MALIBU, CALIF. ? Britney Spears left a live-in drug rehabilitation facility early Wednesday, less than a day after checking in, according to several reports.

It was the second time in a week that Spears entered a rehab facility and checked out before her first day was finished.

The TV news magazine “The Insider” initially reported that Spears called a car service, walked out of the Promises Malibu Treatment Center and left the facility early Wednesday morning.

Later, the TV show “Extra” and the celebrity Web site TMZ.com said the 25-year-old pop star had left the center far short of the usual 45-day stay. TMZ said she couldn’t handle rehab and went home.

Eddie Michaels, a spokesman for the public relations agency that handles Promises, said he had no comment. He would not confirm that Spears had been there or that she had left.

Britney Spears, who checked into a rehabilitation clinic Tuesday for an undisclosed reason, reportedly checked out Wednesday. It would be the second time Spears had checked into and out of a rehab facility within 24 hours in a week.

Spears’ agent referred calls to her manager, Larry Rudolph, who did not respond to e-mails or messages left at his office and on his cell phone Wednesday. On Tuesday, Rudolph said Spears had voluntarily checked herself into an undisclosed treatment facility.

“We ask that the media respect her privacy as well as those of her family and friends at this time,” Rudolph was quoted as saying. He didn’t disclose why she entered rehab.

Entertainment TV shows and Web sites reported Friday that Spears had gone in and out of rehab that week. Some reports identified the facility as Eric Clapton’s Crossroads center in Antigua, in the Caribbean, but the AP wasn’t able to confirm those reports.

Spears entered rehab again Tuesday after a meltdown weekend that included shaving her head, having her wrist tattooed and clubbing with friends.

On Friday night, she sheared off her hair at a Los Angeles salon, whose owner quickly set up a Web site to auction the shorn locks and other items Spears left behind. He said he would seek a minimum bid of $1 million.

Since filing for divorce from Kevin Federline in November, after two years of marriage, Spears has been photographed pantyless, wearing skimpy outfits and partying heavily.

Federline manager Dan Dymtrow said there would be no comment on Spears’ latest rehab departure.

Federline’s attorney earlier confirmed that Spears and Federline would continue to share custody of 5-month-old Jayden James and 17-month-old Sean Preston this month, following terms of a January custody agreement.

Federline out of sight

Federline is purposely staying out of the spotlight as estranged wife publicly unravels, hoping her wacky escapades will help him win custody of their two children, Federline’s friends told the New York Daily News.

The aspiring rapper was hiding out in Los Angeles over the weekend as the singer alternately went bald and paraded in a blond wig.

“He is just waiting for her to get worse,” a pal said. “She is only hurting herself right now.”

Experts warned that her erratic antics could land her under a psychiatric microscope in the custody fight.