Bald Bunny

Genipher

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We're taking care of our friend's Netherland Dwarf doe for awhile. When she came to us we noticed she was shedding a lot more than our rabbit.
A few days later, she started developing bald patches.

The info:

She had been kept in a cage, indoors, at her owner's house. At our place we put her cage outside. She has protection from the elements, etc.

She can see our buck and probably smell him but they're not allowed to get together because he's a Rex.

Her diet has NOT changed. (Strike that: we've given her grass to eat, and some fresh fruits and veggies. We were taking it slow, though, to make sure she didn't get the runs.)

There has been nothing new added to her cage.

We have let her run around in a safely enclosed area, in the backyard. I'm not sure if her owner ever let her on the grass.

She's not itching. I don't see any dandruff or scaly patches. Though she does have some red marks, like maybe she bled when the hair came out.


I am at a loss as to why this is happening to her.
Could she be showing signs of a false pregnancy?
Stress from moving?
Trying to adapt to living outside?

We had rabbits years ago and our doe pulled fur to line her nest, but I never dealt with an unbred doe doing this.
Oh, and our buck is just fine. He's not showing any signs of baldness or mites, etc. It's just her.

Can anyone give me any advice, ideas, or reassurances as to what's going on with this doe?
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Bunnylady

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A doe that is pulling fur to make a nest for a litter (real or imaginary) typically pulls from her belly and dewlap; though she will go up on her sides, if you see bare spots, they are usually underneath. I did have one doe that went way overboard with fur pulling and had only a 2" wide Mohawk along her spine by the time she was done, but she was bare underneath, and this one looks fully furred underneath and bare on the side. Is her other side like this, or just this one? Any other bare spots?

I have to say, this looks more like something else pulled her fur out, rather than her doing it to herself. Are there any other animals that might have access to her, even if it's through the cage wire?

I have seen rabbits shed down to bare skin when they are all matted up, but you didn't say anything about matting, and that isn't a thing that you could overlook on a short haired breed like a Dwarf.:\
 

Genipher

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A doe that is pulling fur to make a nest for a litter (real or imaginary) typically pulls from her belly and dewlap; though she will go up on her sides, if you see bare spots, they are usually underneath. I did have one doe that went way overboard with fur pulling and had only a 2" wide Mohawk along her spine by the time she was done, but she was bare underneath, and this one looks fully furred underneath and bare on the side. Is her other side like this, or just this one? Any other bare spots?

I have to say, this looks more like something else pulled her fur out, rather than her doing it to herself. Are there any other animals that might have access to her, even if it's through the cage wire?

I have seen rabbits shed down to bare skin when they are all matted up, but you didn't say anything about matting, and that isn't a thing that you could overlook on a short haired breed like a Dwarf.:\


The other side of her isn't as bad, though her fur is thinning there as well.

We have a dog. She sometimes wanders around the cages or tries to lick the bunnies noses through the cage, but other than that she leaves them alone. And she (the dog) is indoors at night.

There are feral cats around our neighborhood. Maybe with the dog inside at night, the cats have been coming too close? The rabbits are close enough to hear through our open window at night. I've never heard anything unusual. If something was trying to get her at night, would I be able to hear it?

And she's not matting. :(

Wow. Your doe was pretty dedicated to Mohawk herself! It's been such a long while since we had rabbits, I forgot where they pull their fur from. Even so, she's not bred and hasn't had a chance to be.

It's all so strange!
 

Genipher

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I would wonder about mites or maybe an allergy?


Would mites affect our buck, as well? They're in separate cages but share the same general area. And they take turns in what I call the Green Cage--a run that allows them to be on the grass.

I'm not seeing any flaking and she's not scratching herself...

We have given her bits of apple and lettuce. I'm not sure if her owners gave treats like that. Could it be possible she's allergic to the fresh produce?
 
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Hens and Roos

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What about stress- the rabbit is in a new environment all together.

The picture shows some red areas by its hip and another one by its shoulder are those marks or just the way the picture is showing up
 

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