help with Mocha's biting habit please?

[tailof2rabbits]

she's such a sweetheart especially now that the two of us have compromised that i handle her less, but when I do, she has to like it. hehe. but no, seriously, she's such an adorable, sweet child. she'll follow me around and lick my feet and face and kiss me. but she nips. i don't think she realizes this hurts. she's doing it to me much, much less now but i saw her bite the corner of Marbles' eye while she was grooming him and i'm worried. especially when I noticed she punctured her own ear. there's a hole at the tip of her left ear. at first i thought ear mites but i tried lightly scratching it off to see the flesh... i realized it was a wound. what i was trying to get off was dried blood. not flakes. am i right? is that normal? (Marbles doesn't do that.) what should i do?

also, she's overgrooming her front paws. she's biting off fur. there are bald spots. it's freaking me out. i can see a finger exposed. :cry3

 

[naturestee]

It does sound like fur mites. They're too small to see without a microscope. A vet can treat her for this. There are some home remedies too, but she's so young I wouldn't know what to use safely. Check out this info in the References section:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11992&forum_id=10

 

[tailof2rabbits]

thanks for replying, naturestee. those pictures in the Krempel article were heartbreaking. there's a rabbit vet 3 cities away but i'm afraid the trip will stress them even more. plus, there are lots of dogs and cats at the vet's everyday. i'm afraid they'd pass out from fear. :cry2i'd gladly pay him for house calls but he won't take any. argh.

her paws aren't sore. she lets me touch them. they're just... well... bald. baldish. it's been that way since before she moved in. i suppose it's just scarier now that she's bigger and i can see the bald spots better. as of right now, there's no dandruff anywhere on her at all. although i have to say, i've been itching lately. i just assumed they're mosquito bites. (i was even glad that i got bit instead of them.)

i live in a condo. there are no other pets in the building, as far as we know. we had no pets before they came in. what happened?

 

[Mr. Stee]

You say she has had bald spots since before she moved in. It could be she got them before you got her. Also (not to scare you) there is always the chance that it was given by the ultimate disease spreader. Mice. The thing to do about that (no mice)is to keep all edibles stored nicely away in containers and keep the house clean. Oh, and trap them. You don't have to kill them when you trap them (there are humane traps), but if you let them go outside you have to let them go at least three miles away or they will be back in a couple days (and just because you don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there).

Hope for a happy recovery
James

*edit* if you have more then one rabbit, make sure they both get some of what ever treatment you give.

 

[tailof2rabbits]

and just because you don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there

:bawl

Ugh. I hate mice. As far as we know, we don't have mice.I hope to dear God I'm right. I sweep three times a day (and for someone who's trying to carry a semblance of life outside of sweet, sweet bunny time, that's quite a feat) and keep all their stuff in a plastic container.

Thanks, Mr. Stee.

 

[JimD]

Hi, T2R !!

Overgrooming can also be a behavioral condition.

If a souce of ichiness (i.e. mites, fleas, ringworm, fungus,etc.)cannot be found, this might be a consideration. It could eventually evolve into a less agressive grooming habit. Some vets will recommend a collar/hood for a period of time to see if it will break the cycle.

~Jim

 

[tailof2rabbits]

Thanks, Jim. Yeah, that was what I was thinking. She was nipping me a lot before until I made it definitely clear that biting me was not an option. She nips Marbles harder than is expected occasionally while grooming him. He flinches but lets it go so I'm thinking she just gets carried away while grooming, really. I'd hate to see her wearing a collar. I'll see if I have any other options. I can't think of any but I hope someone can suggest something else. Heh. Also, I'm scared she'll just go at it with a vengeance once that collar's off or just stop grooming altogether. :\