my male rabbit is pulling his fur out

Question
QUESTION: over the past thew weeks i have noticed my rabbit has less fur on his chest and a bald spot by his front leg i have taken him to the vet recently to get his injections and i pointed it out to the vet( it was less bad then) she said she does not think it is mites or anything like that because the rest of his fur is normal and healthy and it looks like it was growing back so i assumed he just got it irrated by something but yesterday i found quite a large amount of fur in his hutch and the only noticeable place he has lost fur is his chest the skin under his bald spot is smooth and pink ( don't know if that helps). He also does not eat pellets in his food could this be something to do with it
is there anything you could say to help
i will try anything
thanks

ANSWER: Dear Ella,

Please see:

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

for all the possibilities and some treatments.  

But first...are you SURE he's a male?  If you're not sure, then there's a possibility that "he" is really a "she" and has been pulling fur to line a nest due to false pregnancy.  Please see:

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

for more information.

I hope this helps.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thankyou
and yes he may be a she
how long does false pregnancy last?
and should i move the fur or leave it there?
i am realy worried as he/she has many bald patches now
and does a rabbit that has not been spayed do this yearly ?
is there anythink else i can do ?

Answer
Dear Ella,

A false pregnancy lasts about 17 days, culminating in nest building.  She will tend the nest excitedly for a day or two, then lose interest.  At that point, you can safely remove the nest without upsetting her too much.

The bald patches will grow fur soon, so don't worry.

And if she's not spayed, she will do this more than yearly.  She may start to do it *monthly* or even every two weeks.  So it's really important to have her spayed.  Unspayed female rabbits have a *very* high risk of uterine cancer.  But it's also critical to have a vet who is very experienced with this surgery and has been very successful.  You can find a good vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope this helps.

Dana