Bunny's Dewlap Help.

[DVD Queen]

Please help me...My teenage daughter just got a bunny about a month ago from her uncle and I really didnt know alot about it when we got it. (believe me he heard it from me because i like to be responsible and research a pet before we get a new one). I dont know how old she is but I noticed that she had a growth under her chin. I then researched it and found out it was the dewlap. It has now lost all its fur there. What could this be? She doesnt seem to be in any distress or anything. I'm just concerened. It also looks as though it has shrunk in size but maybe this is just because all the fur is gone???

Also I just read that we should not give it a bath??? I did this when we got it from the pet store and treated it for fleas just in case. Can someone help me a little since this is the first bunny we have actually had and I really dont know much about them. She was wheezing some the other day and when I called the vet he told me to give her some benadryl. I did that and she is just fine now. Did I cause this from giving here the bath???

We dont know how old she is or what breed she is. She is all black with ears about 3 inches long.

Thank you in advance for all the help.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Have you found any of the fur around the cage? Females do use the dewlap to pull fur to make a nest. Some females, especially those that are intact, can have false pregnancies. They will build a nest and can act like they are pregnant. They will usually destroy the nest after a couple weeks. It could also be possible that she is pregnant, rabbits are only pregnant for around 31 days. If you got her a month ago, she could have gotten pregnant before you got her.
Other causes for hair loss are mites. These can be easily treated with medication from a vet.

Sneezing can be a sign of respiratory problems. If there is discharge, it is more serious. I would be wary of any vet who will tell you to use something over the counter without actually seeing the animal. Since many drugs that are safe for dogs and cats are not safe for rabbits, you need to make sure the vet is rabbit savvy and knows what they are doing. I really don't know about benadryl though.

You can post some pictures in the Rabbitry area to get some info on the breed and age. They should be clear and from some different angles like the front an side.

 

[DVD Queen]

I have not really found any fur around the cage, but we do change it weekly. When you pethershe is shedding so could this have happened to the dewlap? It is not red and does not look irritated in any way.

Mites - After we recievedher i got some flea, tick and mite spray and gave her a treatment just in case. I do not see any obvious signs of this. I do have a dog so I would know what to look for there.

Pregnancy - She doesnt seem to be gaining any weight. would i notice this? :shock:I hope this is not the case.

The vet - I dont think he was rabbit savvy but he was the only one that I could reach at 3a.m....The benadryl did work I must say and she is no longer sneezing or wheezing.

Thank you for letting me know where to post to try to find out how old she is.

 

[tonyshuman]

What was the spray? Many over-the-counter medicines for fleas and ticks that are meant for dogs or cats can be quite dangerous to rabbits. In fact, many of these products are also dangerous to the animals they are sold for.

Is there any irritation on the skin? Any other issues, in terms of eating, drinking, behavior? It sounds and looks like she might be a netherland dwarf.

Rabbits hide pregnancy quite well, due to their already round shape. Most people have to feel the belly to determine if a rabbit is pregnant, and it can be hard even for experienced breeders to determine this. The gestation length in rabbits is 28 days. What you are describing sounds a lot like what female rabbits do when they are about to give birth. The purpose of a dewlap is to have extra fur to pull out to line the momma rabbit's nest. Hormonal changes near the time of giving birth cause the fur in that area to be looser and the rabbit pulls it out.

You may want to put a nestbox in there and see if she fills it with the fur. She may just be putting it on the side because she doesn't have a place to make a nest. A box will be helpful in case she does have babies when you aren't around--the babies can otherwise become chilled and die. I would look up a way to get a makeshift nestbox, or ask in the Rabbitry section. I am pretty sure you can modify a shoebox to work as a nestbox. Most nestboxes are about a foot deep and 8 in wide, with the sides cut so that the mom can easily get out but the babies cannot. I would think you could take a shoebox without a lid, cut one short side down to about 2-3" high, and then cut the long sides at an angle down to that area.

Sometimes netherland dwarves have issues with pregnancy due to their small size. We have a few nethie breeders on the forum who might be able to help.

 

[DVD Queen]

The spray was not for cats and dogs. It is made for rabbits.I bought it at the local pet smart. I am trying to find the bottle so I can tell you exactly what it is.

There is no irritation on the skin anywhere even on the dewlap..Its just bald. It is not even red. She eats drinks and plays just normal. Goes to the bathroom normally. The only thing is is that sometimes she can seem to be nervous and will grunt. Not at anybody in particular though. Like if its too loud or something. I assume this is normal though??

I do have a cardboard tube in there that I got from the pet store. It was filled with hay (kaytee). She has seemed to eat all of that but does not really mess with the tube. I think I will put a box in there though just in case. But if she is pregnant then she would be having her babies any day because we have had her about a month now. So this I would know shortly.

A netherland dwarf huh?? Is there anything in particular that would tell me for sure?

Thank you for replying.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I would try to find a "rabbit savvy" vet and get a well-check for peace of mind. We do that with any new bunny here. Usually they clear their dewlap to make a nest when pregnant or having a false pregnancy. You can feel her belly and feel if there are babies or not based on the length of time she's already been with you.

 

[DVD Queen]

Will I feel little knots? or actually feel the framing of a baby bunnie?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

At that time period, they should be very developed and feel like large lumps.