dirty bum

I have a male lion head whose doesn't do a very good job of cleaning himself. he always has a dirty bum. He often has soft poop, but not diarrhea...He gets a lot of hay and has his food? how do I fix his dirty bum?

LibbyRenee said:

I have a male lion head whose doesn't do a very good job of cleaning himself. he always has a dirty bum. He often has soft poop, but not diarrhea...He gets a lot of hay and has his food? how do I fix his dirty bum?

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The problem is often diet related- ie feeding too much protein/carbohydrates (pellets) and the Rabbit then not eating enough long fibre (hay)

How much pellet feed does he have each day ? Which brand, some Rabbits do seem to have problems with a mucky bum when fed Excel Pellets

Other possible causes can be to do with Dental problems, with mobility problems (eg spinal arthritis), with obesity, or even as a result of stress-eg being bullied by another Rabbit.

Has your Rabbit had a Vet check up in recent weeks ? That would be a good idea as it may shed some light on the primary cause of his mucky bum

Do be very vigilant about Flystrike, it is getting a lot warmer now and Flies are about

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/flystrike_sep_05.pdf

LibbyRenee said:

I have a male lion head whose doesn't do a very good job of cleaning himself. he always has a dirty bum. He often has soft poop, but not diarrhea...He gets a lot of hay and has his food? how do I fix his dirty bum?

Click to expand...

Hi welcome to RU :wave:

The usual cause is too many pellets or whatever dried food you feed him. This contains a lot of protein and carbs and a bunny is built to process lots of hay and low nutrient foods.

The other reason, if he's a young bun (i.e. no old age arthritis) could be that he is overweight?

Best to cut down the dried food (sorry I typed fried food - best cut that out altogether! :lol and see if there's any improvement.

In the meantime, keep his bum clean for him until you get the problem sorted, as it's coming to summer and flies are prevalent. You don't want him to get flystrike.

He gets his bowl full of pellets each day and also alot of hay, he just doesnt eat much of the hay. I dont think that he is over weight. He has to have a certain food because his hair would fall out but we have that sorted out and No he hasnt been to a vet.... I dont think anywhere around here does rabbits.

He doesnt like his hay rack....I have to either put it in a bowl or in toys for him to eat it. ( just figured this out )

Hi and welcome :wave: Might be worth trying different kinds of hay. Once you find one they do like it's a lot easier to get them to eat it. Some places like Hay for Pets and The Hay Experts (both online) do sample bags you can try. It would save wasting money on big bags he might not like.

LibbyRenee said:

He gets his bowl full of pellets each day and also alot of hay, he just doesnt eat much of the hay. I dont think that he is over weight. He has to have a certain food because his hair would fall out but we have that sorted out and No he hasnt been to a vet.... I dont think anywhere around here does rabbits.

He doesnt like his hay rack....I have to either put it in a bowl or in toys for him to eat it. ( just figured this out )

Click to expand...

I think trying to find a Vet would be a very good idea. A Rabbit who eats very little hay is likely to develop Dental problems and also problems with a mucky bum. The sooner any dental problems are identified and treated the better the longterm prognosis. Unless any dental problems are sorted out your Rabbit is unlikely to attempt to eat enough hay, so the GI tract problems will continue. Also, a bowl full of pellets is a huge amount. But until this can be reduced by at least half you need to be sure that there are no dental problems preventing him from eating hay-ie he is not eating it because he cant, not because he wont. The jaw action required for eating hay is a sort of figure of eight incorporating both side to side and up and down jaw action. That required to eat pellets is mostly just an up and down jaw action. The figure of eight jaw action can be painful if a Rabbit has sharp points (spurs) on the crowns of their molar teeth (cheek teeth). Hence the Rabbit will eat pellets but refuse hay.

Are you in the UK ? If so you give a rough geographical location maybe we could suggest a good Rabbit Vet in your area ?

I advise locating a good bunny vet in your area to help you deal with any future problems along with the current problem. If you are in the US, you can try researching the House Rabbit Society web pages for recommended vets for rabbits.

LibbyRenee said:

He gets his bowl full of pellets each day and also alot of hay, he just doesnt eat much of the hay. I dont think that he is over weight. He has to have a certain food because his hair would fall out but we have that sorted out and No he hasnt been to a vet.... I dont think anywhere around here does rabbits.

He doesnt like his hay rack....I have to either put it in a bowl or in toys for him to eat it. ( just figured this out )

Click to expand...

If you can't reduce his pellets because otherwise his hair would fall out, then I think it's essential that you consult a vet to advise further on what to do.

Whereabouts do you live?