overgrooming

Question
Hi Dana.  I just found your site and it's been so helpful to me.  Thank you.  
We have four beautiful neutered netherland dwarf mix bunnies.  One female
and three males.  They have a large bunny room in our home with a dutch
door.  The bottom closes while the top stays open so they don't feel closed in
and can hear us.  We have made their home as fun as possible with ramps,
toys, sticks, hay, boxes etc. Plus our 3 kids (ages 8-13) hold them and play
with them alot.  Our problem is with our 10 month old Cookie.  I have never
seen a more affectionate bunny.  From the moment you hold him he starts
licking you.  If he sits with you for 1/2 an hour he will lick you the whole
time.  My sons hand is chapped at times from the licking.  Now, two of our
bunnies have bald spots on their foreheads from Cookies licking.  I actually
brought our bunny with the 1st bald spot to our vet to make sure it was the
overgrooming and nothing else.  The vets oppinion was overgrooming as
well.  We have had to seperate Cookie from the other bunnies untill the fur
grows back.  I don't think Cookie is bored, he has a lot of love and
stimulation.  We don't know what to do.  Do you have any ideas how we can
stop Cookie from overgrooming?  Thanks.

Answer
Dear Leanne,

First off, I would not separate Cookie simply because of fur loss on the other bunnies, unless there is real evidence of injury.  A little bald spot isn't the end of the world.  The longer Cookie is apart from his family, the greater the chance of unbonding and serious fighting when he is reunited with them.  That would be worse than a few bald spots, I think.

It doesn't sound as if boredom is the problem here, from your description of the Bunny Paradise you've created.  In some cases, over-groomers (of some other species, too) are exhibiting a neurotic behavior due to past anxiety, perhaps from being weaned too young.

I've heard of overgrooming cats and dogs being treated with Prozac, believe it or not.  This can reduce anxiety and can help stop these types of behavior.  No one knows if this would help with a rabbit, but it's worth a try.

Another possibility--and this probably should be checked first, before you resort to drugs--is that he has painful molar spurs and his licking is a sign of pain.  A good rabbit vet will be able to look deep into his mouth to find and file any such problematic spurs.  You can read more here:

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

and find a good *rabbit* vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

There's a quickie letter about overgrooming here:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-10/overgrooming.html

I hope some of this helps.  I'd try the molars first, since dental problems are most common in dwarf breeds with their unusually short faces.  I hope that's all it turns out to be.

Good luck!

Dana