Stinky bunny?

[Countrypunk92]

Hey guys! I got my New Zealand about 2 weeks ago from petco,The original owners only fed her carrots so she was very underweight.

So ive had plenty of food in there,Hay,Treats,Pellet food,. so that shell beef back up. And she is!

Unfortunately, She also is constantly using the bathroom,I was letting her run around the house and noticed her Bum is starting to smell.

Is there anything i should do? just curious.

She is about 7 weeks old btw.

 

Thanks

-Alex

[MirBear]

only fed her carrots??? carrots are very high in sugar… i would suggest taking her to a vet to get her checked… and make them aware that her diet was just carrots… somthing could be wrong…

[Elrohwen]

Since she is so young, I think you need to back off on her diet and stick with hay and pellets only. Baby bunnies need to get used to diet changes very gradually or they get poopy butt – which it sounds like your bun has. Stay away from anything sugary for now and see how she does on a simple hay and pellets diet (lots of hay! this is really important). Their tummies often can’t handle all of the extra stuff at this age.

You can give her a bum bath for now by filling up a sink with an inch or so of water and sticking her bum in to try to get some of the poo off.

I would also take her to see a vet. Discuss her problems and discuss the appropriate diet for her. Soft poo in young bunnies (and she is a very young bunny) can be extremely dangerous as they go downhill very fast.

[Countrypunk92]

Shes fine,She acts normal,she runns and binks around like a normal bunny.

And her poop is dry.

Her bum just smelly,Or was..

 

[MirBear]

i would still take her in to see a vet… the carrot diet may have had a bad effect and if it did cause a problem it would be cheaper and easier to fix it now…. i know vets can be expensive but it would be better than waking up to her having problems or… worse

[Sarita]

If it were me, I would take her to the vet. I imagine the biggest problem with a young rabbit at a pet store is coccidia which the vet can test for with a fecal pellet.

Carrots are fine in moderation along with other fresh greens and her pellets, hay and fresh water but really the best is a check-up by the vet especially if she got less than stellar care by her former owners and the pet store.

[RabbitPam]

It’s always a good idea with any new pet to take them to an initial vet visit just to get a baseline exam and some tests done if necessary. You can make sure she’s OK or catch something early if she’s not.

[jerseygirl]

Welcome to BB. I’m glad to hear she’s on a better diet now that you’ve adopted her. I would hate to see an underweight NZ or any bunny for that matter.

Are you certain she is 7 weeks old? Rabbits ideally aren’t weaned until 8 wks though it commonly happens sooner. But since she’s already had 1 set of owners, I’m wondering just how old she was when weaned? That plus a diet of carrots must have played havoc on her system!

Maybe you are smelling territorial droppings? When they have lots of space to explore, they mark with alot of territorial poop. It has a smell to it. I think the description I’ve seen here of a cross between onions and B.O. is a good one ! lol
Check out the litter training tips under the Bunny Info Tab at top of page. For young, unfixed rabbits, it’s best to limit there space while litter training. You can let them run around a bit for exercise – but do expect lots of poop when you do. Just goes with age, training and their need to mark territory. Luckily all this is temporary.

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