Swollen/raw genital area??!

[amandap]

I have a 4yr old male dwarf fuzzy lop bunny, he constantly has wet poops and they do fall off or we clean them off him. As we were checking his bottom to make sure he was clean, there was a huge mess of wet poop and as we cleaned him up we noticed his genital area was very swollen and raw. Is this something I should take him to the vet about? Or is there things I could do at home to help make it less swollen and irritated.

[Wick & Fable]

I would absolutely recommend taking him to a rabbit-experienced vet, which would be an “exotic vet”. A healthy rabbit should not be having constant wet poops and swollen/raw genital regions — it sounds like there is something going on that requires professional assessment and treatment.

Can you describe your rabbit’s diet?

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.

[amandap]

My mom tends to spoil the bunnies with more treats then they need. They get a plate of lettuce every morning, some pellets in the morning and alfalfa/timothy hay provided 24/7. He doesn’t seem to eat as much hay as our other bunny does though. Maybe his diet is the reason why his poops are always so wet?

[Wick & Fable]

Hay is the most important thing for a rabbit’s diet in order to be healthy and it is what makes poops dry, as opposed to wet. Also, at his age (4yo), he actually shouldn’t be getting alfalfa hay — just timothy. Alfalfa hay (and alfalfa-based pellets, if that’s what you’re giving him) is much more dense in nutrients, which is needed for young, growing rabbits, but not for adult rabbits. This may be leading to excess cecotropes that aren’t being eaten and so, perhaps smeared or something on his bottom.

Re: the treats, any non-hay food items are going to deter a rabbit who doesn’t naturally eat a lot of hay, so I would really limit how often throughout the day non-hay food items are offered. Imagine a rabbit being like a child — if they are fed a candy bar regularly throughout the day, they will gladly not eat salads, even when they’re hungry, because they expect something better will come later.

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.

[DanaNM]

I 100% agree with everything Wick brought up about diet and seeing a vet.

I know it can be tempting to give a cute begging bunny treats, but please try to convey to your mom that too many treats could actually kill your bun. When bunnies have wet feces stuck to them, they are at risk of fly strike (especially as the weather warms), which is deadly and truly horrible. Remember, food does not equal love!

Many bunnies will eat hay happily when you offer it to them, so if she really wants to give him something, she can offer him some strands of fresh hay. It sounds funny, but hay from the hand always seems more delicious than from the hay rack.

Healthy bunnies should have firm round poops that look to be full of chewed up hay when you break them open.

. . . 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.  

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