fur-pulling

Question
I have had her for about a year and she has never been exposed to any other rabbits since then, so she is not pregnant. I did notice that she has at one time stored all her pulled-out fur behing a rather large stuffed bear we have in the room where her cage is kept, where we often let her run around. My father suggested that this may have been a nest she was making. She is a verrry attention hungry rabbit so it is possible that i am not giving her as much attention as she finds necessary. Do you think it would help to get her fixed? Do you know of any pros/cons of fixing a female rabbit?
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Followup To

Question -
my female rabbit has been pulling out her fur, especially in her neck area. Why is she doing this? Is this normal, or could it be a sign of illness?

Answer -
From the limited info you posted, she's either pregnant and getting a nesting area ready, she's going through a false pregnancy and acting like she's pregnant, or she's self-traumatizing herself for some reason (feeling ignored, something like that).

You can write back with more info if you think it will help me give you a more accurate answer.

Lee

Answer
Hi Tracy,

I am glad that you know your rabbit well enough to consider the possibility that she may need more attention from you.  From your updated posting, I would seriously consider this possibility (and it also is one that can be tested rather inexpensively and easily - just make a point to spend more quality time with her!)

There are several advantages to having her spayed, first and foremost, extending her life beyond 6 years.  About 85% of female rabbits age 5 or older get uterine cancer.  By spaying her you save her from a likely premature death.

Further, fixing rabbits (of either sex) typically greatly reduces if not eliminates many hormonally-driven behaviors most owners regard as negative (urine spraying/marking, cage aggression/lunging issues, etc).

The only caution I give is that a good rabbit vet be consulted to do the procedure.  Not all vets are good rabbit vets, even though they may be great with cats and dogs.  I encourage you to visit the House Rabbit Society page:

www.rabbit.org\vets

and find HRS-recommended rabbit vets in your area.  They should give you pain meds for her after the operation and possibly antibiotics to ensure no post-op infections arise.

Lee