rabbit chasing his tail

Question
My 7 month old male rabbit has begun chasing his tail.  I first noticed it last Sat.  Could it be pin worms?  He got his last dose of revolution in Sept and really doesn't come in contact with other rabbits or his own fecal matter.  He's not constipated or seemingly in any kind of abdominal pain.  He's eating, drinking and has normal stools.  He doesn't appear to have any kind of hair loss or rash or fleas or anything visible that looks itchy.  His coat is very healthy, his personality has not changed, but I'm not sure if this is a sign of something I should be concered about.  I'm stumped.  I've never had a rabbit who chased his own tail.  Should I be worried and if so, what could be causing this?  Thanks in advance for your help.  Alison

Answer
Dear Alison,

Is he really chasing his tail, or just running circles around things?  If the latter, then this is typical of a bunny reaching puberty.  He'll run around the object of his desire, often honking a soft little love song.  In some cases, he'll end with a flourish of urine spray, and look very proud of himself.  Your bunny is just at the age where this behavior starts to kick in.

If he's actually chasing his tail, then I'd worry that something on his back end is itching or irritating him.  Have a good look at his feet, his bum, his scent gland pockets, and make sure there are no foreign bodies, lesions, or other things that might be bothering him.

If the behavior persists and you don't see any obvious stimulus, then I'd get him to a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

for a look, a fecal exam, and other diagnostics that might tell what's going on.

But I hope it's just his happy little sex dance.  :)

Hope this helps.

Dana