Rabbit’s butt is dirty

[maxmo]

One of my rabbits is a lionhead, so he has a lot of fur near his butt. Due to the long hair, he has pee stains and poop and hay sometimes get stuck. The problem is that he is very shy and doesn’t like being touched, never mind carried and groomed (he will occasionally bite). Sometimes I do have to force him to brush him since that’s a necessity (although I should do it more often, but the last time I did, his nose started to get weepy and wet from stress).

so I’m wondering, how do you guys clean rabbits butt?? My mom wants to put him in the bathtub or in a little tub that I can splash water on his behind. I’ve tried baby wipes but then he starts to kick and it doesn’t really help. I know I should probably cut or shave his hair on the butt but it’s very hard to. Any advice, please thanks.

[LBJ10]

I wouldn’t recommend a butt bath unless he actually has poop stuck to his rear. If it’s just pee stains and hay getting stuck, a butt bath isn’t going to do much. You really would be better off doing a sanitary shave. A vet could do this if you’re not comfortable doing it yourself.

What kind of litter are you using? He shouldn’t be allowed to sit in pee. He needs to be on something that will absorb it properly.

[maxmo]

Sometimes poop does get stuck, but I will try asking my vet if they could do a sanitary shave. I use those paper bedding and recycled paper pellet bedding with some orchard hay on top. I add the hay on top since one of my rabbits like it that way, if I don’t add it he will begin to push the bedding and make a mess (also it gets stuck on his bottom too and I’m scared he might eat it). With my way, the pee gets absorbed I think but they still sit on their poop unless I routinely cover it with hay.

[LBJ10]

I wonder if a wood-based pelleted litter would absorb better. Like horse stall pellets, Feline Pine, wood stove pellets, etc.

[maxmo]

I’ve tried that, but to me it’s way too hard on the feet (one of them has a little bit sore hocks or calluses) also it was a little dusty.

[DanaNM]

A sanitary shave should help! I agree that having a vet help with it at first is good. For at home trimming, I recommend getting a “manscaped” style trimmer (generic versions are fine) as they make it much easier and safer to do at home!

How often are you changing the litter? If he’s regularly getting pee stains it may just need to be cleaned more frequently. I’m also assuming these are normal poops just caught in the hair, not soft poops?

. . . 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.  

[maxmo]

I have a manscape trimmer but for pets, it could work but it’s the handling part that frustrates me. He becomes so stressed that I feel bad. I change the litter twice a day and frequently cover the poops and pee  throughout the day for them not to sit on it. Sometimes it is soft poop, as sometimes I feed them a fruit or something and it causes them soft poop. But for now I’ve cut back on fruits.

[DanaNM]

Ok gotcha. Yes if he is regularly getting soft poops then he is likely getting too many treats in his diet. I would cut out all fruit and treats (make sure no family members are sneaking treats to him as well, this is commonly a problem!). He may even need less salad or pellets if the problem continues. I do think having the vet do the initial shave should help a lot. For doing this at home, I used to use a modified bunny burrito (wrapping in a towel) to help keep my bun from struggling as he also hated being handled. Hopefully with a good trim to “start fresh” and a change in diet things will stay much cleaner. A small amount of yellow staining on the feet is hard to avoid with white rabbits, even in very clean conditions.

If he does get soft poops really caked on, then you can do a bum bath, but this will be much easier after a trim.

Here are some good tips on how and when to safely do a bum-bath:

I know some people with long haired rabbits also don’t put hay directly in the litter box, they provide it in a hay rack instead. You could try using a soft litter like carefresh on top of something really absorbent like pine pellets and then provide the hay in a rack.

One last little tip for long term management, since you mentioned he gets very stressed with handling (and long -haired breeds especially need regular grooming), is to consider clicker training your bun to tolerate some touching. You could first train him to stand on a mat on the floor (you can use his regular pellet food for this to avoid giving too many treats). Then you could start desensitizing him to having his bum groomed (start slow with just a brief touch). He would get a click and a reward for staying put on the mat and not running away. If you google “cooperative care clicker training” you will get some ideas and the basic idea. It’s a technique that’s used a lot in zoos to help do necessary medical and health checks with less stress on the animals. This is more of a long term solution but could help make things less stressful for both of you in the future!

. . . 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.  

[maxmo]

Thanks for the info! I believe he’s having soft stools because just yesterday I found pinworms in their stool, so I think that’s causing some stool issues.

As for the grooming, i’ll try the clicker training method and see how that goes. also my long haired bun doesn’t like when i put soft litter without the hay on top, he will start pushing it and digging it out.

[LBJ10]

I had good luck with a beard trimmer. Definitely quieter than a pair of pet clippers! Bunny fur is fine, so you don’t need anything heavy duty to cut through it. I like Dana’s idea of using something super absorbent and then putting something soft on top.

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