1st time bunny owner Q's

[lbaker]

A friend at work has a new bunny (her daughters bunny, first time owners). After having her for two months they now notice a small bald spot on her side. Someone suggested she may be pulling her own fur out to build a nest. Pat (my friend) asked me to ask some of my "animal people" if they had any thoughts/suggestions. Pat says bunny is eating well, still very playful and doesn't seem a bit under the weather. Could Miss Bunny have been preggers when they got her? As far as they know she's had no liaisons with another bun How long do buns carry? Thanks guys.
Laurie

[Karen]

Female bunnies sometimes do that even if they're not pregnant. They should bring her to a vet to be sure, and see about getting her spayed as well. But if they are COMPLETELY SURE she has encountered no other bunnies in two months (as in - if she has always been indoors the whole time), then she's not pregnant, as their gestation period is generally 35-40 days. How old is the bunny? Have they checked the skin to make sure there's no sign of fleas or anything?

Females bunnies, if not spayed, tend towards health problems, including ovarian cancer, so even if she is an "only bunny" and will never meet another one, it's best to "fix" her if she's old enough.

[MsCancer06]

Hi Karen,

I am Laurie's friend Pat. She wrote you yesterday about my daughter's Rabbit (Miss Bunny). Thanks for the quick response. This seems like a great site, so I decided to join myself and get all the information I can on our new additon. Miss Bunny is 11 months now and I am going to get her sprayed next month. She was kinda small when we got her in December and I was a little afraid to do it any sooner. Now she is absolutely been in-house since we brought her home, so she is not pregnant. But then bald spot is a little of concern to me. it's nice and round, not really big, but an eye catcher. There doesn't seem to be any fleas, she is kept inside 90 percent, but she runs around the house often enough. She is very active, playful and eats plenty of pellets, timothy hay and water. We give her celery and other litte snack we purchased from PetCo. It seems like the hair is trying to grow back, but I guess we were so concerned because one day it just appeared. Also, which type of lettuce is better for Miss Bunny, Icebury or the other? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated to help us take good care of Miss Bunny!

Thank you
Pat

[zippy-kat]

Hello fellow bunny lover!

Iceburg lettuce isn't good for buns. I can never tell the lettuces apart so I just don't buy them. Have you tried parsley or cilantro? Also, fresh pineapple or papaya (fed as a treat) can help with digestion. (Oh! and fresh apples and fresh or dried bananas - though they don't help with digestion.)

Out of curiosity, did you "find" the fur? As in, did she make a nest with it or it was just *poof* gone? Is it possible that it could've gotten caught/ripped out/rubbed off on anything? Does she lay on that side alot?

I know my first bunny, Miz Sophie, somehow ended up with a bald spot on top of her head. I have no idea how she managed that one! lol

Welcome to the boards! Any friend of Laurie's is a friend of our's!

[slick]

My goodness Laurie, when I first saw this thread I thought you had added a new bunny to your group!!!

Hi Pat and Welcome to Pet Talk. I'm Slick, the other half of the ITT sisters. OOps, should I have said that?? Best get Laurie to 'splain it to you. I envy you working with her although if I worked in the same office I wouldn't get any work done. All Laurie and I have to do is be in the same room together and the laughter starts. One of these days we are going to climb a tree together! **slaps hand over mouth**

Anyway, the point of this thread is to welcome you. I don't have a bunny nor can I offer any advice. I just wanted to welcome you to this wonderful and loving community.

[Karen]

Zippy, silly, lettuces are easy to tell apart - the darker green it is, the better. Iceberg is the stuff that looks like a pale green bowling ball. It's just not nutritious, but escarole, endive - most other lettuces are fine, if your bunny will eat them. Miss Hoppy recommends some nice bunches of parsley for starters - if you go to http://rabbit.org , you can find a good list of bunny-safe veggies.

Celery's also not great - it's just mostly water, not a whole lot of vitamins.

[zippy-kat]

Zippy, silly, lettuces are easy to tell apart ...

Oh! Well that simplifies things!

You know those "jokes" (a la past Cali threads, etc.) about me not cooking... yeah, totally NOT jokes. Pizza dough, meatloaf, spinach, bacon, the coffee drink that ended up looking like roast beef... I have horror stories.

My mom used to tell me, "You can be anything you want to be.... as long as it isn't a chef." LOL

[MsCancer06]

Hello all,

Thank you all so much for the warm welcome and great advice. Zippy, I certainly will try some of the other treats and veggies for Miss Bunny!. There was no fur anywhere and actually she is not even shedding. Maybe she had a small incident and this area was ripped out. I don't have any other animals so that is not an issue. Again, she doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort, so I will watch her closely just to make sure there is no change in her personality and the area is not worst.

Thanks again everyone!
Pat

[lv4dogs]

Welcome!!!

Do you see any stubble at all in that area? Is it trying to grow back?

[dab_20]

Well is she pulling fur on her tummy?? If she is, then she could be pregnant... but alot of female rabbits go through a phase called 'False Pregnancy' where they get all ready to have kits... and they aren't even pregnant. I would urge you to get the bunny spayed.

EDIT: Oh, just read your post, maybe she did have a little incident where she accidently ripped out her fur?

I suggest feeding Romaine Lettuce to your rabbit, iceburg lettuce isn't good for them, just makes them fat.

Good Luck with your new bunny!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Welcome to you and Miss Bunny....got any pictures of her??