Ripping fur off?

[thegooch69]

Reeses has been ripping the fur off her dew lap lately, a lot of it too. Is this normal? She isn't shedding. I'm worried that she's going to get a furball.

 

[aurora369]

Is she pulling it out with her teeth, or do you just see a bald patch on her dewlap?

If she's pulling it out, she's probably having a false pregnancy. Is she spayed? If not, then my bet is on a false pregnancy.

If you don't see her pulling it out, and it's just a bald spot, she may have a medical problem. Does she use a bowl or a bottle for water? Sometimes repeatedly getting the dewlap wet from drinking out of a bowl can cause a fungal infection.

Check for skin irritation and redness.

--Dawn

 

[thegooch69]

I'm taking her to the Vet tomorrow to see if she is spayed or not so I'll know then. I don't think she is spayed.

What is a fake pregency? Is it when a rabbit thinks they are prgenant? Is that bad?

 

[aurora369]

Rabbits have such a high hormone level in their bodies, as they are forced ovulators (they don't have a cycle, they drop their eggs when they breed), that sometimes they feel like they are pregnant but their not.

False pregnancies are generally not harmful. You want to make sure she doesn't start lactacting as it can cause an infection in her teats. Also watch out for her getting a bunch of fur stuck in her mouth (but that's pretty rare).

Getting her spayed should stop the false pregnancies.

--Dawn