Why is my rabbit pulling out her fur?
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Rabbits might be small but they pack a lot of fluff onto those tiny bodies! It can be alarming when you check on your rabbit and find fur all over the place. What can cause your rabbit to suddenly pull out fur and when should you seek veterinary care for this?
Pregnancy/False Pregnancy
A common reason for fur pulling is the instinct to make a nest. When a rabbit is preparing for kits, her body secretes hormones that cause the fur on her sides & belly to loosen. This makes it easier for her to pull the fur out and pile it in a nest. It should cause her little pain and the skin should not look raw or red.
She will often also gather hay, leaves, or other bedding materials to help line her nest. When a doe makes her nest, she is generally towards the end of her 31-day pregnancy and will likely give birth within a few days. But every rabbit is different. I have one rabbit that usually builds a “starter nest” within her first week of pregnancy. Then she builds a real one in a different place a few days before birth. Many first time moms will also build their nest earlier in pregnancy.
Unspayed females who live with no other rabbits or only other females or neutered males can experience false pregnancies. This can be a common occurrence with some rabbits and the only way to stop it is to get your rabbit spayed. False pregnancies are not dangerous, but getting your rabbit spayed can also reduce the risk of some reproductive cancers so if you have no plans to breed your rabbits, it is a good idea.
During a false pregnancy, your rabbit will build a nest and often her mammary glands will swell. The symptoms should only last a few days before she returns to normal behaviors.
Boredom/Stress
If your rabbit is left alone in her cage for most of the day she is likely to be both bored and stressed out. Rabbits need time and space to run, jump, dig, and just be a rabbit. Stressed and stuck in a tiny space with nothing to do, she could start pulling her fur out just for something to do. Try to give her more time out of her cage and provide her with toys or boxes to play in (click here for ideas on playing with your rabbit).
Grooming Issues
If your rabbit is pulling fur in patches it could be a sign that you are not grooming her enough. Especially with long-haired rabbits, when they go through their shedding periods if you don’t remove the fur well enough, they will start doing it themselves. Give your bunny a good brushing and hopefully the fur-pulling will stop. You don’t want them pulling out their own fur because not only could they injure their delicate skin, but they are also likely to ingest some fur that could become lodged in their digestive tract (Click here to read about GI Stasis in rabbits).
Parasites/Skin Issues
Check your rabbit’s skin by parting the fur to closely examine her skin. Mites, lice, and fleas can all effect rabbits and could make her very itchy causing her to scratch off her fur. Rabbits have their own species of fleas (Spilopsyllus cuniculi), but can also catch the same fleas that live on your cats or dogs. Thankfully, external parasites on rabbits are not common, but if your rabbit has them it is best to consult a veterinarian for treatment. You should NOT use topical flea medicine meant for cats and dogs on your rabbit, it could have deadly results!
Dietary Imbalance
Rabbits need a diet high in fiber. If they don’t get enough fiber in their diet, they sometimes will look to their own fur as a fiber source. Your rabbit should be eating a handful of fresh Timothy hay about the size of her body each day, as well as quality rabbit pellets and fresh greens. (click here for information on feeding wool rabbits)
When should you seek medical care?
Fur pulling can be distressing, but often observing your rabbit can help you determine the cause and hopefully remedy it. If your rabbit has raw, bleeding patches of skin a vet can prescribe medications to keep it from getting infected. If there are no obvious causes for your rabbit’s fur pulling or if it has been going on for a couple of weeks it would be a good idea to consult with your veterinarian.
Good morning!!! I’m looking for help! I have a 6-8 mo old female mini lop eared. I also have a 6-8 mo old male lop. I have let them mate 3 times. Being a new bunny owner I’m always looking for tips and help when I have a? I woke up this morning and noticed she has pulled some fur out! I know this can be a sign of pregnancy but she doesn’t “look “pregnant!?!? Any way to send or text u a pic and maybe u could just give me an honest opinion? That way u can see here and the amount of fur. Hope to hear from you soon!!!
Hi Amber, I don’t have a ton of experience with pregnant does because I do not breed my bunnies (I only have females). If they have mated three times, it is likely she could be pregnant. It’s hard to tell in the first couple of weeks though. The fur pulling doesn’t happen until near the end. If it’s been two weeks since their mating, you should be able to palpitate the female’s abdomen to see if you can feel babies. In the spring, fur pulling can be common though as they shed their winter coats. Good luck!
Hello! I breed New Zealand rabbits, which are a lot bigger than mini lops, but my insight might help a little. Normally, unless they’re carrying a large number of babies, rabbits typically don’t show when they’re pregnant. There are ways to check, but if she’s already pulling hair, normally, that means the doe is already a few days from having the kits. Normal rabbit pregnancies run anywhere from 29 to 33 days, if they go over, there could be something wrong. It is very important to keep track of how long it’s been since she was bred. You can email me with any more questions you might have, I will be happy to answer any questions or relieve any concerns I can.
Hailey
Have you ever had one go 35 days ??
35 is pretty much the limit, if she goes much beyond that you might want to consider other reasons for fur pulling beyond pregnancy or false pregnancy
Hi, I have a 5month French lop, he’s a house bunny, not been outside yet. I only put him in his cage when I got to work or to bed. The last two weeks he digs his cage in the night for a few seconds ?and this morning I found a lot of fur in his cage? I brush him every day and he has not bold patches. Any idea why? Is it to hot or dose he need vitamins because of not going outside.
Digging is a totally normally and instinctual thing rabbits do so it’s not unusual for him to be digging about in his cage. My rabbits especially like to dig through their straw or dig into their blankets to arrange their bed just so before bed. The hair pulling is harder to say. I think the most likely cause is just natural shedding because it sounds like he gets plenty of exercise & stimulation running about. Rabbits go through a shedding period about every 3 months. Some sheds will be light with you just finding tufts of fur here and there, and some of them are heavy and unmistakable. Throughout the year, you should groom your bunny once a week, but during shedding periods you might need to step that up to a few times a week. He will pull the fur out himself, but he could damage his skin or ingest too much of the fur, blocking his GI system, so it’s better if you brush it out
Hello, I have a 10month old mini lop, she was mated on 8th off May.Today the 17th she has made her nest and is now pulling her fur out to line her nest, but she is not due until 6th or 8th off June. Is this normal?.She has the run off our garden and goes in her cage when she wants to. Thank you
That does seem a little early, but not totally unheard of. She still had a few weeks to go, but she sounds like she likes to be prepared. As a first time mom that is a good sign. Good luck 🙂
Hi. I have a Holland mini lop that is between 10-12 weeks old. She is pulling her fur out on her side. The top of her body seems like normal fur but the bottom half is nappy. Like knotty. Any ideas? Thank you!
Usually around 4 months a rabbit’s baby coat is shed and replaced with their adult coat. They can look a little ragged while going through the process. If you have checked her for parasites that might be causing her to pull her fur out, my guess would be she is just transitioning to her new coat
Hi I have a 7 month mini lop who has made two nests of fur within the last month she is not pregnant but does live with her 7 month sister any idea why ????
You are sure they are both girls correct? I know my bunnies have been pulling out fur lately with the weather getting warmer, but not a ton and they aren’t building nests with them. She could just be going through her first “fake pregnancy”. Hopefully it’s just a fake one and her sister doesn’t turn out to be a brother 🙂
Hello,I have a pregnant doe whose on her 30th day and she hasn’t pulled fur and she only made next on day 28 . I feel she’s supposed to have pulled fur , or its okay. She’s still on her 30th day.
Is it possible your dates are off? I am surprised she hasn’t pulled fur and started really nesting in being so close to delivery? Is it her first litter? I would brush her and get some extra fur off her, then start a little nest for her with her fur & some hay and hopefully her instincts will kick in once she sees the nest
Hello, please help me I’m quite desperate. My male rabbit pulled his hair out from under his chin. He’s done it before and it’s not been a problem then, but this time he pulled too much and i think its gotten him sick. He barely eats once a day and doesn’t show the affection that he used to. I have no clue what to do. Covid has closed off all the vets so it’s impossible to show him to a doctor. Any help would be appreciated!
If your rabbit has ingested a lot of fur and it is blocking up his digestive system that is a medical emergency. If he isn’t eating, that is a big red flag of GI Stasis (click here to read more about this: https://thecapecoop.com/gi-stasis-what-every-rabbit-owner-needs-to-know/). Is he pooping still? In that link provided there are some instructions for correcting mild stasis, but be very careful here. This could be fatal if you can’t get his system moving again. Papaya tablets (can be found at health food store) and chunks of pineapple are helpful. Lots and lots of hay and water will help sweep out the gi system. Oxbow makes a critical care food (powder you mix with water, you can find this at pet stores) that might be helpful also. Good luck, I hope he is feeling better soon!
Ho there. I bought female rabbit (12 weeks old) and I noticed she pulling her fur off and she is trying to eat. I have took from her mouth bowl of her fur.
I didnt see any problem with skin.
She has plenty of hey some pallets and fresh water and also lots of chewing wooden toys.
What could cause that ?
How I can make her stop doing that ?
Thank you
It is possibly stress related from the move from her first home & siblings. If she is still doing it 3-4 weeks after you have brought her home, you might want to have her seen by a vet. In the meantime try to keep her area as calm & quiet as possible. Keep larger animals (like dogs or cats) away from her, give her plenty of hay and water, a nice cozy dark place to retreat to, and when you interact with her keep your voice quiet and calm. I would suggest you not pick her up too much, being off the ground can be stressful to many rabbits. Instead let her run about the floor while you sit quietly on the floor with her. Let her come to you and pet her on her terms while you two are getting used to each other 🙂
I need help. My male rabbit got
Neutered around 5 days ago and since he’s been home he has been licking his chin and he has a bald spot. The ball spot is it big but you can see his skin it’s no bleeding but I think if he continues there will be and I know that’s a red flag. I’m not sure why but it doesn’t seem like he’s pulling his hair it seems like he’s licking it in over grooming. He isn’t pulling hair from any other part of his body and he’s been acting normal for the most part. He doesn’t have mites/fleas, parasites, and it’s not from boredom. So I’m not sure what’s going on and if I need to contact my vet. He just got checked up a few days ago and got neutered but since he had been pulling his chin hair. And he was on pain medicine but he doesn’t seem in pain or anything. He is acting totally fine but I’m concerned.
A couple things come to mind – it could just be stress from the surgery, or he could be having an allergic reaction to the pain med making him a little itchy. If he is acting fine and eating, drinking, & pooping normally I would let it go a little longer. If it’s still going on a week or so after he’s been home and settled back in, I would give the vet a call to get his thoughts
Hello, i have a unfixed female rabbit named penny. she lives with no other rabbits at home and lives in a large x pen and free roams when im home. this morning i woke up to find a whole bunch of hair in her x pen and a lot of hair bunched together in her litter box, i also found a big clump of hair on the ground. i must admit i dont groom her alot because she has short hair and when i do groom her there is not a lot of hair coming out on the brush. This event really shocked me and i just want to know if she is going to be okay.
Thank you,
London
A couple things could be happening, with spring your rabbits is going to be naturally shedding her winter coat so finding more fur around is normal. If she hasn’t been groomed the shedded fur could be itchy causing her to scratch and pull at the fur. It is also very possible she is having a false pregnancy. Obviously not living with other rabbits she can’t be pregnant, but it’s very common for unfixed females to have false pregnancies and pull fur like they were building a nest for their expected babies. I would recommend you give her a really good brushing and see how she is in a couple days. If you are still finding clumps of fur around in a week you should take her to the vet to investigate other possibilities.
Hello, my female bunny just gave birth on 8 September and still she won’t stop pulling her furs out. Also she’s aggressive towards her mate/male bunny. She won’t go near him. She’s running away from him everytime she sees him. I’m so anxious because of all these.
Continuing to pull fur after the kits are born can be normal if the fur she is pulling is along her stomach, she is just trying to let her babies get easy access for nursing. If she is pulling fur elsewhere you might want to investigate her skin for parasites. It’s also normal for her to chase her mate off, her hormones are crazy right now and she is in super protection mode. Males don’t tend to have a lot to do with rearing nursing kits so it’s natural that she doesn’t want to let him near the babies. But be careful, rabbits can get pregnant the day after they give birth, so you might want to keep them separate for now anyway. If she gets pregnant while still nursing her kits both the current kits, the pregnancy, and her health will be compromised as she tries to get enough nutrition to support them all. You should not let her get pregnant for at least 10 week postpartum to give her time to heal and get her health back
Hi my Rabbit gave Birth today around 2 pm and only had one she’s still pulling off her fur and making a nest. Is she stressed out or is she still going to have more bunnies? This is her 3 pregnancy last one was 33 days and she had 3
Usually rabbit labor & delivery doesn’t take very long – it’s usually over in about 15 minutes. So if she hasn’t had anymore babies it could be just a single birth
Hi Liz I was really worried and reading everything about rabbit labor and yeah it just says 15-30 min and that’s it’s. and I was so worried all day and night I really new there was something wrong with her and yes she did have 6 more over night she really did have a hard labor
Hello, I just received a female lop about 7 months old yesterday that was rescued and not taken care of at all. She’s pulling her fir and building a nest, I’ve never had rabbits before please help!!! I just couldn’t let her be hurt anymore so I had to take her i instantly fell in love. Thank you so much in advance.
That is very sweet of you to give this little girl a good home. Do you know if she has ever been around male rabbits? If you can rule out actual pregnancy that is helpful. Nest building occurs towards the last few days of pregnancy for most rabbits so if she hasn’t given birth in a week it’s probably not that. If she has never been exposed to a male, then I think the most likely cause for this is just stress. She is suddenly in a new environment, around people (and maybe animals) she doesn’t know. Even if it’s a better situation, she doesn’t know what to expect and any type of change can be stressful for her. I would try to just let her lay low for a week or two, give her as much peace and quiet as possible to let her adjust to her new, awesome life 🙂
I’m concerned this is my bunnies first spring and summer maybe she just doesn’t understand what she is feeling or what to do with her little self she pulled out her fur and made a nest with it back a couple months ago she was around a male so I thought she was having bunnies she a little over a year old she didn’t have bunnies and now she’s doing it again her skin is warm and redish she did this just last night thougg
False pregnancy can be common in unaltered females so it’s possible it’s just confusion. Especially in the spring/summer when the weather would be favorable for having kits. Just to be safe though I would recommend you throughly check her skin for parasites just to be sure it’s not itching that is causing her to pull her fur. If it’s a false pregnancy it should pass in a few days and she will be back to normal. Warm & reddish skin is ok and a sign it’s more likely false pregnancy because her hormones are tricking her and easily releasing the fur. When it’s parasites often their will be scratch marks or bleeding from them ripping their fur. The only real remedy for false pregnancy is to have your rabbit spayed
Hello Liz, Thank you for all of your hard work & time you have taken to respond to everyones questions’ regardless if they took the time to read you beautiful post or not, you still awnser all their questions with the same care and enthusiasm & I wanted to commend you for that. You are very special, best regards, Jasen.
Hey! I am a 6th grader going to a school that requires science fair. I am going to do a project where a put out natural material and see if and animals take them and which material they like the most. I was just trying to make sure that this is safe for the animals please let me know of any precautions i can take as well!
Most animals will not eat things that are good for them, for example rabbits don’t eat meat so they wouldn’t take any meat you put out but coyotes or raccons would take it. Be careful with what you attract, you don’t want anything dangerous coming near your house especially if you have a small dog or outdoor cat that a predator might grab while it’s in your yard! I would stick with vegetables and fruit.