Eating Fur :(

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snap

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, Texas, USA
My 11 month old Holland Lop buck((very sure he's a buck)) has taken to eating his fur. I thought it was just bad shedding, but I caught him eating it this morning. He has a big bald spot across his chest now. :(

I'm giving him hay & bits of pineapple to keep him from getting hairballs, but I know I need to treat the actual source of this not just potential symptoms. Help?
 
Usually pulling fur (if not a doe) is due to lack of fiber in the diet. If you are not already doing do, make sure he has plenty of timothy hay and other high fiber foods. Did or Does he eat a lot of hay?
 
He usually only gets hay when I can lay my hands on some- with nine rabbits is goes quickly and gets expensive. So that may be the problem.
 
I have, the next biggest thing I can find would be a 100 lb bale of timothy hay- no way to get that home, much less anywhere to store it!

EDIT: Oh, forgot to add, I bought them toys too and that seemed to stop it completely- whereas with the hay he still ate little bits. Hopefully the hay & the toys will keep him from eating his hair. :)
 
I agree, the problem is probably a lack of hay. Do you have outside space? Hay and grass are interchangeable so you can replace hay with grass. If you're short on grass try asking your neighbours if you can cut theirs for them.. you'll need to do it by hand not with a mower. You can also dry your own grass for storage.

Buying by the bale is usually the cheapest option. Do you have any stables/farms near you? They might sell you a bale or part bale. Breeders would be another option as they may by in bulk and sell you some.
 
Everyone here puts chemicals on their lawns, I can't use grass. :/

I don't think stables use timothy hay? If they do I could try asking around to get some. I didn't think of asking breeders, I'll try to find some in the area.

I can't buy coastal hay, most of my bunnies won't eat it because they know it's for bedding in the winter. I only buy timothy, and occasionally alfalfa, because I have no where to store a bale of coastal hay.
 
Any grass hay is fine, everyone in the US seems a bit obsessed with timothy but over here (UK) it's pretty common just to feed normal meadow hay :) Generally whatever they feed the horses will be fine as they have the same sort of digestion as bunnies. So meadow, oat, timothy etc.

Alfalfa is a bit rich for feeding adult rabbits all the time, but better than no hay at all.

A bin outside with a lid works well for hay storage.
 
Hay is extremely important for your rabbits and should be 90%-95% of their diet :(

I would try very, very hard to give your rabbits more hay. Your bunny is already showing signs he needs hay, but you might not know of other underlying problems (teeth, digestive issues)

Are you sure they said a 100lb bale and not just a regular bale? While bales can feel heavy, normal bales LOOK big, but can be easily stored. I buy a bale and I live in a apartment. I use black trash bags to store it and then I put whatever I need in a storage bin and refill it. Or you can go to a home depot or lowes and buy a big garden trash can (they are round) and fit it into their.

But MOST feed stores will sale you a bag of hay from $2-5. I would call and ask.

Again, hay is extremely important for your bunnies. I am sure it does go fast with 9 bunnies, but it IS the equivalent of not feeding your dog, well, dog food.

Here is a rabbit rescue who sell hay as well:
http://ntrs.org/NTRS_BunnyShopPage2_Hay.htm

If you tell me your zip code or city I can easily find you a feed store as well.
 
tamsin- The horses around here get coastal, no grass hays. And I only feed alfalfa as a treat, or to coax them to eat medicine.

myia09- I know, I know. :( I feel awful about it, they used to get free choice before I got my major show lamb and all the money went *poof*. I'm trying to get back to free choice hay because I have no other animals other than my rabbits now, but I keep forgetting since it's a new thing, y'know? :(
And I'm not sure on the weight, I just asked if it would fit in my Corolla and they said no- meaning it's bigger than a normal bale, because I fit those in my trunk fine and they know that. They won't split it for me, I asked but I wasn't given a reason- just 'no'. :(
We already have a metal trash can, with a chain, to store stuff in from my steer, so I'll look into finding a feed store to get more hay. There are only two around here, and lots around here about an hour in any direction but maybe there's some in between I've never heard of.
 
snap wrote:
And I'm not sure on the weight, I just asked if it would fit in my Corolla and they said no- meaning it's bigger than a normal bale, because I fit those in my trunk fine and they know that. They won't split it for me, I asked but I wasn't given a reason- just 'no'. :(


Have you thought about wrapping it up and roping it to the roof of your car, instead of fitting it inside?
 

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