Why is the bunny’s butt so dirty?

[pinkiemarie]

One of my rabbits had stasis in September and his bum got very dirty. I cleaned what I could (this particular rabbit is hard to handle) and left it since it was no longer so awfully filthy. The hair remained a little gross but was improving with time. Well the other day he seemed more dirty again and just this morning it was even more dirty. It was actually wet with pee above his tail on the back side of his haunch area. I double checked my other rabbits and they were clean.

 

He does have a vet appointment Tuesday for his nail trim so I’m going to have her give him a quick check but I wanted to know if anyone has had a rabbit getting dirty on his backside before? Just incidentally he’s a cottontail and the actual bottom of his tail is white even though he’s dirty above it. Paws are a bit yellow but I think a small amount of yellow is normal given their behavior right? Could he be peeing against the side of the box and then sitting back against it or something? It’s just so strange that it’s so high up and since  the other rabbits are clean I don’t think it’s necessarily an issue of the litterbox being too dirty. I’m just trying to figure out what is happening so I can try to keep him cleaner so he doesn’t have to be cleaned by me! Any ideas would be great. Thanks!

[pinkiemarie]

I think I figured it out. I used to use these plastic mesh things over the litter to make it easier to dump out turds, but the holes in the mesh are pretty small. Well, one of the boxes still has this in it and they don’t usually use that box much. I recently put a new hay trough in that box and he enjoys going in there now. I think the pee must have been kind of piling up instead of getting absorbed by the litter underneath. Still not sure how his tail is so clean but maybe he obeys his own personal laws of physics 😀

[DanaNM]

Oh that’s interesting!

I actually started using a plastic screen too because they were digging a lot and making a huge mess. I’ve been wondering about whether it was staying too wet, as sometimes if there is hay on top of the screen it gets pretty wet. But they just eat so much more hay when it’s in the box vs. only in the rack. Will have to keep an eye on everyone’s bums!

. . . 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.  

[pinkiemarie]

I actually stopped using it because they would chew on it sometimes but had left it in this one box because they didn’t really use it. I have the paper pellet litter and even though it’s easier to clean and waste less with the screen it wasn’t worth them eating it to me.

[DanaNM]

Yeah, I used to use a metal screen but wanted to try this as it was cheaper and maybe nicer on their feet. Miraculously they haven’t chewed it yet…

. . . 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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