Missing patch of fur

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Miss M

Miss M

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I've got Squeak's 7-week-old litter of 6 in a growout cage. ILoveBunnies noticed this morning that one of them is missing a small patch of fur just to the right of its mouth, like where the whiskers are. The fur around the mouth is not wet. ILoveBunnies says the skin looks a little flaky (or possibly just short fur), and she can see a scab.

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I know the pictures aren't clear, but I took them mainly to show location and size. If clearer pics will help, just let me know, and I won't use my cellphone. :D

Am I looking at mites here? This is a meat rabbit, with only a month or so until freezer camp. Can I treat this with Ivermectin, or will that render the meat inedible?

If it is mites, I guess that means I have to treat everybun in the cage. :(
 
Could the rabbit have scratched/cut herself on a feeder/sharp edge of something?
In the picture it doesn't look too terrible, is there any sign of infection?
It looks like it may heal itself.
Ottersatin. :eek:ldtimer:
 
I hadn't thought of that... could a scratch result in the patch of fur loss? Gracious, I sure hope so! That would be much better than mites!

I don't see any sign of infection at this time, but we will keep an eye on it!
 
Looks like a scrape to me. Or - how cold is it there? Could the kit have gotten a bit of moisture on its face, then leaned against some cold metal? It isn't just tongues that will stick to frozen metal! :lol:
 
Half Caper Farm":mkxcm9bl said:
Looks like a scrape to me. Or - how cold is it there? Could the kit have gotten a bit of moisture on its face, then leaned against some cold metal? It isn't just tongues that will stick to frozen metal! :lol:
Click to expand...

Oh jeez, didn't think about that. Good reason not to invest in JFeeders, LOL!
 
It looks like an injury to me. Freezing to a metal surface could certainly do it. Unless it spreads I doubt if it is fur mites. It could be fur chewing by its littermates but I'm guessing a scrape or freezing to be the cause.
 
I've frozen my fingers to things after filling waterers barehanded and then open stall or cage doors so skin definitely does freeze to metal. I haven't had it actually remove any layers of skin though. I do agree it looks like some type of scrape and would just keep an eye on it in case of infection.
 
Yeah, fur can get attached to something when it's wet, a friend of mine does angora, and she has lost two this year (she was on vacation and paying a kid to water and feed the rabbits)

They drink, get their fur wet and it gets stuck to the dish or cage and they end up killing themselves or freezing to death.
 
Wow, I didn't think of that at all! We've had temps in the mid- to low-20s the last several nights. That would certainly explain it... the area doesn't really look like fur mites, with the thinning you get before the area goes bare. It does look literally like a clump of hair got yanked out. I really had not thought about it.

The fur chewing thing occurred to me, but it doesn't look bitten off, it is just missing.

Freezing would explain the scab, too. Ouch! :eek: The poor little thing! Maybe I'll go put some antibiotic ointment on it. :(

So glad it shouldn't be mites, though.
 

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