Chewing Skin

Question
My male rabbit has been chewing himself, mostly in the stomach and hind leg regions. He doesnt break the skin, but has been chewing it for a few months now. We have taken him to the vet, where they have given him a shot of Cortizone, which would help the itching for 48 hours, but then he would be right back to chewing. We have resorted to a "cone head" to put on his head so he cant chew. We also use Neosporin and Vaseline on the areas he chews to keep the skin soft so he cant break the skin. What else can we do and what could be wrong with him? We have even changed his litter and food in case he has started allergies towards them.

Answer
Dear Jessica,

If this were my rabbit, I would ask the vet to prescribe Revolution (selamectin), in case the problem is being caused by burrowing mites.  These can cause itching and fur loss, but are extremely hard to find, even with deep skin scraping.  Using Revolution would at least rule out that possibility, but I'm betting it might help.

I would not put an E-collar on a rabbit under any circumstances, as this is not only stressful, but will prevent him from normally eating his cecotropes.  Please see:

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

Also see:

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

It's possible that you'll need a vet more experienced with rabbit specifics than the ones you're now seeing, and you can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

You don't mention whether the bunny's fur is wet or soiled where he's chewing, but urine burn also can cause symptoms like this, especially if the problem is restricted to the belly and hind feet.  Please also see:

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

I hope this helps with a few ideas to get you started.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana