Crust/matted fur around my bunny's mouth =(

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Gacktoholic96

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Hello all and I hope someone whose bunny may have had this before can help me with this problem.

My bunny has some crust and matted fur around her mouth and I think it's because of the banana I gave her a couple weeks back. Has anyone had this problem before?

I'm hoping they will heal like last time, but I'm still worried because there's a crack in her lip where the crusts are. I have no idea what this is and I was hoping someone could tell me. As far as I know, my bunny is healthy other than this problem. She poops and pees as much as she's done all her life, her stool isn't smelly, they're not soft, she's not having any diarrhea. She's eating as much as she always has and always voraciously. The crusts doesn't seem to bother her unless you touch them, but I understand rabbits usually suffer silently to avoid looking weak to predators. But she's happy and running around. I know a vet can answer my question better, but I looked at the reviews of vets who look at rabbits in my area and they don't have very good reviews. I want an opinion from someone who genuinely loves bunnies, isn't in it for the money and trying to sell me drugs or surgery my bunny doesn't need, and has had this problem before.

If you can identify this problem, I would GREATLY appreciate it. Thank you!
 
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Sounds like drooling. She may be having teeth problems. Have you had her teeth checked lately??



Bananas are really bad to give bunnies. Some people do in small quantities. But fruits are the worst to give rabbits.



Also, Welcome To RO.......April
 
If you put your location in your profile RO has a list of Vets - that knows lots about rabbits. They can help you find a vet, if one is needed.



I don't think a banana would make her mouth sore. I'm thinking, she's having teeth problems.
 
Thanks for the reply and suggestions! Last time we got her teeth checked which was less than a year ago, the vet said they were fine. I also frequently check her two front teeth to make sure they're wearing evenly.

I'm pretty sure it has something to do with bananas. The timing is just too perfect to be something else. I'm not familiar with rabbit drooling, but if there was drooling, there'd be spit, no? I don't work right now, so I play with the bunny all day, and there is never any wetness around her mouth when I pet her. I don't think it's from me because I keep my house clean and I always make sure I wash my hands before I touch her. The living room is basically "her's" so there are no cords or dangerous items for her to eat or chew on.

Does anyone know what this is? An infection? A disease? Has anyone had a bunny who had it before?
 
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It could be her back molars. Someone else will answer, I'm sure soon.



I just wouldn't give her anymore fruits. Their too sugary.....April



edit:: rabbits teeth grow fast and may be filed down every 3-6 months. Depending on the rabbit.



 
SweetSassy wrote:
It could be her back molars. Someone else will answer, I'm sure soon.
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Anything's possible, but I doubt it's her teeth. She isn't showing any of the typical symptoms of bunny dental disease, and she would have shown it by now if it was that. Also the last time she got it, it healed on its own. From what I know, dental disease or teeth problems isn't something that just goes away on its own.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures! I'm sure it would help but maybe I can borrow a camera later. For now, my description will have to do.
 
angieluv wrote:
These photos are very graphic photos of rabbit syphilis which is easily treatable and not at all contagious to people .

Does the crusty areas resemble these crusts on the pics at all???


http://homepage.mac.com/exoticdvm/mammal/PhotoAlbum72.html
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Oh, those poor things... luckily, Mocha's crusts don't look like that at all. They're more on the edges of her mouth and they don't look like the ones in the picture nor do the colors of teh crust match. But that's a good site for bunny diseases and I have it bookmarked already. Thank you for the reference.

I'm hoping to get more responses but I hope this isn't a rare thing my bunny has. I got no search results either when I googled it many times...
 
Flashy wrote:
Have you thought about taking your bun to get the crust cultured at the vet?
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:yeahthat:re. getting it cultured

don't know if a banana could trigger anything other than an allergic response which I have never heard of before
 
I am thinking it could be a fungal infection of the skin. The way a banana could cause this is by getting sugar on the skin, which makes the fungus grow out of control. So the fungus lives there all the time but doesn't bother her until it gets a lot of sugar to live on and then the population explodes. All of that fungus then needs something to eat once the sugar from the banana is gone, and it attacks the bunny skin.

I think you need to have a vet look at the crust and/or culture it. A bit of banana shouldn't be causing problems like this. The most common causes of crust around the mouth in rabbits seem to be syphillis and drooling, which we've ruled out, so it needs some more expert opinions.
 
Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord, our prayers have been answered!

I have an update for everyone. Since I last posted I have been tirelessly but fruitlessly searching for an answer. No luck, but Mocha's crusts are almost all gone! This is about the third week, so it seems that by next week she should be almost completely healed.

The fungus theory might have been right on the dot, but without tests we'd never know. At least she's better now and as long as we don't give her bananas, I don't expect to see it again. I borrowed a camera and have a pretty good picture of it so people will have it for reference. I'll put it up as soon as I can. I'm so happy my bunny is doing better =) I stressed over this so much phew. I'm glad it's almost over. Yay!
 
Here's a pic. Please share it (no credit needed) if you think another bunny may have the same problem. For my bunny it took about 2-3 weeks to show any signs of healing and I expect it to be gone by the 4th or 5th week. I didn't change my bunny's diet, but always made sure she had plenty of hay and fresh vegetables. Please always remember to thank the stars if your bunny is healthy. Something can happen at any moment.

 
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Ah, it looks like there's banana goo on her face there. That may have been something for a fungal infection to start growing on, or having it there may have irritated her skin itself. Banana is good for bunnies, but not when left on the skin for a while. I guess she just needs to wash up better after eating! ;)
 
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