Rabbit in heat???

Question
My 1-year old female rabbit has begun to pull the furr out of her
back end. She has also pulled some fur  out of the other female
rabbit housed with her. She is not spayed. I wondered if she was
in heat? If so, how long does it last? Don't worry, I plan to get
her spayed soon! I have separated the rabbits and am using a
cone on the lop to get her to stop pulling out her fur as I am
worried about her getting hairballs. So, my second question is: Is
there a hairball medicine for rabbits? I need to know how long
this fur-pulling might last so I know when I can remove the cone
and put her back with the other rabbit, and when it is safe to get
her spayed as I didn't think it would be a good idea to do it when
she is in heat. Thanks for your help.

Answer
Dear Teresa,

Your rabbit is not in heat.  She is having either a real or a false pregnancy.  If she was with a male rabbit for any length of time, then I'm afraid it's not a *false* pregnancy, and you might be in for a surprise:

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

She is pulling fur to line her nest, which is typical of a doe about to give birth.  If she doesn't give birth in the next day or so, you can breathe a sigh of relief and have her spayed ASAP.  Please read:

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

and

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

If the bunnies are bonded, then have the male neutered ASAP so he can be back with his mate quickly, before they become unbonded.  If she's not pregnant, then have them both fixed at the same time, so they run less risk of unbonding (which can be a terrible pain!).

If by "cone" you mean that you have put a veterinary "E-collar" on your bunny, then TAKE IT OFF IMMEDIATELY!  Rabbits should NEVER NEVER NEVER be put in an E-collar, which is appropriate for a dog or cat, but never a rabbit.  She is behaving normally, and there is no reason to keep her head in a cone!

Don't worry about "hairballs."  She is highly unlikely to ingest enough fur to cause a problem, and as long as she's getting a healthy diet, she does not need any type of hairball remedy.  Please see this article for more information on a diet to prevent intestinal problems:

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

You can find a good rabbit vet for the spay/neuter here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

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

Dana