Calling All Rabbit Nutters

[TJAnonymous]

@TJAnonymous @Canadian Wind
@NotabitaiI

Have you seen any hair tufts around? Is she pulling it herself (sign of stress)? Is she caged alone or with a friend?

 

[Jenbirdee]

Have you seen any hair tufts around? Is she pulling it herself (sign of stress)? Is she caged alone or with a friend?

Not seen any tufts
Is in a 33” x66” puppy pen adjacent to her friend bunny

 

[Finchbreeder]

If your buns were opposite genders and sharing I would expect to see this in hormone season. Otherwise it is a mystery.

 

[Jenbirdee]

If your buns were opposite genders and sharing I would expect to see this in hormone season. Otherwise it is a mystery.

Same gender, and they seem to like each other when they are separated, but when I try to put them together in a neutral area, they start fighting. They’re not spayed yet.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Not seen any tufts
Is in a 33” x66” puppy pen adjacent to her friend bunny
View attachment 4296056

Love your pens....

I'm also at a loss why she would be losing hair like that... Molts don't usually cause patches of baldness. If it's not mites (and that shouldn't be a problem indoors), then it would seem to be either hormonal, stress, fighting, or a skin infection. None of those seem to apply.

I had our doe in a 2 ft x 4 ft cage for several months after we first found her raiding my garden. After the first month, she began to get kind of aggressive towards us. She would jump at my hands if I reached into the cage. She would freeze up or run in circles if I even entered the room. She was clearly not raised to be a pet, although she was still young when we found her. After I moved her into the big, outdoor rabbit house with Hazel (my buck), she has calmed down A LOT. She now is living in a space that's 10 ft x 17 ft with a huge dirt mound to burrow in. The whole point of this is to say that I think giving her a much bigger space, and access to interact in that space with another rabbit, has completely changed her personality. She is no longer stressed out and aggressive like she was...

If you have the opportunity to put her and her friend into a bigger space, it might help. I know that setup isn't for everyone which is totally cool too...

 

[Jenbirdee]

Love your pens....

I'm also at a loss why she would be losing hair like that... Molts don't usually cause patches of baldness. If it's not mites (and that shouldn't be a problem indoors), then it would seem to be either hormonal, stress, fighting, or a skin infection. None of those seem to apply.

I had our doe in a 2 ft x 4 ft cage for several months after we first found her raiding my garden. After the first month, she began to get kind of aggressive towards us. She would jump at my hands if I reached into the cage. She would freeze up or run in circles if I even entered the room. She was clearly not raised to be a pet, although she was still young when we found her. After I moved her into the big, outdoor rabbit house with Hazel (my buck), she has calmed down A LOT. She now is living in a space that's 10 ft x 17 ft with a huge dirt mound to burrow in. The whole point of this is to say that I think giving her a much bigger space, and access to interact in that space with another rabbit, has completely changed her personality. She is no longer stressed out and aggressive like she was...

If you have the opportunity to put her and her friend into a bigger space, it might help. I know that setup isn't for everyone which is totally cool too...

Yeah, I’m afraid to move them outdoors because an 20 years ago when one of my daughters was about 19 years old in college and she had a pet rabbit outdoors and it died in the heat.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Yeah, I’m afraid to move them outdoors because an 20 years ago when one of my daughters was about 19 years old in college and she had a pet rabbit outdoors and it died in the heat.

A very real concern... I totally understand.

This will actually be my first summer with them outdoors. I am equally concerned. I built my rabbit pen where it gets morning sun but heavily shaded by trees and my husband's shop in afternoon and evenings. It is also covered which adds even more shade. Then, I have the large dirt mound that they've burrowed into. I'm hoping that will provide a cooler, earth-insulated shelter to keep them from overheating.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yeah, I’m afraid to move them outdoors because an 20 years ago when one of my daughters was about 19 years old in college and she had a pet rabbit outdoors and it died in the heat.

I've kept between 4 and 6 outside in FL, with temps near 100 (real) and lows just under 20 (real). With shelter and good air exchange, but no drafts of course. I run a fan in warmer temps to ensure good that air exchange.

Near 100 is punishing to all living things, I'll concede.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I've thought about running a cooling mister in July and August when temps are routine above 100 degrees.

Anyone done that?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I've thought about running a cooling mister in July and August when temps are routine above 100 degrees.

Anyone done that?

I did not because my near 100 temps are usually accompanied by 90%+ humidity. Adding more moisture to the air doesn't help at that point. I HAVE, however, run cool water over the roof several feet above the tops of the cages to temporarily address some of the radiant heat issues. (our ground water is pretty consistently in the high 50s). But simply spraying it as a fine mist onto the roof didn't help much and significantly increased the water bill.

If you have dry air, otoh, it should be much more effective.