Long Nails and Pulling His Fur Out

Question
I got my daughter a rabbit this past July.  He is a male dwarf and adorable.  Lately he has has been pulling his hair out on the underside  (bottom) of his huge feet and and paws.  Not to mention how long his nails have become.  All his other behaviors seem fine, he still eats treats and his general demeanor seems fine.  Help please!  I don't know if it's time for him to see the vet (I called them today and they have no experience in dealing with house rabbits)

Answer
Have you seen him actually pulling the fur out, or are his feet just getting bare? If you haven't witnessed the behavior, he may be getting calluses or sores on his feet if he is not able to get off the cage wire often enough. If this is the case, try putting in cardboard, a plastic cutting board, a piece of carpet or wood--any thing that he can sit on that he won't consume!

If you have seen him pulling fur out of his feet, the only case I have heard of was basically a psychological problem--bored bunny! Have you read this FAQ on living with a house rabbit:
http://www.rabbit.org/care/living-with-a-house-rabbit.html and this one on toys:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/toys.html

If he is at sexual maturity (if he was a bunny in July he is mature now), it would be wise to
consider neutering to reduce frustration.  You can find a list of rabbit experienced
vets at http://www.rabbit.org/care/vets.html If there is not one near you, perhaps you could find an "exotics" vet who would be willing to do a phone consultation with an experienced bunny vet.

Yes, their nails do need to be trimmed about every 2 months.  You can have
a vet technician do them, or you could do them.  There are some instructions at
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/groom.html#Nails Or, the New York
chapter of the House Rabbit Society has a video for sale that shows how to
trim nails.

I know that's a lot of reading, but hope that helps you out!

Good luck,

Gina