My rabbit is losing fur and weight, what's wrong with him?

Question

My rabbit is about a year and a half old and is neutered. He lives with his brother. For a while now he has been losing fur and he is rather thin. When I bought the rabbits the woman said they were both neutered but I have a feeling only the skinny one is.

Fur and fleas:

He is missing fur on the sides of his legs, neck and his fur is thinning on his back and face. They live outside and I occasionally bring them inside for a few hours. I haven't done any flee treatments on them before but I have only had them for less than a year.

Diet:

I feed them rabbit mix which has a lot of seed, grains and hay in it. I let them out of the hutch occasionally so they can have grass, I also occasionally give them treats like apples.

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I'm not sure what's wrong with him. I want to take him to the vet but my parents won't let me. Is there a way I could get him to gain weight and regrow his fur?

Answer 1

I am sorry I missed answering this question sooner.

There are several things that could be causing the issues you are seeing, unfortunately seeing a vet is the first best choice. If the vet visit is purely a money issue see I can't afford vet treatment, what are my options? if not check for a local rabbit rescue in your area, they may be able to help as well.

From your description there is not enough hay in your rabbits diet, see Why is adding hay to a rabbit's diet important?

Flea treatments is covered in our post How do I get rid of fleas on my rabbit?

The issue could be fighting, see this post Aggression between desexed male rabbits if so seperating them should fix most of the issues. But use caution as separating bonded rabbits can be hazardous see Can bonded rabbits die of loneliness?

• If they are fighting, they are NOT bonded
• If they are not fighting, they are bonded

Lastly and sadly, if issues out of your control (i.e. parents) are keeping you from caring for your pets as the deserve, consider rehoming them. If there is a rescue or shelter in your area, you could volunteer to work there, as well as surrender your pets to the rescue. Your pets will get the care they need, you will get to spend time with them and similar animals, and hopefully you will be able help many animals stay happy and healthy until they find their forever home.