Sticky bum problem!!!

Hi, I only introduced myself a few days ago as I only picked up my 2 new buns last Thursday.

Typically my first problem is to do with the rear end!!

I noticed pretty much from day one they are really smelly in the morning. I realise from what I have read they do 2 types of dropping and the gooey kind is usually eaten (yuck!). I think it is this bit that has not been eaten and because it is gooey it becomes solid in a big mess in the hutch and is a nightmare to clean up even with lots of bedding. The worst bit is it is sticking to the bottom of the male in particular and each day I am having to be really vigilant combing them off so he doesn't attract flies. The female also has the problem but not as much.

I read some books and it seems to be down to diet. They are only 2 months old and not overweight so it can't be anything to do with them not being able to reach round and clean themselves.

I don't know weather to go back and ask the breeder. When I got them I asked how she avoided flystrike and she said as long as they are fed the right diet and therefore don't have diarrhoea it is not a problem and she has never had a problem with this in all the time she has kept rabbits. I am only feeding them the food she gave me as she gave me enough for 2 weeks and said to not give any greens in the first month and then only as a treat. This contradicts all I have read as greens seem an important part of the diet in the many books I have read. Anyway, I have stuck with her advice so if it is diet it is her food that they have had and noting else.

Has anyone else had this problem or is it just a normal part of of everyday care. I thought it was the urine that smelt and the droppings were well formed and easy to pick up. It is a few days in now and I am combing off the poops twice a day and have wiped them with baby wipes but they are starting to get dirty even with all my efforts. Help!

Breeder or vet - which should I go for or am I making something out of nothing! I thought it might be nerves at first but they are relaxed and happy around me and have been hopping around the shed floor with me investigating everything and having a lovely time apart from stepping in the wet droppings all the time!!

Any advice appreciated... Nick

Welcome.

Please can you advise us on what you are feeding your rabbits, is it a mix or pellets? How much dried food are you feeding them each day?

:wave: Also you didn't mention hay... are you feeding them hay.. as well as the other benefits, it's fibrous and the poos come out better (second time round )

:wave: welcome to the site.

mmm im afraid ALL buns in a new home get dicky tums..they do when they get stressed at all as well as a dietray problem.
the biggest stress of all..leaving mum and siblings behind

this is when a lot of buns succumb to illnesses etc.

as an owner of a bun with perpetual sticky poo probs..ill give oyu my advice.

1) do not introduce any new foods for now..stick with the mix for a few weeks then change it over slowly over 10 days minimum.

2) increase the amount of leafy green hay..dried grass etc....more hay more hay and more hay...

3) trim the fur that the poo sticks to the most with a fur clipper or a lot of help and scissors.

4) see the vet if it doesnt improve or gets worse.

5) buy some AVIPRO PLUS powder or BIO LAPIS from the vets to put in their food or water..it helps the tummy with stress which breeds more bad bacteria in theirr guts.

bif is my girlie with tum probs all the way...98% of hers is stress related..she was in a very bad way when she got rescued..she was at the rescue for over 2 months before she could be spayed....i got her shortly after. shes had a dicky tum since. she loves her greens but can only have a little....despite the pleading eyes and furry belly views whilst she begs on her hind legs

i use bio lapis as a 3week treatment with more hay and less feed.....then she has a tube of fibreplex as soon as the soft poey bum leads to smaller harder poos. shes never going otbe perfect and shes overweight depsite being on a diet.....its the exercise she needs and shes so shy she hides in corners even now after these last two and half years! her new hubby and their new house have left her feeling a lot better but phooeee i know dialy that whiff is sticky bum but usually on the tray contents not her..usually!

bandit when he came to me the rescue said he was a sticky bum bunny..hey i thought ive got one already...the more the merrier!
but he was like bif at her worst...several tiems a day and night i had to butt bathe him..it was awful!! we even shaved his fur int he end....

all his problem turned out to be was yes nerves.....but he was rather well endowed and it was causing him rpoblems reaching down there:shock::shock:
once he was done and recovered fully..he became a diff bunny with a normal tummy..it was amazing!

BUT young buns can harbour all manner of illnesses which can be fatal if left..
if things get at al worse right down the vets!
i would take them to the vets anyway as you could be stressing them even more by cleaning them..even tho you have to...i know what thats like!

more experienced bun owners will be along shortly to help:wave:

Thanks for all the advice. The food looks like a mix - I don't know what it is exactly as it was given in a bread bag - I didn't think to ask what it was only what I should give them when it is finished! I use a small canister top as a measure - like a polish top!(as advised) and give 1 top full in the morning and one in the evening between the two. I give a handful of hay morning and night which is good quality as it is straight from the farm the breeder has contacts with.

I realise I am stressing them by cleaning them and I hate doing it as I can see they don't like it and I have to restrain them on their back in my arms to do it. I can't see I have any choice as otherwise it will become really stuck and smelly.

They do seem really happy and not unduly nervy. I am disappointed it could be a chronic problem but will keep on doing what I have been and see if things improve over time. Perhaps when I change the food over the problem will resolve.

I swear by Oxbow Bunny Basics, there is an Alfalfa one for babies and T for adults. It is hay based. More expensive but it did clear up one of my buns tums after trying everything else (he refuses to eat hay though!). I found Excel caused more of a sticky bum.

Hope you find the answer. I always do 2 bum checks a day in case of fly strike, you will be able to find out more by doing a search on it. Have some Rearguard in, just in case - check if OK to use on young buns first though.

Edit - do they eat hay (you can't beat hay really)

Thanks for updating us. Rabbits need lots of hay to keep their teeth and gut in optimum condition. They should eat at least the size of their body in hay or more. I woul intitially increase the amount of hay they are eating, cutting back on the mix. Probiotcs in the water will help keep the cut satbilised whilst you are looking at changing the diet. Slowly in a weeks time start to reduce further the mix and slowly start introducing a tiny amount of a higher fibre food such as science selective or bunny basics T pellets. They only require about an egg cup of these in total each per day.

The more hay they eat the better. If your rabbits are eating veg just keep the type and amount stable until things have settled.

Hey my bun has had a sticky bum problem so i took her to the vet and he advised me to cut back on pellets and increase hay (although she aint a great hay eater) anyway it didnt help her so took her back again and because she wasnt fussy for hay that was part of the problem so he checked her back teeth and they had started getting long (not seriously) but enough to cause a sticky bum. Take ur bun to the vet and get him to check the back teeth.
Hope ur buns ok.:wave: