is baby bunny sick? help!

[bunniesohmy]

hi I have an angora jersey wooly mix baby bunny that is about 3 months old. I've had her since she was born and was the runt of the litter, black in color and up untill now had a plush coat. Now her coat has thinned along her spine..the rest is fine but just on her back it looks like I took scissors and chopped off her hair. It isn't completely missing hair, its just really short in comparison to the rest of her body(long angora hair!) also she has dropped in weight to the point where I can feel all her bones. Could this be a parasite? She seems to act normally and I am starting to monitor her eating and drinking. If you have an idea of what this could be please let me know.

 

[JBun]

What do you feed your rabbit and how much each day? Is your bun eating the same amounts or is there any reduction in food amounts? Is her poop normal, any mushy poop? Is she getting enough water, is her pee normal?

If the hair loss isn't thinning of the fur but actual chewed off fur, then your rabbit must be doing it herself. Boredom can cause this, as well as nutritional deficiencies, but I would suspect that a health problem causing the weight loss, may also be the cause of the fur chewing somehow.
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-9/skin.html

If your rabbit's diet is good and she is getting enough food, then common causes of sudden weight loss in young rabbits usually has to do with infection or parasites like coccidiosis, though it could be something else. I would suggest having your rabbit checked by a good rabbit vet, and get a fecal sample tested for cocci.
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/weightloss.shtml

 

[ladysown]

is the rabbit pooping and peeing like normal?

other than the hair loss and skinniness.. how is the rabbit eating?

have you checked the teeth?

 

[PixelGirl2dot0]

You mention your bunny is about 3 months old - she could be starting her very first moult. As an angora / jersey wooly, she'll likely moult every 3 months or so, which could explain the short (but not thinned) hair along her back, as that's the hair that seems to go first (at least in my experience with my angora).

If she is moulting, she's going to need your help getting the rest of those long hairs out so she's not eating them. If she's getting really skinny, she could be ingesting the loose hairs from her back when she grooms and she'll stop eating her other food because her belly feels full from all the hair.

I see you're monitoring her eating / drinking - if she's not taking food it could be stasis from hair and you'll need to see a vet as soon as possible. See if her poops are singular or strung together by hair as well, if they're strung together it shows she's ingesting a lot of hair.

 

[bunniesohmy]

thanks for the info but I think I'll just take her to a vet. She's pooping normally, eating but not sure on drinking. Still monitoring...she jas been with her mother untill last nite so maybe mom was eating all the food? Idk. Such a sudden drop in weight is wierd...she normally eats kaytee brand but is on WalMart food right now. She was given a carrot and ate all of it so I know she's eating. No stringy poop, just small.

 

[bunniesohmy]

also i should mention i had the sibling to this bunny and it had the same symptoms and died. very skinny and super short hair along the spine. it was half alive when i found it and seemed like it was gasping for air and wiggled to move but couldnt lift itself. sad

 

[JBun]

I think getting your bun to the vet asap, is a good idea, especially considering that it's sibling died from the same symptoms. If you don't know of a good rabbit vet, you may be able to find one on these lists.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f28/finding-vet-13366/
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/