Hi, I know there are loads of posts on here about rabbits having soft droppings and messy bottoms so I hope you don't mind another one! My rabbit is just coming up to 8 years old and has always been healthy and never had any problem with her droppings or keeping herself clean. A couple of months ago I noticed some soft dark squashed poo around her shed and when I checked her bottom she had quite alot stuck to her. I cleaned her up and cut down the amount of pellets and veg I was feeding her. She has excel pellets but I am going to change them now as have seen they are not always so good although having been on them for 7 years with no problem could they suddenly give her soft poo? She always has plenty of hay but is not that bothered with eating it, she seems to eat very little. Since then she has stayed alot cleaner with only occasional soft droppings around the shed. Over the last week she has had a fair amount of fresh grass and dandelions and the soft droppings have increased and I have had to clean her up a couple of times again. I am going to take her to the vet and just get her teeth checked. My questions are should I stop the grass and dandelions? Should I stop all pellets and veg and just feed hay? Could her age have anything to do with it? Should I use something like Rearguard, is it safe? Sorry for so many questions. Thanks
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Soft droppings
- Thread starter wind1
- Start date
Elena
Wise Old Thumper
She could be suffering from something such as arthritis that might be making it hard for her to twist and reach to clean herself and to eat her cecals so that might be something else you might want to mention to the vet.
It may also be the new spring grass but if she isn't eating hay but is eating grass I personally wouldn't want to remove the grass as I would think that would be helping partly to keep her teeth short. Have you ever looked into why she isn't eating hay? Possibly she may have dental problems and that's why she isn't eating it.
It may also be the new spring grass but if she isn't eating hay but is eating grass I personally wouldn't want to remove the grass as I would think that would be helping partly to keep her teeth short. Have you ever looked into why she isn't eating hay? Possibly she may have dental problems and that's why she isn't eating it.
She does eat some hay just not a lot. I do also give her a small amount of readigrass which she eats with no problem. As far as being able to clean herself, when I clean her bottom she gets quite wet so then cleans herself up so doesn't seem to have difficulty with twisting around or anything.
Dustyrabbit
Warren Veteran
Hi :wave:
Excell pellets often cause problems.
Too much of any peller or museli food can cause a problem.
Readigrass can cause a problem.
Too much grass can cause a problem.
Any new veg/fruit/food/grass not introduced slowly enough can cause a problem.
Too much dandilions are diaretic - causes lots of weeing!
I think as rabbits get older their ability to digest/metabolise certain parts of their diet - eg proteins, fats, sugars alters - this could be why Excell suited before and doesn't now or that she could cope with lots of fresh grass before etc
Perhaps without realising you have upped the pellet ration in line with her getting older?
Assuming the rabbit is otherwise healthy, doesn't have dental issues that prevent it from eating hay -
To stabilise the problem IMO it is best to cut out pellets and veg etc altoghter, sticking to hay, hay, more hay and water for a while (a week perhaps longer) until the tummy and bottom issues resolve.
Then you can start to reintroduce veg one at a time in very small quantities, stopping if there is any adverse reaction or gradually increasing amounts for a few days and stabilising before trying the next veg.
Steer clear of sugary veg and fruit so keep carrot, parsnip, apple, grape etc for a small occasional treat.
Many people find that their rabbits do well on a "wild" diet - see our foraging thread for ideas.
Some don't feed any pellet or museli but if you choose to I would try Science Selective or Oxbow which are high fibre and stick to a maximum of one eggcupful a day per rabbit - agian introduce in isolation and over a 2 week period.
Rearguard is not good if you are needing to clean your rabbit regularly as it washes off.
Fly Screens attatched to the hutch/run, citronella dotted around the area and scrupulous hygiene can be of great benefit.
Has she been checked by a vet to ensure her tooth are ok? A general health check is always a good idea before embarking on any changes.
Excell pellets often cause problems.
Too much of any peller or museli food can cause a problem.
Readigrass can cause a problem.
Too much grass can cause a problem.
Any new veg/fruit/food/grass not introduced slowly enough can cause a problem.
Too much dandilions are diaretic - causes lots of weeing!
I think as rabbits get older their ability to digest/metabolise certain parts of their diet - eg proteins, fats, sugars alters - this could be why Excell suited before and doesn't now or that she could cope with lots of fresh grass before etc
Perhaps without realising you have upped the pellet ration in line with her getting older?
Assuming the rabbit is otherwise healthy, doesn't have dental issues that prevent it from eating hay -
To stabilise the problem IMO it is best to cut out pellets and veg etc altoghter, sticking to hay, hay, more hay and water for a while (a week perhaps longer) until the tummy and bottom issues resolve.
Then you can start to reintroduce veg one at a time in very small quantities, stopping if there is any adverse reaction or gradually increasing amounts for a few days and stabilising before trying the next veg.
Steer clear of sugary veg and fruit so keep carrot, parsnip, apple, grape etc for a small occasional treat.
Many people find that their rabbits do well on a "wild" diet - see our foraging thread for ideas.
Some don't feed any pellet or museli but if you choose to I would try Science Selective or Oxbow which are high fibre and stick to a maximum of one eggcupful a day per rabbit - agian introduce in isolation and over a 2 week period.
Rearguard is not good if you are needing to clean your rabbit regularly as it washes off.
Fly Screens attatched to the hutch/run, citronella dotted around the area and scrupulous hygiene can be of great benefit.
Has she been checked by a vet to ensure her tooth are ok? A general health check is always a good idea before embarking on any changes.
Thankyou Dustyrabbit. You have answered my many questions. I will definitely change her pellets. She is booked in at the vets for her myxi booster so I will be asking them to check her teeth and general health. It is very difficult for me to withhold all food except hay as due to her appearing to eat very little hay I am worried she will not eat enough. Also her shed she lives in has hutches with guinea pigs in so when I feed them she stands up against my leg begging for food and I feel so mean and guilty not giving her anything. I know it is for her own good but she doesn't and she already dislikes me due to the cleaning of the bottom routine!! Is there a little something I could give her when feeding the others and how do I know if she is eating enough hay to sustain herself?
Dustyrabbit
Warren Veteran
Ahh they do know how to get food out of us don't they!
You will know she is getting enough by checking output of droppings and keeping a check on her weight.
If you get her health check done asap and she gets a clean bill other than the messy bottom, you will know you are safe to cut back to a hay only diet for a bit.
I don't know if you have tried this already but some buns like different types of hay - mine are happy with the bales of meadow hay I buy at the horse feed suppliers, I make sure its a non-dusty, sweet smelling one, they also like one called Haydown that I get in a large plastic wrapped bale but they are not keen on Timothy or other "treat" (expensive!) hays but others swear by them. You could try the hay experts or Hay 4 Pets, lots of people are finding their buns like INGS Hay from there. But be warned, it's much more expensive than meadow hay!
Grass of course is excellent for rabbits but they must get used to it in small quantities over a period of time first. You could mix some in to her hay to encourage foraging.
What veg do you feed? Mine like Rocket and herbs like Lemon Balm, Sage, Mint and Corriander which can be mixed in to the hay too - they are easy to grow in the garden.
Fibre from wild sources such as bramble or apple tree leaves seem to be benefitial too but again everything needs to be introduced slowly and in isolation.
I think if it were me I would get the vet check and all being well cut out all the pellets and give ad lib hay with a tiny treat of veg that she's well used to when I fed the GP's banking on it being the Excell and too much spring grass being the problem.
Hope this helps!
You will know she is getting enough by checking output of droppings and keeping a check on her weight.
If you get her health check done asap and she gets a clean bill other than the messy bottom, you will know you are safe to cut back to a hay only diet for a bit.
I don't know if you have tried this already but some buns like different types of hay - mine are happy with the bales of meadow hay I buy at the horse feed suppliers, I make sure its a non-dusty, sweet smelling one, they also like one called Haydown that I get in a large plastic wrapped bale but they are not keen on Timothy or other "treat" (expensive!) hays but others swear by them. You could try the hay experts or Hay 4 Pets, lots of people are finding their buns like INGS Hay from there. But be warned, it's much more expensive than meadow hay!
Grass of course is excellent for rabbits but they must get used to it in small quantities over a period of time first. You could mix some in to her hay to encourage foraging.
What veg do you feed? Mine like Rocket and herbs like Lemon Balm, Sage, Mint and Corriander which can be mixed in to the hay too - they are easy to grow in the garden.
Fibre from wild sources such as bramble or apple tree leaves seem to be benefitial too but again everything needs to be introduced slowly and in isolation.
I think if it were me I would get the vet check and all being well cut out all the pellets and give ad lib hay with a tiny treat of veg that she's well used to when I fed the GP's banking on it being the Excell and too much spring grass being the problem.
Hope this helps!
Soft droppings - Worried now
Thankyou for the information. I have become a bit concerned now as although Pebbles ate her tea last night (small amount of Kale and small piece of carrot) she didn't touch any of the hay I put down for her. This was hay from a bale, nice and fresh and sweet smelling and a handful of excel timothy hay with dandelions and marigolds. She has never been over keen on the hay though but to not eat any is a little worrying. I checked her bottom and it was nice and clean. I went out for a couple of hours and when I got back she was sitting in a pile of very soft poo so have cleaned her up again. She still hasn't touched the hay or readigrass which I put down this morning but she has eaten a few pellets, a couple of dandelions and a small carrot. I did give here a few bramble leaves yesterday which she has not had before so maybe they have caused a problem. I don't know what to do for the best. I don't want to starve her but I also don't want to be giving her foods which are not agreeing with her. Any advice welcome please
Thankyou for the information. I have become a bit concerned now as although Pebbles ate her tea last night (small amount of Kale and small piece of carrot) she didn't touch any of the hay I put down for her. This was hay from a bale, nice and fresh and sweet smelling and a handful of excel timothy hay with dandelions and marigolds. She has never been over keen on the hay though but to not eat any is a little worrying. I checked her bottom and it was nice and clean. I went out for a couple of hours and when I got back she was sitting in a pile of very soft poo so have cleaned her up again. She still hasn't touched the hay or readigrass which I put down this morning but she has eaten a few pellets, a couple of dandelions and a small carrot. I did give here a few bramble leaves yesterday which she has not had before so maybe they have caused a problem. I don't know what to do for the best. I don't want to starve her but I also don't want to be giving her foods which are not agreeing with her. Any advice welcome please
Maybe go back to basics and try and get her on a hay based diet..
If she hasn't got a lot else to eat she will have to eat more hay.
Hide a few pellets in the hay to encourage her to eat through her hay for it.
Then when she is eating more hay re-introduce the herbs again. I would stay clear of carrot if she has a dodgy tum, it is high in sugars. Maybe try some fresh basil and coriander instead?
ETA - I think you need to get her to the vet for an examination of her teeth too.
xxx
If she hasn't got a lot else to eat she will have to eat more hay.
Hide a few pellets in the hay to encourage her to eat through her hay for it.
Then when she is eating more hay re-introduce the herbs again. I would stay clear of carrot if she has a dodgy tum, it is high in sugars. Maybe try some fresh basil and coriander instead?
ETA - I think you need to get her to the vet for an examination of her teeth too.
xxx
Thankyou. I have an appointment at the vets for next week. Since my last post I have handed some strands of very coarse hay to her and she has taken them and eaten them so I will carry on doing that if she wont eat it by herself. She seems to like the harder strands more than the nice soft hay but I'm assuming the harder ones are better for the teeth so not a bad thing?
