loss of hair around eye

Question
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Followup To
Question -
My lop earred young bunny is losing the hair around her right eye only.  Sometimes it seems like the male bunny is grooming her/nibbling her there.  (they are separated in the cage by chicken wire)  Is this something I should take her to the vet for?  Thank you.
Answer -
Hi!

It sounds as if your male bunny might be overgrooming the female, perhaps due to sexual frustration.  You won't have to keep them separated if you have both the female spayed and the male neutered.  This will reduce their frustration, improve their health and longevity, and allow them to be housed together, as they would like to be (judging from their behavior), though introductions into each other's territory must be done with care and patience.

Once spayed/neutered, rabbits can also be litterbox trained and live inside, safe and happy as members of the family.  It's the best!  Please see:

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

and

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

If you suspect other reasons for the hair loss, please also see:

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

I hope this helps get you started.  For a good vet who can spay/neuter your bunnies, please check the referral list linked here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana



follow-up question-
Can I just neuter the male or do I also have to spay the female?
THANK YOU!

Answer
It's imperative to spay the female, too.  Unspayed, unbred females have a very high risk of uterine cancer, and you don't want to know how many bunnies--even *young* ones--we see come in with a cancerous uterus.  Fortunately, spaying usually permanently solves the cancer problem, even if the cancer has started already.

If you spay the female but leave the male intact, the problem will persist, and she might fight with him to try to stop his constant sexual advances.

Short answer:  both bunnies need to be "fixed" so that they can live in peace, health and harmony.

Dana