Butt fur pulling?

[Kharjo1313]

So i have two buns one male one female bonded pair and the male is pulling fur from the females butt. Her tail is almost bald and i can see the skin on her butt. What does this mean and why is he doing it? She doesnt seem to be bothered by it at all even when hes doing it. Ive seen him pull it out while shes sleeping and doesnt even flinch. What could it be? Its worrying me as it seems pretty bad but again she doesnt seem to mind

[Wick & Fable]

How did you bond them? To my knowledge, a healthy bond should not include such excessive fur pulling.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Nutmeg]

Hmmm I agree with Wick. Can you tell us a bit more about the bunnies? How old are they? are they both fixed (Spayed and Neutered)?
Did you Pre-bond them before putting them together?

Even if she was just molting, which was my first thought when you said she doesn’t seem to be bothered by it, I’ve never seen that much fur come off the back end so that I can see skin.

[sarahthegemini]

Hmm it’s odd because if he’s pulling out fur to that degree, I’d have thought she’d react in some way! Is it possible she has some sort of skin irritation and the fur pulling is almost soothing?

[Kharjo1313]

Sorry for the late reply im new to the forum and still have trouble navigating through it and i dont get notifications either.
So theres a huge age difference between them
Mochi the male is 1 year old
And wednesday the female is 8 years old. I bonded them over the course of 2 months by switching their litters and having their cages next to each other and letting them interact in the kitchen. Never had any problems til now, she doesnt seem to have a skin irritation or anything, the only time she gets mad at him is when he tries to himp her but never when hes chewing off her hair. Sometimes shes even sleeping while he does it

[jerseygirl]

Hi Kharjo1313
Im sorry you’re having trouble with the forum. Had you checked the subscribe box on this thread?

So how long have the pair been co-habiting now? There was a period where they acted like normal bonded pair?

While it could be behavioural / bond related, it could an underlying health issue with him. My other thought is he’s sensing a difference in her healthwise. Have either had any previous health conditions?

Another thing to consider if if there is a new rabbit or other pet in the household. That could cause some unrest with a bonded pair.

ETA: Some additional thoughts..  If you’re in a region of the world like me that is coming into Spring/Summer, this can cause a rise in hormones, even in desexed rabbits. This can also cause some squabbling with bonded pairs. 

I meant to ask before, does he sometimes eat the fur at all?

[LBJ10]

I’m wondering if this is really an issue with the bond. Could Mochi just be stressed and is acting out? Sometimes we have problems with Wooly when he becomes stressed about something. Excessive humping, fur pulling (on Leopold), self mutilation, etc.

[Kharjo1313]

Well ive had them checked and theyre both totally fine health wise, hes very very energetic though and shes not due to her age. There arent any new animals in the house, theyre the only ones in the house besides turtles that weve had for years. Theyve been together about a year now and like i said its only the humping that bothers her not the fur pulling, if i seperate them shell sit by his cage and wait for me to let him out and as soon as hes out he darts right to her. Idk what it could be and its really frustrating because she has these little patches of fur missing and doesnt care in the slightest.
The malenisnt nuetered yet but shes spayed. Its probably a hormonal thing but its such an odd case my vet doesnt know whats up either

[Kharjo1313]

Well ive had them checked and theyre both totally fine health wise, hes very very energetic though and shes not due to her age. There arent any new animals in the house, theyre the only ones in the house besides turtles that weve had for years. Theyve been together about a year now and like i said its only the humping that bothers her not the fur pulling, if i seperate them shell sit by his cage and wait for me to let him out and as soon as hes out he darts right to her. Idk what it could be and its really frustrating because she has these little patches of fur missing and doesnt care in the slightest.
The malenisnt nuetered yet but shes spayed. Its probably a hormonal thing but its such an odd case my vet doesnt know whats up either

[jerseygirl]

Are you still planning to have him neutered? That could help if this behaviour is due to frustration on his part.

You mentioned him chewing the fur off in your earlier post. So it’s not just him pullling it off quickly?
Do they get hay in their diet?

Since he’s active and she’s not, could he be bored?

[Kharjo1313]

Yea they get plenty of hay, its odd. Today i noticed that when seperated she goes to his cage and sticks her face as far into the cage as she can and he chews off her fur. Im going to take her back to the vet so they can do tons of tests to see whats going on because it has to be her. But i have to wait til the weekend because i live in a part of socal that has a rarity in exotic vets and the only one i can go to closes before i can get out of worm

[Author]

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