HELP!!!!! My BUNNY IS DOING SCARY THINGS!!

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Mika

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HELP!!!!!

MY BUNNY IS PULLING OUT HER FUR!! WHY IS SHE DOING THIS??

THIS IS THE 2ND TIME SHE'S DONE IT THIS WEEK AND I THINK SHE IS CHEWING ON HER FUR TOO. SHE GETS A BIG WAD OF FUR IN HER MOUTH WHICH I HAVE TO YANK OUT!!


HERE'S A PICTURE OF THE BIG MESS!
 
What is she doing with it once shes pulled it out? is she making a nest?

Has she been spayed?

If shes making a nest it could be a phantom pregnancy - assuming she couldnt actually be pregnant
 
Hi,

There is no way she could be pregnant because she has no exposure to other bunnies. She's about 1 year old, and she is not spayed. She seems to be playing with all that fur she's pulled out.....pushing it all over the ground.

The fur pulling has only happened twice, and both times it was right in front of the couch (where I was sitting). I haven't seen any fur in her cage.

It looks kinda scary to me :(
 
Hi, Mika!

It definately sounds like a false pregnancy if she hasn't been around other rabbits. It's not too uncommon in unspayed girls- here's a thread from someone else who had the same problem:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11105&forum_id=8&highlight=false+pregnancy

It does look scary- that's a lot of fur to be pulling out! She may also use hay, paper, or litter to make a little nest. Be more careful around her- her hormones are raging and she may be more grumpy than usual.

She'll stop eventually, but the only way to prevent this is to have her spayed.
 
I agree with naturestee. If there is no chance that your bunny is pregnant, she is probably having a false pregnancy. You should look into getting her spayed.
 
1 yr. is a very common age tostart phantom pregnancy--my doe does it annually! It doesn't last long and once you get used to it, it's kinda cute and pathetic.;)It won't hurt anything--sometimes I gather up the fur and put it in the sleeping box. Then she's happy. Does are blessed with lots of loose fur in dewlap and belly, and unless there is a raw bald patch, it's nothing to worry about.

Scared me the first time too.:)

Rose
 
:shock:pHANTOM PREGNANCY!:shock:

LOL!! I've never even heard about that before!!

Thanks for the advice!! She has been a little nippy lately....taking little nips at my BF's feet and circling his legs...and she's been biting and pulling on my pants as well.

As for the nesting part, she hasn't started to make any nests in her cage.

I'd love to get her spayed, but I can't afford it right now (unemployed). I tried to check in with the Toronto Humane Society to see if they would do it, but they said that they only alter animals that areat the shelter. I'm not sure where else I could turn to.

Anyone have any suggestions for that? :?

Thanks!

Carina


 
I'd go along with everyone else.... in that it's probably a false pregnancy.
Our Chippy seems to be nesting perpetually. She's not spayed and is about 1 1/2 years old now.

The only two things that I have been advised to watch out for are...

#1)There have been cases where the doe actually started to lactate and then had problems with the milk hardening in the mammaries because no kits were nursing.

#2)They may stop eating as usually occurs the day before they give birth. This with the added stress of a false pregnancy could start a GI problem.

Luckily Chippy has no problems and seems perfectly happy with her permanent nest. If I break it down, she just builds it again. IfI put a new blankie in her cage she immediately puts it in her nest....got four blankies in there right now ;). Silly sweet bunnie :D

~Jim


 
Hi there! Do you have a lop? I do (female). She also pulls out her fur, but not quite as much as yours. I attribute this fur-pulling to the indoor vs. outdoor climate difference. I left her outside until early Dec., than took her indoors for the winter. Her winter coat had already grown in. About the false (phantom) pregnancy...this is also the first I've heard of this. Good luck to you.
 
Hi,

Yes, she is a Holland Lop. She's a house bunny, so she doesn't go outside much and I don't think the temperature change in my house is *that* drastic :).

Thanks for letting me know that I"m not the ONLY one out there!

Thanks!

Carina
 
Have you consider getting hersprayed? Female have a high chance of getting cancer...
 
False pregnancies are actually quitecommon. I've seen it several times with my rabbits.Let her make her nest and be happy with it. But I would, assome have suggested, be just a bit more careful around her.You've already seen that she is a bit more nippy. And I cantell you from experience thata rabbit really can bite, andbite hard and deep. Her hormones are ruling her right now.


 
Thanks!!

The fur pulling has stopped now - it's only happened on 3 occassions -the last one was last week during the night - then the nex day she wasall moody and nippy :disgust:

But she's a sweetie again now :happydance



I was planning on getting her spayed, but then a worker at the Superpet(petstore) who has 9 bunnies(!!)mentioned that female bunniesthat get spayed tend to become overweight! Has anyone heardof that too?

Thanks!

Carina
 
Weight gain is not a concern. My girlsare all spayed and skinny, and just as active as before.Besides, it's easier to manage potential weight gain than it is to dealwith potential cancer.
 
As long as you keep you bunny on a healthy dietwith lots of bunny love and excersize, she'll be fine. Mybunny was never spayed, and she ended up kinda chubby, *and* withcancer. I would get her spayed if I were you.
 
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