Why Is a Rabbit's Neck Thick With Extra Skin?

Some rabbits have thin sleek necks that blend gracefully into the chest, while others look like they don't have a neck at all because it's covered by a thick roll of fat. That little roll isn't a pillow for your rabbit to rest her head against and it doesn't mean she's overweight.

  1. Dewlap

    • The thick neck or loose flap of skin on your rabbit's throat is called a dewlap. It's found primarily on does, or female rabbits, but on rare occasions a buck, or male rabbit, will have a small roll under his chin. Generally, the larger and older the doe is, the larger the dewlap, while young does may not have one at all. Depending on the breed, it may begin to appear at around six months of age. It's made up of a roll of fat, so rabbits that are overweight will also have a large dewlap.

    Purpose

    • The dewlap stores fat that a breeding doe can use for energy, and it often shrinks shortly after she gives birth. It also serves as an ideal spot for her to pull fur to line the nest box. Shortly before kindling, or birthing her young, the doe will pull out large chunks of her own fur and place it in the nest. The babies rest both on top of the fur and are covered by a layer of it for warmth. Although a doe may pull fur from other areas, resulting in bald spots on her legs and shoulders, most will pull fur straight from the dewlap, where it comes away easily and doesn't leave her with bald patches on her body.

    Problems

    • Since the dewlap is so close to your rabbit's mouth it catches a lot of moisture when your rabbit drinks or if she drools. Constant moisture can cause a skin infection. In such an infection the fur usually falls out or gets matted down and discolored and the dewlap will have a foul odor. If it is caused by drinking, switch from crock pots to a water bottle or drip system that keeps the dewlap away from the water while the rabbit drinks. Drooling is usually a result of tooth problems, and a drooling rabbit should be examined by a veterinarian.

    Variations

    • Not every doe develops a dewlap, even one that frequently produces litters. Development of a dewlap is genetic, and certain breeds of rabbits simply don't have it in their DNA to grow one. In general, small breeds lack dewlaps while medium rabbits bred for fur or show have small ones, and large breeds developed for meat production have large ones. There are no health problems associated either with having or lacking a dewlap.