Bunny has dried poop stuck on him

[Lauren Sliva]

Hey Everyone!

My name is Lauren and my bunny is named Buddy. He is a 5 year old dutch rabbit who I love very much. He had a digestive problem in the past, but that was taken care of and he seems to be happy and healthy again. He is also neutered. However, while grooming him today, I noticed that his bum smelled a little bit like poop, so I decided to check it out. I noticed that he had a few parts of pieces of dried poop stuck in the place where his testicles used to be (there was a little piece stuck on each side). I used warm water and a towel to remove the pieces, but is there anything else that I can do to ensure that his will not happen again? I wanted to try to disinfect the area, but I didn’t know how. The skin there looks dry and could use some attention. His poop seems normal, but I feel that he might not be eating 100% of his cecotropes if this is occurring sometimes. This happened before right before his digestive problems the first time. Anybody know more about this?

Thank you,

Lauren

[Bam]

You don’t have to disinfect his area more than you normally do when you clean it.

Sticky poop or poopy butt is common in rabbits and it’s unformed cecals that not get eaten. It is a disturbance of the gut microbiota, but generally not a serious one and the remedy is normally more hay (=fiber) and less pellets. Sometimes it’s a certain green the bunny doesn’t tolerate. (I f ex have a bun that gets poopy butt from carrots.) There is no patent “cure” for this, you more or less have to do elimination experiments to try and get it right. Here is an informative article from the House Rabbit Society (trusted source) on this subject: http://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/

Our gut microbiota and that of our pets change with age and so do our nutritional requirements and ability to digest the food we eat. In general, the ability to digest and and absorb nutrients becomes less efficient as we age. Sometimes a probiotic like Benebac can be of help.

Any GI-disturbance in a bunny is, as you seem well aware of, an observandum, so keep an eye on appetite and poop – in case he stops eating/pooping, you should contact a vet.

[LBJ10]

I agree with Bam. Poopy butt itself isn’t harmful. But to avoid butt baths, it’s good to figure out what the trigger is. It is often a process of elimination.

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