Male rabbit pulling out fur...

Question
Our male Dutch dwarf rabbit has recently started pulling out the fur from the pads of his feet, both front and back. He will be three years old in the September of 2010. He is neutered - we have another male neutered rabbit - they are in close proximity but in different cages and not noticeably hostile towards each other.

Today when he was out we witnessed him biting rather forcefully at his fur/skin. He repeatedly pulls at the fur until it comes off. When you inspect his paws you can see raw patches of red on his pads and between his nails. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but the patches, albeit small, are obvious. Eating/drinking habits have been normal as well. We phoned the vet and asked her about what we can do and she prescribed him a cream which we have to apply 2-3 times a day in the afflicted areas.

Contact with/visiting the vet cannot be achieved until at least Monday the 4th. Because tomorrow is New Year's almost nothing will be open and access to pretty much any store is either very limited or not possible.

What do you think this may be? Can we do something to help him until we take him to the vet's on Monday?

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope I provided enough to give you a good idea of what is happening.  

Answer
Dear Sophia,

While it's not possible for me to diagnose the problem without seeing the bunny, it does sound as if he is suffering from some sort of contact irritation.  I would, at the very least, very thoroughly and carefully wash his feet (not the rest of him!) in warm water containing dilute povidone iodine and epsom salts, which will be soothing and reduce inflammation.  The povidone iodine will kill bacteria and/or fungi that might be contributing to the problem.

If this is mange or another type of ectoparasite, it would be surprising if it affected only the bottoms of his feet.  But please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/furloss.html

He might also be suffering from insect bites.  Do you have biting ants in the yard?  Anything that might have been able to bite the bottoms of his feet?  These, too, will be soothed by the foot bath with povidone iodine and epsom salts, until you can get him to a good rabbit vet.  I'm not sure how many there are in your area, but you can check the rabbit vet listings here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to see, via the international listings, if there are any in Greece who are accessible to you.

Have a very happy new year, and I hope your bunny will be fine soon.

Dana