My rabbit is pulling out his fur & it’s really scaring me!!

[BinkyBunnyBuddy]

When i say ‘acting strange’ i mean he pulled up half the blanket i let him run around on and was pulling on it when i woke up (not much, but he’s never even tried to pull up any of the blanket before) I ,have 2 boxes connected by a tunnel, one  has ripped newspaper, the other has old cloth to make a warm bed (its winter). Now, he has moved absolutely ALL of the newspaper into the other box, and he’s only ever moved a few pieces before. Also, he was pulling the bag of fresh hay out of its spot (probably not a good spot as he can easily reach it) and trying to get at the hay, even though he has a box of hay in his cage (but it may be old) I’ve also seen him sitting there pulling fur out of his chest and side which is what is really scaring me. I’v cleaned his cage (long overdue), filled up his hay box to the brim, (he is now currently eating from it) and other than everything i’ve mentioned he’s acting completely normal. I told my mom in basic words what he’s doing, and she said to keep a watch on him and that that is not enough to go by, though i suspect she’s a bit hesitant to go to the vet because we are having fairly severe fiancial issues right now. I quickly scrolled through another forum post on the puling fur out topic, and i am now unsure. Quite frankly, we are not absolutely 110% certain he IS actually a male, and I fear he/she may be going though a false pregnancy (i know its false, s/he hasnt even seen another rabbit since i got him/her years ago) i also fear that when we go to the vet eventually, the vet will be like ‘yeah, he’s a girl,’ and im not so sure how i feel about that entirely. i wouldnt be super happy, but i would be a little bit, if thats al it was and it wasnt life threatening. i also dont brush him often, is that a factor? also, he doesnt have as many toys as i’d like, is that a factor? i also could be spending more time with him….okay, now i’m just tearing myself apart. i AM good bunny owner, i PROMISE!!

SORRY FOR WRITING SO MUCH!! PLEASE TRY TO HELP!!

[marinabunny]

Your rabbit is likely having a false pregnancy. Mine did this once too back in her teenage years. She collected everything she could (hay, twigs, fur from her chin) and made a nest.
I don’t think brushing or toys have anything to do with this, its probably hormonal. How old is s/he? Has s/he reached sexual maturity? You might want to go find out if it is a boy or a girl and look into getting him/her spayed/neutered.

[NewBunnyOwner123]

Sounds like a false pregnancy and he may very well be a she. If he is a she and she is a few years old I’d look into getting her spayed. Females have a very high chance of getting reproductive cancers 50-80% chance.

[Bam]

If he has scrotal sacks, i e balls, he’s a he. If not, it’s likely he is a she. Can you manage to photograph his private parts? If you’ve someone who can hold him in their lap so you can grab a pic of his man-bits (or lack thereof) and post here, I’m sure we’d be happy to try and determine his gender for you. If you’ve had him for years he’s an adult and adult rabbits are easier to determine than babies (obviously).

[BunnyLady1989]

I agree that it sounds like your he is a she and doing the fake pregnancy. I would definitely have a vet check and get it taken care of for the safety of your bunny. On a side note, if you can’t afford to get other toys try paper towels rolls and toilet paper rolls (empty of course). Cardboard is a great toy and super cheap! Plus you can stuff them with hay and hide raisins in them

[BinkyBunnyBuddy]

Bam, I would try but s/he absolutely refuses ANYONE to flip him/her over onto his/her back under seemingly any circumstances. I’m the only one in the house who is really close to him/her at all though. and NewBunnyOwner123 and marinabunny, he/she is almost 5 years old at this point (in a few days he will be), and even if i am a bit off (as i very well could be), isnt anywhere near that age too old to get them spayed/neutered? Also, BunnyLady1989, I do always use paper towels rolls and cardboard but im out of ideas for new toys. do u have any?

[LBJ10]

5 years old is not “too old”. You vet may recommend some bloodwork prior to surgery, but it should be fine. Shelters spay/neuter older rabbit all the time.

[BunnyLady1989]

Hm… lulu like to play with pine cones as well. You just have to make sure they are clean. Also, I get little plastic sample cups from Starbucks that she likes to throw around. Even an empty plastic water bottle works, but I wouldn’t suggest using that just because they aren’t very durable and some rabbits may go alittle overboard and it could potentially harm them. Her favorite thing to play with though are my bras lol. These are all nice ideas because they are free, but pet stores have some good options too. Willow balls are one of the best things I have found because the wood isn’t treated with any harsh chemicals or paints. Hope this helps!

[marinabunny]

My rabbit is also not spayed and is almost 4, so i understand the hesitation at this age. However enough people have convinced me that its never too late to spay unless your rabbit is a senior, so im hoping to get her done before she is 4

[BinkyBunnyBuddy]

also, if my rabbit Peanut happens to actually be a girl, what should I do about the whole name issue? i consider Peanut to be a male name, but it would be difficult to call him something else. i think i will just keep calling him Peanut, its easier that way. Next, what should I do about convincing my mom to take him to the vet? she is a bit stubborn, and we are having quite a severe financial problem right now and any vet visit, especially a spay or neuter, tends to be quite expensive, correct? and if/when we do, what vet should we go to? I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. know of any good vets here, or any websites that have lists of good vets? preferably long lists so i can find the closest one to me. ive tried looking.

[marinabunny]

You sound so much like me its creepy haha! I was and still kind of am in the same situation as you. When my rabbit ended up being a girl it took a little getting used to cause we always called her him. We got her young and never knew at the beginning so we just gave her a universal name. And even today were not 100% sure, im basing her gender off a false pregnancy and the vet saying “she looks like a girl”. You can keep calling him/her peanut, it sounds universal to me.

My mom is also stubborn not too fond of my bunny, and we are having financial issues as well. Are you able to get a part time job? Maybe do babysitting or get some money in exchange for chores? This way you can earn the money and not have to rely on your mom. Im going to pay for my rabbit’s spay on my own because i know my mom won’t. Another thing that works with me is crying- but you have to actually mean it lol. My rabbit got really sick, i was scared and started crying. My family saw how upset I was and they also started to worry. My sister made an appointment the next day and our mom drove us. My once stubborn mom now cares more about my bunny after that incident, not a lot but its sufficient!

Anyhow, you can look at this website for a list of rabbit savvy vets: http://members.shaw.ca/cocoasun/CanadianRabbitVets.htm#British%20Columbia
Just scroll down and they have ones for Winnipeg, Manitoba. Best of luck!

[BinkyBunnyBuddy]

Well, I could try to shovel snow in our yard to get some money from my mom. Plus as it is only January, I will definitely have more opportunities to shovel! But wouldn’t it take a while? how much does a spay normally cost approximately? I would try to shovel for other people, but i dont really know any of my neighbors well and I am a tad paranoid about going up to stranger’s homes and talking to them. Thanks for all the info Marina!! That is pretty funny and strange how similar our situations are!!

[Stickerbunny]

How much varies by area. My rabbits were $95 neuter and $136 spay. But, it can range from $50-$400. You want a good exotics vet not a dog/cat vet. If he is a she, which it does sound like, a spay sooner rather than later would be good. Cancer risk is high at that age. And no more false pregnancies.

If he is a he, it could be a skin irritation or something causing the pulling. The gathering everything sounds like nesting though.

Have you seen male bits in the five years? Powder doesn’t like to be picked up but his testicles were pretty hard to miss sometimes just hopping about. It isn’t a guarantee if you haven’t, some are hard to sex, but … yeah.

[BunnyLady1989]

It cost me 200 to spay Lulu which included take home medication for her, and her vet specializes in bunnies. It’s a lot of money but too me it is worth every penny to keep my baby healthy

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