Molting?

[dburgi]

We got a bunny a week ago. I just noticed today that he seems to be missing quite a large patch of fur on one side. Missing isn't quite the right word, it's more like he got a buzz cut lol. His fur is on the longer side normally, and this patch all just looks closely shorn. It looks healthy as far as I can tell, I don't see anything weird looking on the skin. The weather has warmed up significantly here in the last few days. He is an indoor bunny though, so I didn't think the temp would affect him much. Could he be molting? Do baby bunnies molt at some point, or would it just be weather related? I will take him to the vet if needed, I would just rather not spend the money if I don't have to, but I don't want to risk his health either. He still seems happy, he is hopping around, grooming himself, eating, and drinking.

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

Yes he's molting, this is normal so you don't need to bring him to the vet.

Check out this link. It has a lot of great info on molting, the cycle of molting, and what to do when your rabbit is molting.

http://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/09/30/the-molting-cycle-in-rabbits/

 

[JBun]

It is likely it is just normal molting. Usually baby rabbits will go through their first molt when they are several months old.

Another possibility is fur chewing. So that is something you will want to keep an eye out for. Fur chewing can happen when a rabbit is bored, stressed, or possibly lacking in fiber or protein. I've had one case of fur chewing that was due to one of my rabbits not getting enough protein in her diet. Increasing her protein intake corrected the problem.

If you notice that the fur loss is only in a certain area, or you see your rabbit chewing his fur, then you will need to try and figure out what the cause may be. It's also possible that some fur chewing could be due to skin irritation from something like mites, but if this is the case you will probably also notice your bun scratching a lot, as well as flakey and possibly irritated skin. If you see this, you will need to see your vet for the appropriate meds to clear it up.

 

[Azerane]

Was it like that when you got him, if so, perhaps he had fur mats in that area that were cut out? Otherwise, it looks like a fairly normal molting pattern.