Dewlaps

[Saudade]

What exactly causes them, what is their purpose and what can be done to maintain them at an appropriate size?

 

[irishbunny]

They just grow on some medium/large breed female rabbits, they are for her to pull fur to build her nest when pregnant, some males get them too but that's usually because they are overweight. You can't really control the size of it unless it's there because the rabbit is overweight.
ETA: I think some males get it anyway, overweight or not but not that often, ime.

 

[pamnock]

Dewlaps don't serve any purpose. (Does don't need them to pull fur from to line nests).

Generally, dewlaps are caused by a genetic predisposition that effects elastin fibers in the skin. Age and weight can be factors of developing dewlaps. Breeds with naturally loose skin such as French Lops, are more likely to develop dewlaps and does have more of a tendency to develop them than bucks.

Pam

 

[slavetoabunny]

I have absolutely no scientific basis for this, but I've found that females that are spayed at an early age develop smaller dewlaps.

 

[irishbunny]

pamnock wrote:

Dewlaps don't serve any purpose. (Does don't need them to pull fur from to line nests).

But isn't it the reason they get them to pull fur from, even though they don't actually need them? What I've found anyway.

 

[Bunnymom,K]

irishbunny wrote:

pamnock wrote:

Dewlaps don't serve any purpose. (Does don't need them to pull fur from to line nests).

But isn't it the reason they get them to pull fur from, even though they don't actually need them? What I've found anyway.

I have never seen a doe pull fur from her dewlap for a nest, mine have always pulled belly fur and the fur from the hindquarters.

 

[mouse_chalk]

slavetoabunny wrote:

I have absolutely no scientific basis for this, but I've found that females that are spayed at an early age develop smaller dewlaps.

Same here- Mouse and Chalk don't have dewlaps to speak of, and they were spayed at 4 months.

I've also found, with both Snowy and Dotty, that their dewlaps shrunk once they were spayed? Again no scientific basis for it either, just what I've noticed with mine! Snowy lost weight from all round as well, but Dotty hasn't.

Oh, and Pam's French Lop reference made me immediately think of Boz's Marley!! Now there's a dewlap!

 

[bunniekrissy]

The two girls I had spayed had dewlaps prior to the spay, and afterwards they shrunk, so it has to be hormone-related (and weight-related, as mentioned before). The two girls I adopted already spayed do not have much dewlap either.

 

[SilverBirchRabbitry]

I find my bigger does pull fur from their dewlaps lol
My smaller does generally don't have dewlaps so they just pull fur from their thighs and belly.

I personally LOVE dewlaps on large breed females

 

[irishbunny]

Bunnymom,K wrote:

irishbunny wrote:

pamnock wrote:

Dewlaps don't serve any purpose. (Does don't need them to pull fur from to line nests).

But isn't it the reason they get them to pull fur from, even though they don't actually need them? What I've found anyway.

I have never seen a doe pull fur from her dewlap for a nest, mine have always pulled belly fur and the fur from the hindquarters.

Both of mine have pulled from where they should have a dewlap (small breeds) so some does do