Fur regrowth from shedding or possible mites?

[JackRabbit]

Last night I found two spots on Marlee’s back high up on her back/neck that I thought were bald spots. She’s been shedding terribly and I’ve heard that rabbits can get bald spots during shedding. This morning I got a magnifying glass and checked again. The spots are about the size of a dime and din’t actually appear to be bald. Her normal fur is orangy brown outward and solid white inward and thick. When I part the fur at these two spots the spots are actually very short fur that is orangy brown but a little darker than her colored fur. I’m sure it is fur regrowth, but how do I tell if the spots are caused by shedding or mites or something else? She has no other spots like this. I did not notice these spots actually being bald, but my husband and I switched off for a couple of days and he’s been was the one grooming her during that time. Could it be that I’m just noticing shed fur regrowth because the fur in that area is normally thinner? I cant see the two spots unless she has her head down eating.

The vet is booked for the day and can’t see her until Monday. Can go to emergency vet if necessary. If it’s mites, will it go crazy that fast? Moshi lives with her and he has no spots like this. Haven’t noticed excessive scratching although all 3 of my buns seem to be much happier after their nightly brushing/coming (we’re getting tons of fur off but Marlee is shedding the worst and has been for a while — she also has the longest and thickest fur of the three).

Any ideas?

[Bam]

If it’s mites you’d likely be able to see flaky “dandruff” or ground-pepper-like specks in her fur. Bunnies can be bald or near bald in patches when they shed without anything being wrong. My bunny Bam shed like that one time. He looked moth-eaten, not at all pretty.There may also be some actual dandruff during havy shedding, but that would be very tiny specks of dandruff.

Look up mites on Medirabbit http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Parasite/Parasites_main.htm, check the arachnid-section. The most common mites in rabbits are cheyltiella parasitovorax. There are pictures you can compare to how your bunny looks now. The treatment today would be selamectin though (Revolution), not Ivermectin. 

[JackRabbit]

I don’t see any flaking but the location is the same as the two rabbits in the early signs pics. Marlee’s two spots are completely round.

Before I noticed the spots, I commented to my husband that there were a couple of large white clumps of fur in the bunny area that almost looked like she had “ejected” them. I assumed they came from her underside since they were all white.

[manic_muncher]

When I get to tuft pulling on Bumpy’s head, the patches left behind are smooth, down-to-the-skin fur re-growth. If I hadn’t pulled the hair out myself, I would have thought something was wrong. I bet it’s just regrowth.

Oh and! about that white fur…
You can relate I’m sure, with the new hairbuster here (i’m saving the fur to show you! lolol) let’s just say, if I had seen the pile of fur I got off of him, without knowing it was HIS fur, I would have bet the color of the rabbit was white with some light brown. I don’t know where all this white hair hides, but it sure is A LOT of it.

[JackRabbit]

I hope you’re right and it’s just regrowth. I *really* don’t want to experience mites!

Marlee’s underside is creamy white. I would have sworn Moshi had no white fur. The hairbuster fur from him is like a buff color. But when I was looking him over for spots like Marlee’s (found none), I parted his fur — white! BTW way, Bumpy and Moshi aren’t twins from the back. In Bumpy’s bikini modeling pic, I saw that he has a white tail. Moshi’s is gray. The rest sure looks alike though!

[manic_muncher]

His tail is actually grey-looking with the naked eye, I think the flash makes it look brighter, or maybe it’s actually REVEALING the hidden white that magically fills the hairbuster? LOL

[Deleted User]

When Henry had mites it was ‘exactly’ as bam described above, and the Revolution (that she also suggested) worked a treat! His hair grew back and you’d never know he had them now. So I’d say that Marlee’s bald spot are due to shedding as she doesn’t show these symptoms.
And yep, when I part Henry’s fur it is white, but to look at him he is brown and grey – go figure!

[JackRabbit]

MM — maybe he’s actually a white rabbit in disguise! Undercover bunny!

AH – Henry had the white flakes?

The fur on Marlee’s spots is growing back fast. Now both of them have face molt. I found one small spot like Marlee’s on Moshi. Still no sign of any flakes on either — and neither has any skin showing. Just the small spots of colored fur down in the white undercoat. Reminds me of those donut shaped caramel candies that have the white center, except in reverse.

[manic_muncher]

mmm caramel nomnom

I’m glad the hair is growing back, that’s exactly how Bumpy molts, on his face. He’s never had a body molt. I think it might be because we keep our house around 65-68 degrees? I dunno.

[JackRabbit]

Caramel nomnom . . . too funny!

Everything I’ve read says that molts start on the face and spread toward the tail. Marlee and Moshi have been going through a heavy shed for two months. So if the face molt is just now starting (Marlee’s started about a week ago and Moshi’s appeared yesterday), I hate to think what’s coming!

We keep our thermastat set at 68 degrees in the warm months and 65 in winter. I’d love to turn it lower because the upstairs of our house is always too warm for me. Also, I *hate* Virginia humidity! The older I get the more I look forward to cold weather. Went to Blacksburg (there was no humidity when I lived there) a couple of years ago with my son on a college visit. I got so tired of everyone staring at me as I mopped the sweat off my face that I spent the afternoon in the car, a/c on full-blast, with my shirt stretched up over the a/c vent. I even had a “frog tog” (AH – guess what that is!) and a roll of paper towels with me when I ventured out that evening!

[Deleted User]

Face molt??? Attractive! LOL! I wish the skin on my face would ‘molt’ and new skin grew back!!!!
Yes, Henry had the white flakes and the little tiny black dots which I thought was mite ‘poo’! (cause it didn’t move?). Or is that the actual mites???

It is winter here and this morning it was 9 degree’s, I couldn’t get out of bed! I HATE winter! But wait till summer comes and with the QLD humidity and temps above 30 degree’s I’ll be complaining again! Has anyone found that perfect place in the world for us to all live yet???

[JackRabbit]

Problem solved. Moshi was due for a follow up for an ear infection anyway so we went to the vet. All molt, no mites. Manic_muncher wins the prize!

Moshi’s ears look fine, still can’t hear. The vet said she thinks he can hear a tiny bit, but I think she may be saying that because I cried over his hearing at the last visit!

Marlee was not happy about the vet holding Moshi. She was thumping so loud everyone in the waiting room could hear her! She stopped thumping once he was back in the carrier with her. Giving me the butt ever since.

[LongEaredLions]

Good thing. Mites are pesky little critters!
Marlee says “Give back my Moshi!”

[Author]

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