BALD SPOTS ON RABBIT

Question
I have an indoor rabbit that is about 5 years old.  Over the last couple months he has been losing a lot of hair and has many bald spots mainly on his legs and belly.  Someone told me it could be fleas, but I haven't seen any.  His skin isn't crusty or have any sores on it.  He is eating fine.  Do you have any suggestions on what could be causing this.   thanks

Answer
Dear April,

There are many different reasons a bunny can lose fur, and it's important to find out what's causing the problem in order to treat it.

That said, the most likely cause is mites, which are not visible to the naked eye, and can be extremely difficult for even a vet to find with a skin scraping.  The best treatment is topical application of Revolution (selamectin), available from your vet.  DO NOT use Frontline, as this can be deadly to rabbits!

You can get more complete information on the causes and treatments of fur loss in rabbits here:

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

and find a good rabbit vet with the list linked here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Since the fur loss is limited to his legs and belly, it's also important to consider the possibility that this is due to urine scald. If you suspect this might be the case, please read:

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

for more information.

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have any additional information.

Dana