rabbits- false pregnancy

Question
Hi my rabbit is pulling out fur and making a nest, she grunts when i put my hand in to feed her. she seems to have got more grumpy, i will be getting her sprayed very soon, but i was wondering how to care for her. is there anything i should do or not do whilst she is like this? or do i just carry on as normal? i.e. do i clean her out and disturb her nest, do i put her in her run? etc

I was also wondering whats the best way to get her to trust me,as i rescued her.
and whats the best way of picking up a french lop that doesnt trust you that much yet? at the moment i pick her up like i do a cat, hand under chest and bottom and bring towards me very quickly. only thing is she is not that happy about the part from the floor to hands touching her, once i have her in my arms there are no problems and shes quite happy.
thankyou for your help.


Answer
Dear Em,

There's nothing special you can do for her while she's in the throes of a false pregnancy except to schedule that spay surgery.  If you don't already have a good, experienced rabbit vet, you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Part of her shyness might be due to her false pregnancies.  You are picking her up correctly, but note that most rabbits (especially big ones!) don't like to be picked up and held, for the reasons described here:

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

The above article is full of tips on how to get your bunny to trust you.  

Hope this helps. Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana