I'm concerned about her because she has pulled out enough fur from her chin that a patch of skin is visible, is this healthy behavior? I've read she may be going though a pseudo pregnancy where she may start nesting behavior but the visible skin has me worried. Is she ok?
Rabbit pulling out fur from dewlap
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tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
It sounds a lot like a false pregnancy. How old is she? Has she been spayed? Any chance she was exposed to an unneutered male 30 days or less ago? Pregnant does start making nests sometimes as early as 2 weeks into their pregnancy, although most make them around day 27 (of 30 total).
The only other reason we see bunnies pull out their fur is that they're really upset or bored. If she's in a small cage and doesn't get out much, doesn't have hay to chew on all day long (this keeps them from getting bored), or is in a situation that is scary or upsetting (caged next to a dog, raccoons/other predators come in there), it probably is a false or real pregnancy.
It's common for enough fur to be pulled out to make the skin visible. Is the skin a nice, healthy pink color, or is it dandruffy, scaly, or blotchy and red?
The only other reason we see bunnies pull out their fur is that they're really upset or bored. If she's in a small cage and doesn't get out much, doesn't have hay to chew on all day long (this keeps them from getting bored), or is in a situation that is scary or upsetting (caged next to a dog, raccoons/other predators come in there), it probably is a false or real pregnancy.
It's common for enough fur to be pulled out to make the skin visible. Is the skin a nice, healthy pink color, or is it dandruffy, scaly, or blotchy and red?
I'm certain now it's a false pregnancy, she's about 20 monthsat the oldest and I have been planning on havingher spayed this week.
I found her nesting spot in my blanket closet I saw her fooling around in last night. She was acting very territorial and aggresiveand spent the whole nighttucked away. It was FULL of fur this morning and I can only ascertain this is a hormonal occurance since she hasn't been near a male rabbit. The skin looks healthy and she's acting like herself again this morning. Is this going to be a chronic problem untill I have her spayed? or is it temporary?
thanks a lot for your help!
I found her nesting spot in my blanket closet I saw her fooling around in last night. She was acting very territorial and aggresiveand spent the whole nighttucked away. It was FULL of fur this morning and I can only ascertain this is a hormonal occurance since she hasn't been near a male rabbit. The skin looks healthy and she's acting like herself again this morning. Is this going to be a chronic problem untill I have her spayed? or is it temporary?
thanks a lot for your help!
tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
Yes, it will happen until she's spayed. Sometimes (rarely) spayed females and even males will build nests. The rest of her behavior sounds very much like a hormonal doe, and the age is right. Once she's spayed you can clear the nest out--I wouldn't do it yet as she may pull out more fur. I'm glad you took your time to find a good rabbit vet to spay her--that's much more important than having them spayed as soon as they reach the right age. I'd rather wait for a good vet than have it done by a questionable one.
