Expert: Mirella Brown - 10/28/2009

Question
Hi, I have a 6 month old Holland Lop. Recently, he has lost some fur on his legs and his tail is very matted. I have tried to wash it with water, but nothing seems to work. Can you tell me if there is something I can to to help him with the fur loss on his legs and his tail not to be matted.

Thank you

Answer
What do your rabbits' poops look like? are they dry and round and raisin sized? or are they mushy? Is the matted areas dirty with poop? or more yellow from pee?

There are three things under question here:

Matted tail with poop?
What is your rabbits diet like? A healthy rabbit diet does not include any treats bought from the pet store - they are all garbage for your rabbit - a treat to a rabbit is a slice of apple or banana or a slice of carrot. You should stick to these and do not buy the yogurty, seedy, wheaty things you can get at the pet store - they will all mess with your rabbit's digestive tract. Make sure you are feeding UNLIMITED timothy hay at all times. Rabbits must constantly eat to survive and we offer unlimited hay to allow for proper digestion. Pellets need to be of a good timothy hay base with no seeds or nuts. You can give unlimited pellets until your rabbit is about 1 year old then its time to lessen the ammount (for weight management) to about a 1/2 a cup for a rabbit 1-5 pounds - more obviously if your rabbit is a bigger rabbit. Always give fresh water. If you are feeding greens at this point (which you shouldnt - you should wait at least till 8 months of age - you need to make sure they are all washed thoroughly and only give those items you know your rabbits tummy can handle. There is a toxic/safe list and I'll send you the link. You want to slowly introduce greens into your rabbits diet as they are very healthy - but stick to the list and make sure to only add one new thing a week - this way you can monitor the poop and if you see anything mushy you can discontinue the last vegetable that caused the mushy poop.

More on rabbit diet:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

Rabbits safe foods list:
http://www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/packet/abcvegi.html

YES THERE ARE FOODS THAT ARE TOXIC TO YOUR RABBIT - YOU CANT JUST FEED IT ANYTHING.
This is the TOXIC food list:
http://www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/toxic.html

2 - Loss of fur on the hind legs:
The loss of fur on the back legs points to urine scald or incontinence. Both of these things will have to be looked at by a proper rabbit veterinarian as they point to a possible bladder infection or sludge.

There is more information here about urine scald (the loss of fur due to urine soaked fur):
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

and PLEASE find a good rabbit vet in your area to treat this - There is a list here of vets who know rabbits REALLY well - not all vets do so be informed and ask lots of questions:
http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

but please know that this will not go away on its own, the loss of fur needs to be diagnosed.

3 - Cleanliness and Litterbox and cage
This may be happening if you rabbits cage is too small. Rabbits need to be able to lie down and stretch out in all directions without touching anything - this means those 'tiny starter cages' at the pet store are TOO SMALL for a rabbit. If your rabbit has no other place to sit then in its own urine then it is going to get dirty. You need to provide a litter box so the rabbit has somewhere to pee and poop, and then an area covered with an old towel/a cheap rug from ikea or target to lie on sleep on and sit on. Keep the cage as clean as possible and see if this helps with the dirtiness of the tail. Your rabbit will lick itself clean so there is no need for a bath - but sometimes using a bit of warm water on a paper towel and spot cleaning areas of your rabbit is necessary. Do not ever soak a rabbit as it can get hypothermia and die. Just spot clean where you need to.

Does your rabbit have a litterbox that he can get into? You should be providing a box with unscented clay or carefresh (a litter alternative) for you rabbit. Rabbits can be litter trained. Put the litterbox in the corner where your rabbit likes to do his business.

More on litter training:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html

Good luck and please do go to the vet!