Dried and stuck on poop

[Deleted User]

Connor (with all his squishy poop) has dried poop stuck to the underside of his tail. It is alot and it is really stuck on there. Any suggestions on how to get it off?

I tried warm water and that didn’t do much, I tried the instant shampoo and that didn’t do anything and by this time connor is just about ready to have a heart attack. He is shaking so bad, I am just leaving him alone for a bit, but sooner or later that poop has got to come off. He can’t clean his own bottom because of his back injury.

Also when I turned him over to try and clean he has two orange/light brown spots next to what I can assume are his genitals. Are these pee stains? It doesn’t smell like pee. His feet have some of these stains also and have a bit of poop on them.

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[Deleted User]

Hey I am able to post pics again. Well this is coney with hunchback, not connor, I just thought I would give it a try to see if it would work yet.

[Sarita]

What a cute picture. One thing I would suggest if you haven’t done this yet is to have your vet give Connor a sanitary shave if he has poopy butt problems. Basically the vet shaves the area around his anus to help keep it clean. Those very well could be pee stains or stains from his being dirty. I think having the vet shave him might be a good idea.

[Deleted User]

I found a link throught another posting about a dry bath. I am going to try to find the cornstarch powder tonight. But any idea where this can be purchased?

[Scarlet_Rose]

Medina, has he been into a vet for this? Yes a dry bath using corn starch can be used, you can find it in the baby section look for 100% corn starch OR you can use just plain old corn starch that you find in the baking section at a store. You are right and I would avoid any more trauma to your guy with a water bath. Let us know how the corn starch goes and I am not a big fan of having it shaved as that can be very traumatizing and unecessary as well. The stains may be urine scald. Does the litterbox have a low side to it? Is the litter covered with hay to keep him out of contact with the urine? You may also want to spread some towels around to be sure he can stay dry too. Is his poo runny at all or gloppy? A diet adjustment may be the way to go to help Connor out a bit. Poor guy with a back injury. : (

[Gravehearted]

I really feel for the little guy. As Scarlet Rose mentioned, dietary changes may really help the poopy butt. Often it’s too much carbohydrates in treats or pellets that lead to the problem, but it also could be the stress with all the changes he’s faced so recently.

I would talk to the vet about it too, since they may suggest a regiment for helping keep him clean. if his back injury is preventing him from being able to clean himself properly, you likely will need to clean him daily, as to avoid this kind of build up. My guess is that if the buildup is severe enough not to come off with a soak in water it may be that your vet will recommend trimming some of the fur off.

The marks sound like urine scald – so really try to limit his contact with his urine, he can’t be sitting in it at all. it will help to change his box daily and you might want to put faux sheepskin on top of the litter to wick away the moisture so he’s not sitting in the pee.

[Deleted User]

His poop is the squishy kind. I talked to the vet about it and she wants me to get a sample and bring it in first, to avoid any extra stress. The problem is that he only does these kind a few times a day and by the time I notice them they are squished into the shavings, or in this case stuck to his butt. It is not runny like direaha, but more like he has had a bit to much mexican food.

His litter box is his bed, meaning he refuses to use it as a litter box and just sleeps in it. Ocassionaly he poops in it and when he has it has been this kind of poop. I spread shavings around the whole bottom of his pen, he pees in one spot (of course it is the middle of the pen). I put another box in and have been putting his poop in it and even some of the peed on shavings. I use the pine shavings so my husband can compost them. Is this bad? I change both buns litter boxes each day because if I don’t coney moves his to the front of the pen to tell me to do it.

I found the cornstarch powder, but he was way too pooped (lol) to let me do it today. When I bought it, it was right next to baby oil, so I bought a small bottle of that as well. Do you think this would work? He wouldn’t be able to lick it because it I would only use it on his butt. I thought that it might loosen the poop up a bit. I did not put him in the water, I just put a wet wash cloth to it to try to loosen it up. I also tried the instant shampoo. The last time I tried a bath he totally wigged.

When I was at freddies today (buying goodies to make the new indoor rabbit condo) I saw these shelves that would fit perfectly in a litter box. They are shelves for under your sink or to organize a cubboard. They are made of the same material as the nic cubes. I also thought about a cookine drying rack. I didn’t get them, I am afraid that too many changes will mess him up even more.

I am slowly trying to ween him off of the ecotrition, I mixed it with another brand of pellets, but he picks through to find the good stuff. (stinker) The vet said she thinks it might be due to an ulcer. But she needs the poop first so she can check it out. When he came in for his inside time, I was so sure that he was going to poop for me (because he always does) but he didn’t.

[BinkyBunny]

I know exactly what you are going through. Bailey has always suffered from stuck poop on her butt. Because of her crooked spine and e.cuniculi, she can’t fully get down there. So everyday she gets a butt bath. I usually can get it off with a gentle stream of warm water and my hands (in rubber gloves). There is a chlorhexiderm shampoo that I got from the vets that helps loosen the harder stuff and it does clean well, but you have to be sure to use just a little amount because it goes a long way and suds up very easily. I don’t want to use that everyday because I am afraid it would irritate her skin, so I usually just use water and try to catch it as early as possible (when its soft)

Here’s a picture of the shampoo http://www.1800petmeds.com/pdetail.asp?SK=2847 I can’t vouch for that online company though.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Medina, I would stop using the pine shavings as soon as possible. They actually are not good for a bunny, rat, hampsters or anything, as they emit phenols that can cause liver damage, not to mention the dust that is breathed in by your bun and can also cause problems. A good option is a recycled newspaper litter or wood pellets. BB has given you some great tips on the washing. I would avoid the baby oil as that can clog pores and maybe even attribute to other problems.

[BinkyBunny]

Thanks Scarlet for catching the pine shaving mention. Scarlet is absolutely right on. Get rid of the pine shaving. If you like the scent of pine, you can use the dried pine pellets (like Feline Pine, and wood stove pellets) The dangerous phenols are dried out during processing.

[Deleted User]

It is not the smell, it is the fact that it is compostable. They don’t really smell to me. Is there another kind of litter that I can just throw on the compost heap when it is soiled? Gosh I am just getting even more angry with the pet store. I bought the shavings because they were in the rabbit aisle, first the food now this? When will they learn.

I thought I knew a bit about rabbits until I came here. I learn more and more every day. He didn’t have any of the squishy poop yesterday night or today so I am wondering if it is something that he ate. He has only had a bit of bananna and then a mix of different lettuces. And before I was feeding him any kind of plant he would eat.

[Sarita]

You can throw the pelleted pine in the compost heap too. Or you can also use Aspen Shavings too, those are safe and compostable. I think the pelleted pine though is more odor resistant – once it gets wet from pee it breaks down into a sawdust.

Yeah, pet stores only sell it cause it sells not because it’s good for animals.

[Scarlet_Rose]

You’re welcome BB! Wood shavings I am not really fond of because of the dust and the tiny particles can lodge in the tear ducts and in the eyes of bunnies. Like Sarita said, pet stores only sell items for profit, not necessarily because they know or really care about the animal itself, others it is just out of ignorance. Most of the items that you find in the aisle “for bunnies” is not good for them such as the nut and grain treats, yogurt drops and any one of the “treats” they have or the food pellets that have all the “goodies” in them like the infamous “fiesta” mix.

All of the bunny-safe litters are compostable like Yesterday’s News, Aspen Supreme, Feline Pine, CareFresh, Fibre Cycle, Back2Nature etc. Try not just the small animal bedding section but the cat section as well for some of these products. Check their web sites online to ensure compostability and to also see what stores carry it so you don’t have to waste gas and time searching for it.

[Deleted User]

Well… the poop is off but connor is not a happy boy. I tried everything I could think of. So I ended up putting a towel in the bathtub and adding warm water, just enough that the towel absorbed the water. (I was hoping he would sit in it and the water would loosen the poop) well he totally wigged out and just flipped into the side of the tub. I think he is okay now, he is regrooming himself. And he came up to me on the floor for a banana treat, well he inhaled it is more like it. I got the major chunk off and had to very carefully cut out the last piece.
He then went into the hall and ate and groomed. He also over the period of 5 minutes pooped A LOT!!! It was normal poop, but I also noticed that it was the same smell as the squishy poop. It really smells spicy. It this a normal poop smell? Coney’s doesn’t smell at all so I don’t have anything to compare it to.
He is now back in his pen with a fresh litter box filled with timothy hay. I don’t think he really eats the hay, so I ordered some oat hay off of here. (it said that bailey eats that stuff up and she seems to have some of the same issues as connor does, so I figured it was worth a try)

[osprey]

Has Connor had any basil lately?  My guys get a bit "skunky" when they eat basil.

[Sarita]

He might be very sensitive to sweets (the banana treat) which is making him have squishy poops. Many rabbits absolutely cannot tolerate any amount of sweets (sugar). You may want to consider something else as a treat like fresh or dried herbs. Fresh mint (in small quantities) is a nice treat as it has a sweeter taste to it – when I give this to my rabbits almost all of them will eat and not turn their nose up at it.

Also be careful of carrots as they are high in sugar – if you feed him carrots consider eliminating them as well.

I agree with trying different types of grass hays to see what hay he prefers – rabbits can be very particular about this too and really there are lots of grass hays to chose from out there so you need not limit it to timothy hay although it is the easiest to come by for the most part. You might also consider a 2nd cutting grass hay – it’s softer and usually greener although it doesn’t have the higher fiber like the first cut. My rabbits prefer the 2nd cut too. I just recently got some hay from Farmer Dave’s – it was called 2nd cutting enhanced which also had some red clover flowers and my rabbits really liked this – I also just got his 2nd cut timmy hay and it smells fabulous and is green and soft. It’s worth it to experiment with different grass hays from different distributors.

[Deleted User]

Neither of mine will eat carrots, I will try no more bananas. He has not had basil, mostly the spring salad mix, parsley, and romaine.
I saw the farmer daves different hays, but I was really confused with all the different cuts and mixtures. I will try the new hay from BB and see if that works. Coney loves the Timothy hay and connors previous owner said that he used to pig out on it but I never really see him eating it.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Medina, if your guy is not eating hay, that could be a big part of the problem-he is not getting enough fiber in his diet.

[Deleted User]

I got a good sample today to take and drop off at the vets tomorrow. I again called the previous owner, she is probally so sick of me now, and she said he used to pig out on the stuff. I wonder why he doesn’t like ours? He loves the fresh greens, parsley and banana slices. He has yet to eat the raisin or craisin. I hope he will like this new stuff. I wonder if it is not fragrant enough for him to find?

[Gravehearted]

hay is the most single important thing in a bunny’s diet and the more they eat of it, generally the better.

hay is not all the same – my kids eat a lot more since i started ordering it online from kleenmama.com instead of buying it at the pet store. 2nd cut timothy is good stuff, 3rd cut is amazing – but rare to find.  Binky sells great hay too, but with three bunnies I need bigger quantities!

Hareiette just hopped on the couch to say all this hay talk made her hungry!

[BinkyBunny]

Medinaserpa – Bailey loves the Oat hay, and though it can be higher in calories, for her it has only done her good. Because she eats so much of it, the amount of poopy butt is less!

[MooBunnay]

Hello! I think everyone has added all the advice that I could think of, just wanted to say you’re doing a GREAT JOB BUNNY MOM!! I am quite impressed by all the work you are doing following up with the vet, and making sure the Poopy Butt is cleaned up, and making sure that his diet is good I know sometimes it can be overwhelming when a bunny doesn’t seem to be feeling quite right, but I’m sure he will be improving soon.

As far as the stinky poops – my bunny Raymond I call the “Stinky Poop King” because if he smells another boy bun anywhere around his cage it is SITNKY POOP TIME! And they are gross – ew so it might just simply be he is trying to be territorial. He’s probably so excited to have such a fantastic home he wants to claim it all ASAP. If they are pelleted poops, but kind of have a shine to them and seem to be a tad wet on the outside (I am actually eating lunch as I write this and losing my own appetite, haha) they are most likely territorial poops. If they look like clusters of small balls then it could be a cecotrope, those STINK as well for the most part. ALso, sometimes bunnies have stinky poops if their scent glands aren’t clean (see the grooming section on this site) though I wouldn’t recommend cleaning those until he’s feeling a bit more settled, my boys at least don’t appreciate me pokin around down there…

[Deleted User]

The vet just called and she said she wants a fresh sample to send to the lab. She thinks he might have a parasite and wants it checked out.

My questions is what kinds of parasites can a rabbit get, are they serious, are they treatable and finally will treating this make his poop not stink so much any more? Everywhere I go I think I smell Connors poop. YUCK. I hope we get this cleared up because this is so hard having him always sit in squishy poop and track it everywhere.

[Sarita]

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/parasites.html

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html#parasites

Here is a good article on parasites in rabbits. I’ve had rabbits with coccidia, pinworm, giardia – some can be easy to cure and some can be more difficult.

[BinkyBunny]

Thanks Sarita, that was great information to share!

[Deleted User]

Well tests came back and no parasites, but he did test postitive for giradia (sp?) I am sure I did not spell that right. She said that it is up in the air as to if this effects the rabbits G.I. or not. She said treating him will not hurt him but it might help or it might not. So I decided to treat him for it anyways and hope for the best. Anything is better than this. The poor guy he is having more and more of these weird poops. They are starting to look like really miss shaped poop.
I asked her about not eating any kind of hay and she said rarely a rabbit will refuse hay and to just keep trying any hay that i can and hope that there is one that he likes. With the hay he has eaten he will pick out the greenest piece and eat that, but even that is really rare. She said he was the Caddilac of rabbits, and he wanted to have the best. She is also switching me to oxbow pellets. She cut him off lettuce first to see if that helps and then next week we have to cut him off of parsley. She said no fruit what so ever, the most he can have a rasin a week.

[Sarita]

Medinaserpa, my rabbit Mango, pictured in my avatar was diagnosed with Giardia by my vet – I have no idea how he got it – at least that is what my vet saw when she did several fecals on him – we tried 3 different treatments – flagyl (metronidazole), panacur, and albendozale. After all 3 treatments we finally sent out a fecal test to a lab and it came back negative. However he continues to have poopy issues so like you I’m trying to control it with diet – he has also had gi stasis a number of times in the past – probably the last time was about a year ago. What so far is working for me (and I’m still working on his issues) is no sugar (craisins, raisin, etc.), no pellets. Only hay and fresh greens. Mango is also overweight so I am working on getting weight off of him as well. I understand that this particular parasite is difficult to treat in rabbits because they keep of reingesting their cecals and that makes sense to me. Mango’s poops were really weird and gummy at one time, runny at another and he still seems to be very sensitive. Let me know if you find what works for Connor but that’s some things that have helped me with Mango. I emailed a whole bunch of rabbit lists about this with Mango when he was first diagnosed and got very little help because it didn’t seem particularly common – it was very frustrating for me. Still is since you are the only other person I know who has had a rabbit diagnosed with this parasite.

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