Her name is Chloe, and she's a beaut! So sweet, and gentle. She was previously an outdoor/indoor bunny. It looks like outside, she used hay for bedding, and inside, newspaper? (If this means anything!)

Anyway, the bunny seems to clean a normal amount, not excessively, so I'm not thinking it's an allergy (although I'm not hugely familiar with rabbit issues!) But she has SO MUCH DANDRUF! I mean like, piles and piles. If any of you ever saw the Amanda Bynes show back in the day, with the episode where the one behind-the-scenes guy was shedding dandruff so much that stage people thought it was snowing, than you'd understand! She doesn't shed it, but it's caked in her fur to the max! I have been brushing her and brushing her, but it's so hard to get any of it to really budge, it never seems to end! I don't want to brush her so much as to worsen the problem by irritating her skin!

What do you think I should do to help this problem? What do you think is causing it? She was outdoors when I got her, so I'm wondering if her skin is incredibly dry from the cold? Or the wind?

I'm not sure!

If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Cheers,
Julie.

 

[JBun]

Rabbits normally shouldn't have any dandruff, and it can be an indication of a skin problem, such as fur mites. You will need to take her to a rabbit vet and have a skin scraping done to determine if it is fur mites or something else.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/furloss.html

 

[juliemaye]

Thank you!

Now that I pay closer attention, the dandruff appears only at the end of the fur in the "new growth" section. The previous owner told me that the groomer had to cut a matt out of her fur, and that is the only section I can see dandruff..no where else. Is this still an indication of mites?

She will be going for a physical as soon as I get paid (which, unfortunately, won't be for 3 weeks.) Is there anything I can do in the meantime to help this? I was jobless for the last month, and recently acquired a new job at a pet store. My first day is Thursday... once I get paid, both her and my cat are going in for physicals/checkups.

 

[BlueMoods]

It could still be mites, never hurts to have that checked. It might be that the area got dried out because it was irritated form the matting. Best to be sure it isn't mites since those spread quickly and can affect other rabbits as well. Once you know what it is, you can treat it appropriately. If just dry skin then neosporin and some cotton seed, flax, or black sunflower added to the diet should help.

 

[JBun]

It would seem possible to me that there may be some skin irritation and dead skin collected under where a matt was. In fact if this is the only spot you are seeing flaky skin, and your rabbit isn't showing signs of irritation like excessive scratching, then I would think there is a good possibility the matt is the cause. If you aren't certain, then probably best to phone your vet.

I personally wouldn't use Neosporin as it will tend to either just get ingested, or can make the area messy. Unless the area is showing additional signs of irritation, then something more may need to be done.

 

[juliemaye]

We have concluded that she does, in fact, have mites. Although, the matts may not help the dandruff.

Thanks guys.