• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Excel Junior and Dwarf + VERY messy bum

DemiS

Warren Veteran
My grandmas neighbour has a BEW nethie buck. He's not overweight, but he absolutely stinks, and it always covered in poo's and urine. They use Excel Junior and Dwarf food, and I wondered if that could have been a part of it? I know food for adults and junior rabbits is usually different. They asked the vet and they said he was just a messy male, and it was nothing to do with the food.

I have seen the rabbit clean its self before. Even if you bath him, by the next day he is back to normal. I don't see the point in dwarf rabbit food to be honest, as the rabbit is fully grown. They take him to the vets all the time for check ups, and there has never been a problem with him apart from this.
 
Excel is known to cause mucky bum problems in some Buns.
The Junior/Dwarf is probably higher in protein (too much protein = excess caecotrophs) than the ordinary Excel. Personally I'd try switching the Bun over to Science Selective and also probably reducing the overall amount of concentrate he is fed. My lot get no more than a dessertspoonful/kg/day.
 
Excel is known to cause mucky bum problems in some Buns.
The Junior/Dwarf is probably higher in protein (too much protein = excess caecotrophs) than the ordinary Excel. Personally I'd try switching the Bun over to Science Selective and also probably reducing the overall amount of concentrate he is fed. My lot get no more than a dessertspoonful/kg/day.

Thats what I told her, that I thought junior food had more protein

Aren't I smart? :lol:
 
Science Selective - That's by Supreme isn't it? They're sponsoring London Show, and paying for me to go down and do the jumping :lol:

Anyway, the rabbit is about 4 or 5 years old, and a bit lazy. He could be older, they are unsure. Would you say to get adult or mature?
 
my bun had a messy bottom on excell, don`t like the stuff, since switching to science selective and loads of hay and grass, its ok now..:D
 
Rimmi is on excel dwarf and junior and loves the stuff - obv he gets hay/water/veg and the occasional treat too but we've never had an issue with his bottom... his poo is well formed.

Note:

Excel junior and dwarf has 16% protein and adult has 13% protein so its not a massive differance... perhaps the bun is more sensitive.

:)

Ps, there are nice flavours in the adult/mature variety too... the mature one comes in cranberry and the adult comes in normal or origano. Rimmi really likes the origano and we give it to him as treats :lol: (he only has 4 or 5 pellets of it a day though).
 
Rimmi is on excel dwarf and junior and loves the stuff - obv he gets hay/water/veg and the occasional treat too but we've never had an issue with his bottom... his poo is well formed.

Note:

Excel junior and dwarf has 16% protein and adult has 13% protein so its not a massive differance... perhaps the bun is more sensitive.

:)

Ps, there are nice flavours in the adult/mature variety too... the mature one comes in cranberry and the adult comes in normal or origano. Rimmi really likes the origano and we give it to him as treats :lol: (he only has 4 or 5 pellets of it a day though).

Well I'll advise her to change anyway, if it dosen't make a difference she can always go back to excel :)
 
The mature won't hurt. All of my 3 are on it and have been since the youngest was 10 months and he's doing brilliantly. Couldn't use any of the excells for my lot as they were just too sensitive to it.
 
The mature won't hurt. All of my 3 are on it and have been since the youngest was 10 months and he's doing brilliantly. Couldn't use any of the excells for my lot as they were just too sensitive to it.

I know older rabbits sometimes have weight and cleaning problems too, so maybe there is something in the food that might help that.
 
I know older rabbits sometimes have weight and cleaning problems too, so maybe there is something in the food that might help that.

I wouldn't say he's and "older" bun at 4. I have a 7 year old who hasn't been looked after well in the past and she is doing brilliantly. The mature is good as there is less calcium so less likely to cause bladder sludge too. I would definitely suggest giving less pellets though as this will increase the amount of hay eaten. I noticed a big change when I weaned mine off pellets. They are also less fussy about which greens they get now too.
 
I wouldn't say he's and "older" bun at 4. I have a 7 year old who hasn't been looked after well in the past and she is doing brilliantly. The mature is good as there is less calcium so less likely to cause bladder sludge too. I would definitely suggest giving less pellets though as this will increase the amount of hay eaten. I noticed a big change when I weaned mine off pellets. They are also less fussy about which greens they get now too.

They do give him less pellets now, because of his weight, but he still never seems to eat hay. His bed area is filled with P@H hay, and he never touches it. He also has some excel herbage but he only eats a tiny bit of that too.

He does have about 10 hours of free range though every day, so I suppose he must nibble a lot of grass.
 
Back
Top