Dirty bottom :(

Hi all, I have a bunny with a very dirty bottom I have had him about 3 weeks now on a varied diet of hay, pellets and veggies. His normal poos are fine and well formed but his cecotropes are really soft and getting everywhere so I keep having to wash him. Poor thing! This morning it was worse than ever with a huge blob with hay and litter pellets stuck to him.

I have heard that a hay only diet until he settles down is the way to go but he doesn't seem too interested in his hay and he's standing up waiting for his food...I've fed the other bunny out of view because I feel mean!

Is hay only the way to go? Any help is much appreciated!

You may be overfeeding him a little. How old is he and roughly how much are you giving him
?

He is about 5 months old and weighs 1kg. He has veg at 8am and 10pm about a handful in total of kale, broccoli and cucumber. Hay is topped up but he doesn't really eat a lot and he has an egg cup of pellets at 6pm. I probably give him half than what I give the other bunny who is twice is size!

If it was me I would stop the cucumber and just give a tiny bit of broccoli, just the stem bit, and see if he cleans up. He should be able to cope with an eggcup full of pellets as he will still be growing. Does he eat them all at once. Maybe you could give him half in the morning and the other half later so his stomach isn't getting an overload. Hope this helps.

I would take him to the vet to be checked over in case there are underlying health issues.

I found that a couple of my buns particularly Smudge, got upset tummies with greens..

I had to feed him a small amount of pellets and loads of different hays with no greens to prevent this.

Perhaps a wee trip to vets might help check for anything underlying.

tonibun said:

If it was me I would stop the cucumber and just give a tiny bit of broccoli, just the stem bit, and see if he cleans up. He should be able to cope with an eggcup full of pellets as he will still be growing. Does he eat them all at once. Maybe you could give him half in the morning and the other half later so his stomach isn't getting an overload. Hope this helps.

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Babsie said:

I would take him to the vet to be checked over in case there are underlying health issues.

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I agree with both these posts. A Vet check being especially important.

Hay is the most important part of a Rabbit's diet for both gastrointestinal and dental health. So it would be a good idea to try him with a variety of hay types to see if there are some that he will eat. There are a wide variety of hays available these days.

https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/edibles/hay-grasses.html

http://www.hayforpets.co.uk/

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hay_and_bedding/hay_small_pets

http://www.timothyhay.co.uk/

http://www.dustfreehay.co.uk/hay?vistaid=5ab03f20d4a61422017b492c2a49f19a

Jack's-Jane said:

I agree with both these posts. A Vet check being especially important.

Hay is the most important part of a Rabbit's diet for both gastrointestinal and dental health. So it would be a good idea to try him with a variety of hay types to see if there are some that he will eat. There are a wide variety of hays available these days.



https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/edibles/hay-grasses.html

http://www.hayforpets.co.uk/

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hay_and_bedding/hay_small_pets

http://www.timothyhay.co.uk/

http://www.dustfreehay.co.uk/hay?vistaid=5ab03f20d4a61422017b492c2a49f19a

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I always feel I must bore people to death with my 'hay is the most important part of a rabbit's diet etc etc ...' But it is so true.

tonibun said:

You may be overfeeding him a little. How old is he and roughly how much are you giving him
?

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I have to say, overfeeding is often the culprit!

Try cutting down on his pellets and veggies. Give him some fresh grass if he's not keen on hay, or add some readigrass into his hay. Rabbits usually find it delicious

Jack's-Jane said:

I agree with both these posts. A Vet check being especially important.

Hay is the most important part of a Rabbit's diet for both gastrointestinal and dental health. So it would be a good idea to try him with a variety of hay types to see if there are some that he will eat. There are a wide variety of hays available these days.

https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/edibles/hay-grasses.html

http://www.hayforpets.co.uk/

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hay_and_bedding/hay_small_pets

http://www.timothyhay.co.uk/

http://www.dustfreehay.co.uk/hay?vistaid=5ab03f20d4a61422017b492c2a49f19a

Click to expand...

Thank you all for the advice...he has had a day just on hay and already an improvement so hopefully it's just greens! How long should I keep him on just hay?

Theo said:

Thank you all for the advice...he has had a day just on hay and already an improvement so hopefully it's just greens! How long should I keep him on just hay?

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For at least 48 hours. Just make sure he is eating the hay well and that his fecal pellet production remains good.

What pellets do you feed ? Many people find that Excel Pellets cause 'mucky bum' problems. So if you feed Excel perhaps look at alternatives. I think Fibafirst sticks or Vetcare Plus are the best. Obviously any new food needs to be introduced gradually over a 14 day period.

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/rabbit-food-.../fibafirst-monoforage-feed-for-rabbits-p-9029

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/rabbit-food-...care-plus-digestive-health-formula-1kg-p-5639

I no longer feed veg to my Rabbits as I have known of many who have had some type of gut problem when fed veg. I feed mine fresh herbs and edible weeds/forage instead.

Feeding Rabbits a diet that is a near to that of a wild Rabbit is what I feel is the best option. There are some guidelines here:

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/going_green_oct_06.pdf

You do need to be vigilant about the Flystrike risk whilst your Rabbit is having 'poo problems'.

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

He will need his bum checking several times a day and I'd cover his hutch/run with fly netting. Citronella can be a deterrent to flies

I hope the improvement you have seen so far continues