Baby rabbits with messy bums

We have three, 3 week old baby Netherland Dwarf rabbits who seem to be doing very well in all other ways - they are running about the cage, eating well and drinking fine - but all of them have had pellets stuck in their fur around their bums.

Yesterday we had each of them in the house and cleaned them up using water and cotton balls etc, this was around 6pm. Then this morning I note that at least one of them is in the same mess again. It's not runny poo, it seems to be the sticky ones they would normally eat. As they were all born in winter they do have rather a lot of fur, more than their mom and dad, so I am wondering if that is not helping.

We have always made sure that there is plenty of food in the bowl for the parents, especially the mom (Frisky) while she has been nursing. Now the babies are also eating the food mix, which is as expected for 3 week old kitts.

When do the babies start eating their own poos? Will this problem go away then? Is it a normal thing to happen to baby kitts?

Perhaps it's the food we are feeding them? There is always plenty of hay in the hutch - including Timothy hay - and plenty of water, both in drinking bottles and a small bowl for the babies.

We've kept greens away from the hutch since the babies can get downstairs - previously we put greens in for the parents when they were downstairs getting some peace from the little ones. Would fresh greens help or hinder the poo situation with the babies?

Any help appreciated.

Russell

Are they still with Mum as it might be that she is not feeding them as much or at all and so their digestive systems are having to adjust, hence the uneaten cecals. I am pretty sure it is nothing to worry about, Mums usually keep their babies clean but maybe Mum is leaving them now.

Is dad still in with mum? She may well be pregnant again and be less interested in the current litter, so they may be forced to wean a bit faster than usual, maybe.

Dad is in with mom, but he is neutered. We've only occasionally seen Frisky in with the babies anyway, but we've been weighing the little ones daily to make sure they are putting on weight - and they are. We do see Frisky licking the babies from time to time, but tends to be head, eyes and ears (and sometimes back) of the baby, not really his botty.

The babies seem to love scoffing the "regular" food and crowd round the bowl to do so.

The babies will be 4 weeks old tomorrow actually - I wasn't very clear, time has flown by!

Is it okay to put the babies out on the grass with mom and dad now? Would eating grass do them any harm? Or should we wait for a bit, and if so, can they have greens yet? Cookie and Frisky love watercress and other salad leaves as well as green cabbage, so we wondered if the babies could have that yet?

I have always allowed babies to eat the same as Mum, as she is still feeding them her milk helps the babies to cope with the food. They only tend to eat tiny bits at this age.

Thanks Tonibun - I have to say though that the babies seem to be really eating a lot of dry food...or did you mean they only eat tiny bits of veggies?

I had some rescue babies arrive last year and I let them eat whatever mum was eating - and like you have observed, they can polish off an awful lot of food when they are growing quickly! When you say they are eating the mix, what sort of dry food are they getting? Mixes rather than pellets tend to be very unbalanced because they just pick certain bits out, and that could be upsetting their guts a little (and is not good for their bone and dental growth). If they are on a mix, I'd recommend weaning them onto a pellet sooner rather than later. If they're already out and about and eating I wouldn't feed them too many greens etc straight away, but I would say you can start to introduce stuff gently alongside mum. I definitely wouldn't put them out on the grass, spring grass can be far too rich for adult bunnies let alone babies, but you could snip a few bits off with scissors and introduce it gradually to their diet. Good luck with your little ones x