Rabbit behavior and sneezing problem

Question
Hi Dana, I have two quick questions. My 6 month old female Netherland dwarf was spayed 2 weeks ago. However, last night, she pulled out a big chunk of fur from her thigh, which has never happened before the spay. I wonder how could this even occur after the spay.
Recently she also started sneezing when she is eating hay, especially when she sticks her head into the hay rack to get the last bit of hay. I do notice that this batch of Kaytee timothy is a bit dusty, since the water turned black when I washed my hands after handling the hay. There isn't discharge out of her nose and she doesn't sneeze whenever she is not eating hay. Should I go for another brand of hay?
Thank you so much!

Answer
Dear Milly,

Was your girl exhibiting nesting behavior?  The hormones are still not completely out of her system, very likely.  I would not expect this to happen again unless she has a different health problem.  I'd keep an eye out for any "unspayed" behavior, and if this happens, consult your vet.

If this batch of timothy hay is dusty, but you haven't had problems before, try switching to a different batch or a different brand.  If she's still sneezing, then it might not just be the hay.  But since she sneezes only when she's eating hay, that's a big bit of circumstantial evidence that it's the hay dust.

For more information on the various causes of sneezing in rabbits, see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html

Hope this helps.

Dana