Worried about pet - pulling out hair and excessive excreation

Question
Hello,
I am hoping that you can help, about a week ago I noticed that my rabbit was loosing his hair, he is around 2 years old, and in himself is still a very happy rabbit, I have noticed that he is pulling out his own hair, but his skin does not appear sore, I cannot find any evidence of any parasites or lice, he has also started eating and drinking excessively, but is loosing a lot of weight!  He is excreting excessively, as you can imagine.  Have you ever heard of anything like this, I should imagine that they are both related as they began at around the same time.  He has not been neutered, and is usually kept outdoors.

Oh and he recently had a problem with red urine, this has been resolved now after changing his diet..not sure if this is also related...but it stopped 5 days ago!

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Claire

Answer
Dear Claire,

My first question may sound odd, but are you sure your bunny is male?  A female will pull her fur out if she's having a false pregnancy.  Please read:

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

for all the most common reasons for abnormal fur loss in a bunny.

If your bunny does turn out to be an unspayed female, then the red urine could be a concern.  Unspayed, unbred female rabbits have a very high risk of uterine cancer, and if she has this (with blood in the urine), it could explain her weight loss and excessive appetite.  

Renal problems also can cause wasting and excessive drinking and urination.  So your bunny is very much due for an appointment with an experienced rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who can sex the bun, evaluate his/her health via wellness exam, bloodwork, and palpation, and determine whether any treatments are necessary (including a spay, if this is uterine cancer).  I think you should do this sooner, rather than later, for best chance of complete health and cure.

I hope this helps.

Dana