Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For the past week, my wife's rabbit, Abbey, a 2 1/2 year old non-spayed mixed breed female (kinda looks like a wild cottontail) has been making a nest in her cage...actually in the back privacy box part of her large indoor cage. She's been pulling a lot of hair out of her belly and off the bottoms of her back legs to line the nest, as well as using a lot of her hay....the problem is, although her appetite is still good on the fresh veggie side, her intake of timothy hay seems to have gone way down, which makes my wife worry....it is her baby after all. We've called several vets, and as usual, gotten several different suggestions....remove the nest/don't remove it.....take away her fresh veggies/feed her more fresh veggies.....and on and on. She in NOT pregnant, but I'm wondering how long will the false "I'm gonna be a mom" stuff go on...and what suggestions can you offer to help out my wifes nerves (and therefore MY nerves as well ) Thanks in advance...ECO

Ive never had a rabbit that has faked pregnancy.When a rabbit is old enough to have babies i'll breed them to a buck.I dont really have alot of info on falsie rabbits.Maybe you should get her fixed.Rabbits live longer if you fix them.

Sometimes i'll have 15 does bred all at the same time!lol!

Its breeding season for rabbits everywhere probally in the winter she'll stop.
Luck!
~Kara~
HunnyBunnyRabbitry!

Same thing, she pulls her fur out from around her neck, and makes a nice nest in the corner of her cage ! Shes starting now also.

She also did it this winter, I think because of the heat in the house, makes her think spring !

She has done this every year for 3 years.

I leave the hair for a few days, then I remove it, as it flys out everywhere and sticks on you, when you have to open the cage door to do anything !

My Licorice, has never been with a male ! Its just nature !

I don't worry about it anymore, as she just goes on normally afterwards. Eats fine, looks healthy !

Some people have them fixed ! Thats up to you!

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Eve

I had my doe Hazel spayed and she no longer even attempts to nest. If you're not planning on breeding her, I highly suggest getting her fixed. Female buns have a high occurance of uterine and mammary cancers and infections if they remain unfixed. The average lifespan for an unspayed female bun is about 2-6 years, whereas a spayed female bun lives 10-15 years. Not to mention it can cause them a great deal of pain, stress, and discomfort to be unspayed. They're at the mercy of their hormones and it can take a lot out of them...and you! A spayed bun is easier and more reliably litterbox trained, doesn't spray, and tends to be far more affectionate since she doesn't have the hormones any more to make her territorial or protective.