• 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.

Storm and his bum

sparklefairy

Wise Old Thumper
My Storm is a large French lop with thick longish fur ( especailly around his bum! ) he will often get his soft poo stuck to his fur, I think this is common in a french lop, especailly one aged 6 and a half.

I have had to give him a bath before. I simply do not know what else to do :( He just can't seem to look after his bum these days :( but now it seems I should NOT be bathing him, but how do I keep him clean?

I have tried giving less pellets and green food but he lost too much weight. He eats lots of hay. He has dried herbs, grasses and a few pellets and a very small amount of green food. His diet has not really changed since he was a baby, but his bum has! he just sits in his soft poo or steps in it and stomps it around the bunny room :?

He is still healthy and active ( or as active as a french lop gets :lol: ) he has no health problems ( that I'm aware of ) he just stinks! any sugestions please?
 
What pellets does he get? Some are better than others with regards to poo-ie bums. I feed excel sensitive and its very good for this, it has a high fibre content.
Have you tried clipping the fur around his bum? It might make it a bit easier to keep clean.
 
he gets science selective regular and science selective mature, as does his wifey bun, gypsy.

It's only become a problem in the past few months. They have had the same food for a while. I only added the mature maybe a year ago.

I have thought about clipping his bum fur, I might need help with that though :shock:
 
I wash yuki in a small tub. I have special anticeptic shampoo the vets prescribed, it use to stress yuki to bath no it doesnt and she gets treats after. She has EC and it causes toilet issues unfortunately so I have to bath her. Cutting does not work as I would have to cut to much, wiping does not get anything off and its the only thing I can do.

If I dont do it she gets sore and the risks of infection, fly strike etc... I dare not think about it
 
Could it be a case that Storm cannot reach very well round to eat his caecotrophs?

Is he overweight or does he have any arthritis which could hinder his mobility?
 
yes, change his diet, moving to more hay less of anything else. change gradually.
and i swear by bum-clipping. i'm there with my hairdressing scissors every weekend - if the hair is short the bunks can manage it so much better. poor little bunkins, they are all hairy and i'm the only body servant they have between them!
 
He is very large, although not fat, he looks fat but he's just very fluffy. French lops are a bit heavier built than most buns. I can still feel his spine, he doesn't have a massive belly, he just looks the same shape as any other french lop bunny.

Happybun, I've tried cuting down pellets, but he got quite thin and lethargic ( and i only took away few and added more hay ) Storm always has unlimited hay of several types to munch. He seems to need the extra pellets to maintain condition :?

I don't think he has arthritis, my other bun Gypsy has mild arthritis and can be a little " stiff," at times. I haven't noticed this with Storm.

*sigh * maybe he's just a lazy boy
 
I would have said it sounds like a little bit of arthritis too.
Instead of taking away pellets how about adding some high fibre forage like dried plantain and bramble leaves to see if that helps?

And I agree with happybun about bum clipping. Both of mine get their bum hair trimmed :)lol:). I uses scissors to clip off any poo that is stuck as well and I've managed to avoid a bath for ages.
 
I've tried adding a few of those fibre first pellets to the diet. Both buns also get dried herbs, leaves, flowers and stuff, such as dandilion, plantain, bramble leaves, rose petals, and lots more.

My poor little man gets in such a mess, he gets fur mats too dispite grooming and brushing him :?

My OH said I should just shave Stormy's bum like a baboon :shock::lol:
 
Back
Top