male rabbit shedding and nesting

Question
Our male(so we were told) 1/2 flop ear is about 1 year old. Periodically he acts weird and goes off his feed, collects papers , builds a nest in his cage and sheds. Is this normal for a male? I have been told that the shedding is normal, for a male but not the "nesting"? Your opinion appreciated.

Answer
Dear Tom,

Given your description, I'd be surprised if your bunny is actually a male.  This is the behavior typical of a bunny who's undergoing false pregnancy and nesting (pulling fur and gathering soft materials) behavior.  That means it's time to find a good rabbit vet and schedule a pre-spay checkup.

www.rabbit.org/vets

Unspayed, unbred female rabbits have a very high risk of uterine cancer, so this is a very important surgery.  Please read:

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

For pictures of how to sex rabbits for to check your bunny's sex, please visit:

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

Hope this helps.

Dana