# Over grooming my rabbit - bald patch?!?



## vek555 (Jan 19, 2013)

Today I was brushing my rabbits because there was fur all over their cage (indicating that they were shedding). As always, they hated being brushed and endless amounts of hair was pulled out before I got too tired to continue lol. I was always told that the hair that comes out is all shedding hair that they don't need anyway. However after I was done with my male rabbit (10 month old mini/holland lop mix) I realized there was a red bald patch, and several "sparse" areas throughout.

What do I do about this? Should I not be using the furminator? How do I know when to stop brushing?
Yhanks


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## FreezeNkody (Jan 19, 2013)

My male dwarf did this to my female, over grooming. I had taken freeze to the vet and he said it was a parasite (I did not agree with him)
After buying and EXPENSIVE spray. I kept an eye on her and kody. It was kody and I did some research and found out he was just super bored, not sure why their Xpen is FULL of neat things to play with. So i swapped out toys with new things and the licking stopped. So my advice give them some new things to play with and keep an eye on them, when they start to over groom give them something to distract them from doing it. =)


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## Maureen Las (Jan 19, 2013)

I have heard others that had issues with the furminator although it does work well. I wouldn't use the furminator for awhile and when you use it again be very gentle

You can always get a bowl of warm water and paper towels and use your hands to get hair off


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Jan 19, 2013)

Some rabbits molt down to the skin during molts. It's normal.


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## Bunnylova4eva (Jan 20, 2013)

This happend once with Taffy when I furminated her. Unfortunately I had to take her into the vet several days later for something else and was so embarassed when they were looking at her to admit to "over-furminating" my bunny. lol I'd just watch a little closer and go alittle lighter with it in the future. That's what we've done since and have been fine.


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## tonyshuman (Jan 22, 2013)

If I over-brush or pluck one of my rabbits, I will get down to bare skin, which is then irritated and red. I would just leave it and try not to groom too much. I will groom until I get to an area where there is very short hair so that I stop before making bald patches.


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