Skin problem and hair falling out

Rabbit Talk  Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

paper_crane2

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 28, 2013
Messages
138
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
My rabbit has some sort of skin problem where all the fur in that area has fallen out and there is crustiness. He is a french angora and is molting right now, it seems to me like he doesn't have another coat coming in under the wool coming out. I put some antibiotic on it until I find out what it is.

Also, should I be worried that he will get frostbite on the bare spot (around -25 outside and 10 in the garage where he is for the coldest temperatures)?
 

Attachments

  • Infection 2.jpg
    Infection 2.jpg
    275.8 KB
looks a lot like fur mites.

if you are worried about frost bite, you can make a bunny sweater, which is what breeders do when molting, shearing falls in the winter time.
 
Also, the fur wasn't pulled out by him itching, actually he doesn't seem to be itchy at all. It just fell out when I was grooming him. Could it be ringworm or epidermal collarettes?

edit: Plus isn't it way too cold for mites to survive right now? Where the rabbits are in the garage it is consistently 10-17 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
Your rabbit has hair, though, which traps the heat at the surface of the skin, which keeps the fur mites(as well as fleas and ticks and other creepy crawlies) warm.
 
It looks like fur mites to me, too. The mites are VERY tiny, and are difficult to see even in white fur... and the mites would blend in very well with the color fur you have on your bunny there. :(

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is very effective for most cases of fur mites, and doesn't involve medication. You can get it at many feed stores. One of my local feed stores sells it by the pound, another by the 50-pound bag. :shock: Needless to say, I buy it by the pound (it's about $1.25/pound here, and a pound will do plenty of dustings).

You take a couple of tablespoons worth of it and apply it to the fur, especially on the back and back of the neck, working it into the fur. Apply once a week for at least four weeks, to take care of hatching eggs.

You will have your very own dust bunny. Try to keep it out of eyes and noses. It is microscopically razor-sharp, which could irritate eyes and lungs, but is otherwise harmless to people and bunnies. The sharp edges scratch the protective surfaces of bugs and arachnids, though, causing them to dehydrate and die.

Alternatively, Ivermectin can be used. It should not be used in rabbits with certain genes, such as the Vienna gene, which is responsible for things like white paws, white nose, white blaze on forehead, etc. It seems that many of these rabbits don't tolerate Ivermectin, but most rabbits do fine with it.
 
You can use that, and even though it's injectable, you would give it orally.

What many use, though, is more like this: http://www.amazon.com/Horse-Health-Iver ... ivermectin

Generally, you give a small pea-sized amount. You can put it on a popsicle stick, and then smear it on the inside of the front paws, or on the lips, both of which should result in the rabbit licking it off.

Treatment is one dose every 10 days, for a total of three doses.

It can be bought at any feed store. :)

You can keep his wool, even the wool from the affected area. You will want to either:

1. Place the wool somewhere where the mites can abandon it (shed, etc.) for a few days. Mites are not interested in the wool. They are interested in the animal. Once they realize the animal isn't attached any more, they will go looking for another animal.

2. Put the wool in a plastic baggie with some DE for a while.
 
I would treat for mites (with DE preferably), but I'm inclined to think that that may be ringworm.

Most feedstores carry a product called Nu-Stock, which is a sulfur based ointment that is anti fungal.

You could also use a product called Blu-Kote, but it will stain anything it comes in contact with. Someone mentioned that it is available in a bottle, but I have only ever seen it as an aerosol. So as to not ruin more of his wool than necessary, I would apply it with a cotton swab. Make sure you are wearing gloves or your fingers will be purple for days.

You can also use any product marketed for athletes foot to treat ringworm, but I would be worried that he would lick it off, and I don't know how safe the drugs are if ingested. The Nu-Stock or Blu-kote are safer options in my opinion.
 
I agree Nu-Stock is safer than athlete's foot meds. Very few animals will lick Nu-Stock, and even if they do, it's non-toxic. It is a bit messy. It's basically sulphur, mineral oil, and pine oil. Shake thoroughly out-of-doors.

Just out of curiosity, MSD, what about it makes you think ringworm rather than mites? Teach me! :p
 
Miss M":2492nyqr said:
Just out of curiosity, MSD, what about it makes you think ringworm rather than mites? Teach me! :p

The circular pattern of the crusty parts, and the fact that the skin looks "raised up" under the crust.

Since my preferred treatments for ringworm and mites are non-pharmaceutical, I wouldn't worry about building up a resistance in the organism causing it- plus Nu-Stock can be used to treat mites as well.
 
Okay, thanks! :)

Nu-Stock is amazing on ringworm! MUCH better than medications, even for people! I had one last year, and two different athlete's foot meds barely did anything to it. Three applications of Nu-Stock, and it was gone... and the discomfort was gone with the first.

For mites, though... I'm sure it would treat mites in the area, but wouldn't it miss any mites it didn't contact?
 
I had a ringworm epidemic two summers ago, but my ringworm never got crusty like that. I sprayed ACV on the buns necks and it went away.
 
Miss M":1isn668y said:
Nu-Stock is amazing on ringworm! MUCH better than medications, even for people! I had one last year, and two different athlete's foot meds barely did anything to it.

Last year I started getting redness between the toes on one foot (trenchfoot) and the Nu-Stock took care of it quickly. Hubs also used it on athlete's foot.

We quickly learned not to wash our socks with any other laundry, because the sulfur smell lingers, though it is somewhat changed by laundering. Not a pleasant smell though! :sick:

Miss M":1isn668y said:
For mites, though... I'm sure it would treat mites in the area, but wouldn't it miss any mites it didn't contact?

It is used for ear mites and maybe leg mites on chickens. Yes, they would have to contact it, so I wouldn't use it as a sole treatment for fur mites. I would use DE for that.

skysthelimit":1isn668y said:
I sprayed ACV on the buns necks and it went away.

Yet another use for ACV! :p
 
Do you guys think I should try treating for ringworm first, just in case its that?

Also, how do you apply the diatomaceous earth? Would it ruin his wool? ( I don't have a blower so I wouldn't be able to blow it out)
 
You can treat for both at the same time. Apply the Nu-stock to the bald area, and just use a teaspoon or so of DE rubbed from the crown of the head, over the ears, and down the back. I just put a little in my hand and "pet" them with it.

I have only had a couple cases of fur mites here, and one treatment is all mine ever needed. I have no idea why there was no recurrence with hatching eggs- perhaps the fur loss was from something else.

All the DE will do to the wool is make it a bit dusty- the DE I have is white, but the DE at TSC is reddish, so that may be a factor. I assume you wash your yarn once it is finished? The white DE wont stain, but I have no idea about the red.
 
Back
Top