Help!! Poopy Butt!

[thumper]

Hey everyone! We have been working hard to get Thumpers butt clean of poop but everyday it feels like it’s back to where it was. There’s a large lump of poop by his gonads and we wish we could just cut it off but we don’t know where his tail is and don’t want to injure him. He’s happy, active, and eating so the poop on his butt isn’t affecting him in those sense. We are just really trying to clean it up but we don’t know how because we don’t want to cut his tail. Does anyone have any tips? He’s a long haired American fuzzy lop bunny. We’ve tried baby wipes and also just moist paper towels but the poop is pretty hard. I feel like such a bad bunny mom for it getting this poopy! I can’t believe how quick it happened. One day, it was all fine and then the next suddenly it was covered in poop. I don’t know if he’s just not eating the poop or if it’s getting caught on hair? But again we worry about cutting because it’s by his butt, gonads, and tail. Please help!

[DanaNM]

Hi there,

Do you think he could be producing excess cecals from his diet?

You might want to have your vet do a sanitary shave in the area to make it easier to keep clean.

If it is really bad, you can do a bum bath (I’ve had to do this with a sick bunny), but I think it’s important to figure out why he keeps getting matted on poops. You can also try using cornstarch to dry it up, and then comb it out.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[thumper]

Are we able to do the butt bath if he’s an angora? I didn’t know if that would mat up his fur more. Also, I am not sure what is causing it. I spot clean everyday and replace the lining in his cage every other. I don’t know if he’s just not eating the poop or if he’s laying in it? I will try the cornstarch and yeah I just worry about the vet because it’s a far drive and cold out – I’d like to see if I can solve it myself first before putting him through the vet trip!

[Asriel and Bombur]

If he’s not eating it it’s usually diet related. Can you tell us what his diet is like?

[Daisy Rey]

I don’t know about angoras and butt baths…but, if you do, use a scent-free, gentle, baby shampoo (we used Aveeno). I used a very small litter box and filled it with warm, soapy water and combed through the mess. After that, I towel-dried my bunny’s bum. If I had an extra set of hands with me, I would have used a blow dryer…but, it was summer, so I wasn’t too concerned about her getting a chill.

I agree with, forgive the pun – getting to the bottom of the matter. Bunnies are usually pretty clean, so if your bun isn’t keeping things tidy, it may be because he’s producing excess cecotropes (as DanaNM mentioned). I also agree with the sanitary shave…I used to call it a “Bunny Brazilian” !

Good luck!

[DanaNM]

Hmm yeah not sure about the long fur, but agree that it might be diet related. Usually the culprit is too many rich foods (pellets, treats, starchy or sugary veggies).

Other reasons for not eating them can be medical (such as limited mobility in a very old or overweight bun).

Side note, when I gave my sick bun a bum bath I didn’t use soap at all. I used my bathroom sink, with a towel place on the bottom in the water so his back feet could rest on it. Just used a couple inches of warm water and used my hands to get the gunk off of him.

Then placed him on my lap, wrapped in a towel and got most of the water off, and gently blow dried the rest. Thinking about it makes me sad, he was a very sick bun.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[thumper]

Hi i’m sorry I misspoke. He’s eating completely normal! He has a healthy appetite and eats a good amount of hay, pellets, and lettuce. I do wonder if he has a weak stomach. Could it be his diet has too many pellets? He does really love them, but is it okay to limit them? I don’t want to have him not eat enough. He’s got a good appetite though!! Also I am so sorry to hear about your sick bun!!! It’s so hard to watch your animals be sick and just try to nurse them to health! As for the butt bath, I just worry about how long his fur is. I don’t want to shock him or get the fur around his butt even more matted. Sadly the pet trimmer I bought has broken so we are back to the pet scissors until I can get a new one that is safe for buns. I just really want his butt better. The corn starch seemed to help a little which is good but it just keeps getting bad again the next night when we check. Should I try limiting his diet more? Thanks again everyone for your help!!

[thumper]

Hi!! He has access always to hay and he loves that a lot. He also gets some lettuce in the morning and evening. I’ve been too nervous to add other veggies though sometimes I’ll give him some kale which he likes! He also is obsessive over his pellets – especially these red and blue colored ones – he will run over if he even thinks i am LOOKING at the container haha. We also give him one-two little timothy hay treats by oxbow! he really loves those as well.

[DanaNM]

Ah, the fact that his pellets have “red and blue colored ones” makes me think it is probably his pellets upsetting things!

A good quality pellet won’t have different things in it, it will all be timothy based pellets that are the same. The different types of pellets (and sometimes seeds, etc.) encourage selective eating (like a kid picking marshmallows out of lucky charms…). So, I would work on transitioning him to a more healthy pellet. You want to find one that’s at least 18% fiber and timothy based (if he’s at least a year old). I feed Oxbow adult, but there are others that are good as well. You should transition slowly, over the course of a month or so.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[thumper]

Ooooh okay!! We use a kaytee brand it’s their forti-brand pro health. How would I go about transitioning him? He just turned three this past november 2018. I will look into the oxbow brand adult pellets!!

[tobyluv]

To transition a rabbit from one pellet to another takes about a month. The first week, mix 75% of his old food with 25% of the new food. The second week, you mix the two kinds 50/50. The third week, feed a mix of 25% of his old food with 75% of the new food. The following week, you give him only the new food.

[thumper]

now does anyone have tips for cutting the poop off his butt? It’s a big lump stuck and we’ve been working on it every night but every day it feels like it just regenerates what we got off. We can’t have him sit for too long while we do this because he gets antsy and we don’t want him scared. I wish we could just cut it off completely but we can’t find his tail it might be under there. We are at our wits end and have tried so many things and we will switch his food but we still need to get this poop off of him! Thanks!

[Bam]

I don’t know any other way than to cut it off, preferably with your own fingers between the skin and the hair you cut. Taking him to a vet tech for a sanitary shave would of course work. Have you tried brushing out the clump with cornstarch? My Bam had hair that was prone to tangling around his hind quarters, the cornstarch method worked very well for him.

[Asriel and Bombur]

If you switch him to a better adult pellet that will help, and you should be able to feed him a greater variety of greens and herbs without issue. Just remember to keep pellets to 1/4 cup or under per day depending on weight (over 5 pounds and 1/4 cup is good, under 5 pounds should be 2 tbsp). Introduce new greens slowly as well and monitor his poops.

As for getting the poops off, just take him to the vet and do a sanitary shave. It’s honestly going to be safest and the least amount of stress for all involved, and it will prevent any accidental injuries.

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