bunny pulling fur

Question
I have a wild male bunny and a female docile bunny in a cage since May.  They have gotten along from the start.  Today though i noticed the male pull her fur from her body with his teeth.  Is this normal and what does it mean?  They have not had bunnies together and they should be about the same age.  I think they might be around 7 months old.

Answer
Dear Nia,

The female will pull fur from her body to line a nest for her babies, and at that age, she is likely fertile.  So she might be getting ready to give birth.  Please read this immediately:

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

The male must be physically separated from her (though they should be able to see/smell/touch through a barrier so they won't be traumatized by being apart) so he cannot get her pregnant again, which he can do within minutes of her giving birth.  This means her first litter will be too young to be weaned (4 weeks) when the second litter comes, all the babies could be stunted or even die.  So this is *critical*.

While mama and papa are separated, have the male neutered.  Find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

In about three weeks, he can be reintroduced to his family (carefully!  Watch for fighting, and write back if there are problems) without danger of more litters.  If you don't do this, you will be up to your armpits in rabbits before you know it.  Please read this very important article:

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

and

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

I hope everything will be fine.

Dana