Help! Seems that my rabbit is losing fur in his neck

[Margaret12345]

Just today I found that my rabbit is losing fur underneath his mouth. (like in the photos). I think he should be around 8 to 10 years old but not sure (we saw him abandoned in a street trash can years ago and adopted him). He have been eating less grass recently but he eats usual amount of pellets. He is still playful and active at night and there have been no significant behavioural changes. His other parts of fur are normal and smooth and his stools are normal as well...

What should I do? A vet for rabbit is not always readily available in my area, is there anything I can do before being able to take him to one? Thank you!

 

[JBun]

Usually fur loss under the mouth is going to be due to drooling from a dental problem. The drool gets the fur wet and then the fur falls out. It could be something like sharp points on the molars cutting into the tongue and check, possible infection, or being an older rabbit there could be some loose teeth causing issues. So you will need to have your rabbit examined by an experienced rabbit vet and have a dental exam done to find out what the problem is.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/D_problems1.htm
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

Another possibility, especially if there has never been any evidence of drooling and wet fur, is if your rabbit has a small dish he eats out of that could be causing excessive rubbing on the chin while he eats.

 

[Margaret12345]

Usually fur loss under the mouth is going to be due to drooling from a dental problem. The drool gets the fur wet and then the fur falls out. It could be something like sharp points on the molars cutting into the tongue and check, possible infection, or being an older rabbit there could be some loose teeth causing issues. So you will need to have your rabbit examined by an experienced rabbit vet and have a dental exam done to find out what the problem is.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/D_problems1.htm
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

Another possibility, especially if there has never been any evidence of drooling and wet fur, is if your rabbit has a small dish he eats out of that could be causing excessive rubbing on the chin while he eats.

Thank you so much! I will probably change his dish for pellets into something else before taking him to the vet :/

 

[JBun]

Keep in mind that selective eating like stopping eating one food(like grass/hay) and still eating pellets, can also be a sign of a dental issue. This is because the chewing action for eating hay is different than for eating pellets, so it can be more painful to eat hay/grass than it is to eat pellets, and that is why your rabbit no longer wants to eat hay/grass as much.