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Soft poop, smelly bum and this...

LokusT

New Kit
My rabbit's had a smelly bum for the past couple of weeks or so now with occasional muddy poop. Most of the time his poop is the regular pellet kind, but lately this has been a problem. Over the weekend I tried to give him a bit of a bath as he had a huge lump of it stuck in his fur which has gotten matted. Having read up on the various problems associated with it, I tried to trim the fur away from the area as best as I could which is difficult as he's always been a very nervous bunny. Grooming him in any way makes him aggressive and defensive. Clipping his claws is difficult enough, inspecting his bottom is pretty much impossible, especially as I am on my own and have absolutely nobody to help me. Anyway, I took a picture of his bottom and as you can see, it's a little bit of a mess, but I am particularly worried about the white area. Can anyone shed some light on this please? Also, I would like some advice on what to do about trying to groom him on my own. It's very difficult and I always feel like I am letting him down because he gets so scared.

Apologies for the graphic nature of the image. :\
bottomproblem.jpg
 
He really needs to be examined by a Vet. Has this been done during the two weeks that the problem has been going on ? The Vet would also be able to clip the fur around his bum.

What do you feed him ?

Have you noticed any other changes in his eating or behaviour ?
 
I haven't taken him to the vet yet, no. I assume that means this white area isn't normal. I haven't actually looked at that area much before so I was unsure. His behaviour's pretty much the same as it normally is. I normally feed him Burgess Excel and a couple of months ago started to mix it up with the Deluxe version for a bit of variety. I also give him a bit of Boredom Breakers Naturals mixes. As for fresh veg, I give him carrots and greens and occasionally broccoli. I've tried other veg with him in the past and he tends to ignore it. He also gets a bit of an apple sometimes too. This is on top of loads and loads of hay. His feeding habits have been pretty consistent.
 
I haven't taken him to the vet yet, no. I assume that means this white area isn't normal. I haven't actually looked at that area much before so I was unsure. His behaviour's pretty much the same as it normally is. I normally feed him Burgess Excel and a couple of months ago started to mix it up with the Deluxe version for a bit of variety. I also give him a bit of Boredom Breakers Naturals mixes. As for fresh veg, I give him carrots and greens and occasionally broccoli. I've tried other veg with him in the past and he tends to ignore it. He also gets a bit of an apple sometimes too. This is on top of loads and loads of hay. His feeding habits have been pretty consistent.

It sounds as though you may be overfeeding him. How much in quantity does he have of the Excel ? Too many pellets can cause poo problems.

Carrots are very high in sugar, another cause of poo problems. So carrot should only be fed in very small amounts and no more frequently than twice a week.

Same applies with fruit. Infact I never feed my Rabbits any fruit at all.

I am not sure what 'white bits' you are referring to in the photo ?
 
Not sure really how much in weight I give him, but I suppose it is entirely possible that I might be overfeeding him. I am quite generous I suppose. :| I feed him by hand so the quantities are never really exact.

As for the white bit, in the photo, it's the bottom of the small exposed area. Sort of banana coloured, whereas the exposed area above is pink.
 
i would err on the side of caution with sugary foods ie carrot, apple and many shop bought treats due to the poo problem.

i know how bad bunnies can be begging for treats tho so what about getting him some 'treat' hay or maybe dried herbs to be fed as the occasional treat instead?

i hope the vet can sort him out:)

(be lovely to see a pic of his face too!)
 
Not sure really how much in weight I give him, but I suppose it is entirely possible that I might be overfeeding him. I am quite generous I suppose. :| I feed him by hand so the quantities are never really exact.

As for the white bit, in the photo, it's the bottom of the small exposed area. Sort of banana coloured, whereas the exposed area above is pink.

That is just pigmentation. But the mucky bum and smelliness does need sorting so I really would get the Vet to check him over for you and also clip the matted fur.
 
I'll try and get him to the vets on friday. I'll limit his food a bit in the meantime. It wouldn't surprise me at all if I am overfeeding him. I feel bad about that now.

On a happier note, here's a picture of his face. This was from bed time a couple of month ago. I tried getting a fresh one but the flash on my phone was too bright and he kept closing his eyes and without the flash, you can see his face at all. The joys of black fur.

11%20-%201.jpg
 
many people find that Excell can be a little bit rich for some buns - I moved mine over to Science Selective and have had no problems since and I know others have found this.:D

Try buying a small bag of that and gradually swapping him over (over a period of a week or so and cutting down on the pellets and sugary fruit etc at the same time.

Dont forget 80% of a buns diet should be good quality hay - pellets are just the topping!
 
Do you by any chance have a recommendation for an online retailer that sells Science Selective that won't charge a fortune for delivery? I ask because I have tried to get some in the past but haven't been able to source any locally. There may be a store on the other side of the city that sells it, but I don't have transport so getting there is very difficult to say the least.
 
At present I get mine from Kings Heath Pet Supplies just because they are doing a special offer (google them: cant remember where they are actually located - but they sell online) - - BUT they do charge for delivery for under £39 spent .

If you just want to try it for a week for one little bun I am happy to send you some (I have 31 buns and get through 10kg a week - a few handfuls wont ntice!!!!).

Then if it works you can track some down.

PM me your address if you want to just try it out - will take me a couple of days to get to post office but thats ok I hope.
 
Just had a quick look to see what their delivery rate is and it isn't too bad so I shall just get some supplies from them, but thanks for the offer anyway. I shall definitely be getting some for him at the very least to see if it helps.
 
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