Female rabbits pluck out their breast fur during the mating season to build a nest. Sometimes, however, a rabbit or hare gets into the habit of pulling out and eating its fur. The swallowed fur can cause digestive problems and, in the worst case, even lead to intestinal obstruction. It is therefore important to discourage rabbits from eating their own fur.

 

Rabbits often start to eat their fur during moulting. Depending on whether the rabbit lives indoors or outdoors, it will moult once or twice a year, usually at the end of winter. If the fur begins to shed, the rabbit should be brushed daily with a fur brush to get the excess fur out more quickly.

 

If a female rabbit eats her fur while building a nest, even though she is not pregnant, sterilisation should be considered to avoid serious damage to her health caused by the digestion of the fur. Sterilised females lose the instinct to build nests within a few weeks.