Help!

andradem · Dec 6, 2015

While cleaning out one of my rabbit hutches this morning, I noticed a wound under the chin/neck area of my smaller rabbit. He is a lionhead lop, almost 2 years old. He is a male and has been neutered. No other rabbits in his hutch with him...What could this be from?! Not sure how to post a picture on this site

Bunny-Wan Kenobi · Dec 6, 2015

There are two ways you can upload pictures onto RabbitTalk, uploading a picture, and uploading an attachment. here are the tutorials:

picture-tutorial-t6003.html

attachment-tutorial-t5.html

Not much more I can do to help, I hope that the pictures you upload will help others to help you, though.

Welcome to RabbitTalk, Andradem!

MamaSheepdog · Dec 7, 2015

Without seeing a photo, I am only able to guess- but it may be a bot fly maggot. There will be a round entry hole, and the area will appear swollen.

I had one case of a rabbit with a bot fly, and used forceps to pull it out. You have to be very careful to not tear the maggot apart because they contain a toxin which can kill the host animal.

I also recently had one in a puppy we have. I thought she had an abscess, so squeezed the area, and much to my surprise, out popped a big nasty maggot! :x

It was a much easier process than pulling it out with forceps, but I don't know if that method would always work.

MaggieJ · Dec 7, 2015

The fact that the rabbit is neutered leads me to think that it is likely a pet and perhaps kept indoors. If that is so, it is unlikely to be a bot fly, though you should certainly look to see if there is that tell-tale hole.

It could also be an abscess. Without more information/photos it is difficult to give you advice.

FourRingCircus · Dec 7, 2015

I am way less experienced than others on here, but I remember one of the checklist things to look at in rabbits is the scent glands under the chin - maybe something with it? Or maybe he scratched it on something while rubbing? Not sure if neutered males would do that or not?