Why does my bunny have an itchy bald spot and scab under her chin?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Donut. It appears that she may have some dermatitis (inflammation of her chin) and resulting infection. With chin dermatitis, oftentimes it is caused by drooling from some form of dental disease. It would probably be warranted for your veterinarian to take a good look at the teeth under anesthesia/sedation. Most likely regardless of the cause there is a bacterial infection occurring now. I would recommend culturing the lesion. If antibiotics are indicated, many pharmacies do flavoring which can really help with oral compliance. Also, I would try to keep the lesion dry with an astringent or manually just keeping the area dry with a clean cloth. Overall a good exam and history (any new changes in bedding, food area, detergents, caging), with some other diagnostics if possible including x-rays, blood work and oral exam will probably be helpful toward determining the underlying cause. This could be very easy to treat especially if due to misalignment of her teeth. Good luck with Donut.

Binky may be suffering from mites, as may your other rabbit. Patchy fur loss with flaking along the rabbit's back is typical for the mite Cheyletiella parasitovorax, Your veterinarian may examine a sticky tape preparation or skin scraping under the microscope for the presence of mites, however, might sometimes not find any, even though they are present on the rabbit. Mites are usually eradicated easily. Classic treatment is with injectable or oral ivermectin, or a selamectin spot on given in treatments two weeks apart. As mites live in the environment of your rabbit, it is essential to thoroughly clean your rabbit's cage and disinfect areas after each treatment to control reinfestation, since fur and dander in the environment may contain mite eggs. You will need to treat all rabits in your household.

First of all most mites cannot be seen with the naked eye or even with a magnifying glass as they are too small and too deep in the skin. from the picture it is impossible to know what might be causing these, it could be mites, fleas, allergies or fungal infection, in order to find out a skin test needs to be done by your vet.

Thanks for reaching out about Thumper and including a photo. Rabbits are meticulous groomers but mites are often microscopic. If scabs are observed, a veterinary visit is recommended for diagnostics. Good luck.

Hello, and thank you for your question. The skin lesions may be due to a bacterial infection, fungal infection, parasites such as mites, or an ear infection. I am glad to hear you will be taking Charlie to the vet soon. They may recommend performing some tests such as an ear swab to check for infection, or a skin scraping or cytology. Based on the results, the appropriate treatment can be prescribed. For example, if an ear infection is confirmed, ear drops or oral antibiotics may be needed. If mites are found, then topical monthly drops will help to clear the parasites. In the meantime, keep their environment clean and remove soiled bedding daily. Also ensure they are eating a good quality diet consisting of mostly timothy, and a small amount of pellets, and leafy green veggies. I hope this helps, and that Charlie feels better soon!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see the areas you described, they appear somewhat red and crusty with hair loss. This can be caused by overgrooming (can be from lack of enrichment), a skin infection (bacterial or fungal), and certain skin mites. I recommend gently clipping the fur with an electric clipper to keep it clean and improve your ability to monitor it. You can also apply some silver sulfadiazene (SSD) ointment to the area. If there is no improvement over several days, then your bunny should be seen by a vet to determine the cause. I would also separate her from any other rabbits she may be housed with as fungal infections and skin mites are contagious. I hope this helps!

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.