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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum DIET & CARE Untidy Backside

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    • Robert Webb
      Participant
      2 posts Send Private Message

        I have a 7 year old dwarf lop who is constantly accumulating a big gob of  rabbit droppings on his backside.  He doesn’t like being held and certainly won’t stand for the indignity of me cleaning him  off.  I try anyway but, it is difficult to remove entirely as it is mixed in his fur.  These smelly and unsitely blobs eventually fall off, but I am certain neither one of us likes it much.  Anyone have a clue as to what might cause this?  Diet perhaps?  He eats well.  Sometimes too well, although I try to discipline us both.


      • BinkyBunny
        Moderator
        8776 posts Send Private Message

          Welcome Gizmo!!  Now
          your entered into the drawing twice.

          Oh, boy, have you come to the right place. I have personal experience in
          this….er…well let me rephrase that, I have personal experience with having
          a bunny who deals with this.   You can check out the diet section,
          and scroll down to Bailey’s specialized diet.

          For some reason lops are susceptible to this.  It is SMELLY!!!   Let
          me first ask you a few questions:

          1.  How long has your bunny been suffering from this? If it’s fairly
          recently, could she have arthritis? Does she walk or scoot along?  Is she
          overweight?
          2. What do you feed your bunny now (no judgments here,  my bunny will get
          it even with the most healthy diet, she’s just sensitive to even some healthy
          stuff)
          3.  What are the serving portions of the greens, and/or pellets, and hay.

          If it’s just recently, then a vet should really him out, as some illnesses can
          cause this.  My vet asked me to bring in one of those smelly goops (oh
          joy) and she tested it.  She determined it was a yeast problem, which is
          diet based.   She had me feed less pellets, more dark greens, but
          Bailey was even sensitive to some greens.   You can check out my
          whole trial and error in the “diet” section.

          I’ll check back for your answers, and we’ll get to the bottom of  this… literally.

          In the meantime, I know it’s really hard to clean if he’s not used to it, but make sure  his backside is  clean as it cause irritation and even bladder infections.  Plus, makes your bunny susceptible to fly strike.

          To stop it from getting too hard and then stuck to the fur, I try take as much as I can off with toilet paper, (gag stinkola!) then I wash the rest off. If it’s hard, then I soak her bum.  We also have kept the hair around that area short to keep from it getting so stuck to the pooogooo.

          Can you fill the sink halfway with luke warm water, and stick his bum in it?  Do you have another person that can try and comfort him, and/or cover his eyes to help him calm down?  It might help to purchase one of those sink hose things with a spray nozzle on it so you can  rinse.   My bunny is Holland so of course she’s smaller than a mini, and I can just hold her and use the spray over the sink or the bathtub. 

          My vet recommended ChlorhexiDerm Shampoo.  It can be hard to find at pet stores, but maybe  your vet has it.   http://www.petvetdirect.com/home.asp?display=full&cid=0&itemid=IVXCHL212&itemname=ChlorhexiDerm+2%25+Shampoo+12oz

          I only need a TINY bit otherwise you’ll be rinsing forever to get it out. And it should only be used for spot cleaning.   It doesn’t irritate my bunnies skin, and it keeps it from getting infected.


        • Gravehearted
          Participant
          2428 posts Send Private Message

            diet is often the culprit in loose poops, but I would recommend taking your bunny to the vet to ensure there’s no issues with a parasite or anything else like that going on.

            is your bunny overweight?  

            some bunnies have done better by greatly reducing the amout of pellets and increasing hay and some veggies. this might be something you discuss with your vet to see if that might help.

            also do you know anyone with raspberry bushes? the tiny center leaves ( also called fronds) on the bushes will actually help cure bunny lose stool!

            this article might be helpful information for you:  http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html


          • BinkyBunny
            Moderator
            8776 posts Send Private Message

              That reminds me.  Mint leaves can also help relieve soft stool.


            • Robert Webb
              Participant
              2 posts Send Private Message

                To all who took the time to reply, Gizmo and I thank you.

                We have been dealing with this problem for some time now. I have probably been in denial regarding his diet. He isn’t obese, but could stand to lose some weigth, no doubt. He starts the day with 8-10 blueberries, 2 or 3 baby carrots, and a couple pieces of broccoli. Mid-morning, I’ll throw some pellets in his bowl. Mid-day, he gets a treat, usually a piece of trail mix bar. In the evening, I give him more pellets, and sometimes another treat which could be banana, dried cranberries, peanuts, etc. I also put out a handful of hay at night.

                As far as exercise, he is never in a cage. He lives in our laundry room and has a small hallway as well. During the day, as long as we are home, he has access to a larger room. He doesn’t venture out too often, but is welcome to do so.

                So, yesterday I adjusted his diet. Less fruit and less pellets. More hay and vegi’s. We’ll also try some more exercise, and see how this goes. Oh, and we will try some mint or raspberry leaves.

                Thanks again.


              • BinkyBunny
                Moderator
                8776 posts Send Private Message

                  Hey, no problem,  I know what little beggars they are
                  and what suckers we can be.  They’re just so darn cute!

                  I’m going to give you some more diet info, but just so you know, there are
                  parasites type of illness that can cause this –  like coccidia.  Most
                  are treatable.  Does Gizmo always have a messy bottom, ya know, every time
                  he poops or just usually once a day – a big mushy stinky surprise?

                  Thanks for sharing all your diet info: Now I can help at least with it if it is
                  diet related. And either way, a healthier diet will help.

                  The recommended amount of fruit (by the House Rabbit Society, and they know
                  their stuff!) is 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs (a day)  And some bunnies can’t
                  even handle that much – like my Bailey.

                  Also, nuts, trail mix stuff over time can really cause serious digestive
                  problems, that can end up being fatal for your bunny.  So cut out all
                  bread, nuts, etc

                  Dried fruit is even more sugar concentrated, so fresh is always best.

                  Broccoli is okay, but it can cause gas, especially for a bunny who is already
                  dealing with an imbalanced digestive system.

                  So, hopefully you’re not feeling like I’ve beaten you down with all the
                  “should nots”.   I think you are wonderful because you are
                  looking for solutions,  and most people feed their bunny stuff like that.
                  Hey, I did with my very first bunny, a long time ago.  I didn’t know back
                  then. 

                  Plus, the change to feeding more hay is wonderful.  I usually add a fresh
                  handful a few times a day.  For some reason, even if my bunny hasn’t
                  finished the first batch of hay, the new handful entices her to eat more.
                  (maybe more yummy favorite strands)

                  Oh, and I forgot to ask, do you know if you pellets and hay are timothy based
                  or alfalfa?

                  Do you have access to dark leafy greens where you live?  Like Dandelion,
                  Parsley, Cilantro?  Parsley is really high in fiber, and now that you’ll
                  be feeding him less pellets, you’ll want to offer a variety of leafy greens to
                  keep the vitamin levels up.

                  Also note: It can take even months for a bunnies system to get back in
                  shape.  So don’t get discouraged if you are doing everything right, and
                  poopybutt is still around. It should get less messy, and less frequent. 

                  Keep us updated!

                   


                • BinkyBunny
                  Moderator
                  8776 posts Send Private Message

                    Hey, no problem,  I know what little beggars they are
                    and what suckers we can be.  They’re just so darn cute!

                    I’m going to give you some more diet info, but just so you know, there are
                    parasites type of illness that can cause this –  like coccidia.  Most
                    are treatable.  Does Gizmo always have a messy bottom, ya know, every time
                    he poops or just usually once a day – a big mushy stinky surprise?

                    Thanks for sharing all your diet info: Now I can help at least with it if it is
                    diet related. And either way, a healthier diet will help.

                    The recommended amount of fruit (by the House Rabbit Society, and they know
                    their stuff!) is 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs (a day)  And some bunnies can’t
                    even handle that much – like my Bailey.

                    Also, nuts, trail mix stuff over time can really cause serious digestive
                    problems, that can end up being fatal for your bunny.  So cut out all
                    bread, nuts, etc

                    Dried fruit is even more sugar concentrated, so fresh is always best.

                    Broccoli is okay, but it can cause gas, especially for a bunny who is already
                    dealing with an imbalanced digestive system.

                    So, hopefully you’re not feeling like I’ve beaten you down with all the
                    “should nots”.   I think you are wonderful because you are
                    looking for solutions,  and most people feed their bunny stuff like that.
                    Hey, I did with my very first bunny, a long time ago.  I didn’t know back
                    then. 

                    Plus, the change to feeding more hay is wonderful.  I usually add a fresh
                    handful a few times a day.  For some reason, even if my bunny hasn’t
                    finished the first batch of hay, the new handful entices her to eat more.
                    (maybe more yummy favorite strands)

                    Oh, and I forgot to ask, do you know if you pellets and hay are timothy based
                    or alfalfa?

                    Do you have access to dark leafy greens where you live?  Like Dandelion,
                    Parsley, Cilantro?  Parsley is really high in fiber, and now that you’ll
                    be feeding him less pellets, you’ll want to offer a variety of leafy greens to
                    keep the vitamin levels up.

                    Also note: It can take even months for a bunnies system to get back in
                    shape.  So don’t get discouraged if you are doing everything right, and
                    poopybutt is still around. It should get less messy, and less frequent. 

                    Keep us updated!

                     


                  • Gravehearted
                    Participant
                    2428 posts Send Private Message

                      I’m glad to hear you’re going to try some diet changes for Gizmo. You might also try incorporating different types of hay.  I feed mostly
                      timothy hay – but also mix things up with some oat, brome or orchard
                      grass. My kids think oat hay is so tasty  that they dance for it 🙂

                      I know how hard it is, since they’re soo cute and really* love* all the treats.  Since, you clearly love Gizmo and want him to live a long healthy life, cutting back on the treats will really make a difference in the long run with his health.

                      It’s not going to be easy on either of you at first, like most new healthier habits are tough to get used to.  But in the long run will  be really beneficial to your bunny boy.


                    • Ember
                      Participant
                      1 posts Send Private Message

                        Is it alright to house dish sop to wash a rabbits behind my Ginny has that problem too but hates being picked up


                      • jerseygirl
                        Moderator
                        22338 posts Send Private Message

                          Posted By Ember on 9/28/2017 9:05 PM

                          Is it alright to house dish sop to wash a rabbits behind my Ginny has that problem too but hates being picked up

                          Hi Ember

                          Dishsoap would be too harsh for delicate rabbit skin. If you don’t have a suitable shampoo to use, you would be better of just using water until you can get some.  This article gives great instructions for giving a rabbit a butt-bath and what soaps/shampoos to avoid.  Something like a gentle, hypoallergenic puppy shampoo would be good. 

                          As this thread was started in 2006 (!)  I will lock it now. We do ask that members do not reply to old threads. If you would like to start a discussion about your rabbit, click here and a page to start a new thread should open for you. Maybe we can help you get to the bottom (excuse the pun!) of why Ginny is getting messy poop? 

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                      Forum DIET & CARE Untidy Backside