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Dodgy bottom help!

R

roryandcalvin

New Kit
Hi All

I am looking for some advice if possible about my bunny Rory :D

Rory is a lionhead bunny, just over a year old but i am having alot of trouble with his bottom and it being upset with diahorea.

Rory is fed on Suparabbit - dwarf rabbit these are the very small pellets which he has in a morning and has the bottom of his bowl covered and that is it other than hay which is hutch is covered in as shavings just stick to him like mad! I have been the vet twice regarding this issue first thing was to cut his food down as he was orginally getting about half a bowl full in a day, the second time she told me to cut out his greens which he never really had but i cut out treats etc.

The vet told me that rabbits can not get dodgy bottom from eating too much hay, at the moment i am thinking this must be what is upsetting him - anyone any ideas on what it could be? I am having to bring him in each day at the moment to wash his bum which to say he doesn't enjoy :cry:

Can anyone offer me any advice as i dunno what i can do next!

Thx Kel n Rory :D
 
Awww bless him! We used to have this problem with Squidgy, and it's taken a while to get his diet sorted out. Squidgy's a nethie, with no incisors, and he didn't have a very good start to life so I don't think this helped him any.
Since feeding him Allen and Page pellets, he's been fine. He gets 50g per day in a treat ball. We've also introduced greens, and veggies into his diet slowly. He has hay and forage cut up for him too. Touch wood, we've not had to clean him up since we started the A&P pellets.
I don't think bunnies can get upset tummies from hay. It may be worth giving Rory just hay and water for a couple of days to see if this clears up his trouble :wink: . I don't know if others would agree, but maybe a bit of probiotic in his water to help his tummy?
 
Hiya!! Is it actual diarrhoea your bun has or is it that he is not eating his soft poops and is sitting in them and they get stuck to his bum!! Does he actually EAT the hay that is available??Is he a podgey bunny, which would make it difficult for him to get to his bot to eat his soft poops and keep himself clean. Has your vet checked his teeth?? Although he is a young Bun a dental problem is still possible. Buns with early dental disease have difficulty eating enough hay and they cannot eat their soft poops/keep themselves clean very well. Also spinal discomfort needs to be excluded. Hay is very unlikely to be the cause of diarrhoea. The 'offending' foods are those high in sugar/carbohydrates. Jane and Buns xx
 
Hi All

Rory had his teeth removed in 2005, due to him having alot of problems with his tetth so the vet recommended that he have them out. I just don't get it as like i say he hardly has any pellets. He does eat the hay when i give it to him....to be honest i think it is just diahorea that he won't clean or even can't due to the fact his tetth have been removed maybe?

I feel so sorry for the poor little thing as it can't be pleasant for him...do you think it would be ok to not feed him for a couple of days then and just give him more hay?

Thanks for your help!

Rory n Kel :D
 
If he happily eats hay, then go for it for a couple of days, then you can slowly reintroduce foods and see if they have a good or bad effect on him. However, bunnies must have a constant supply of hay, as they can get very poorly, very quickly if they don't eat.
This link may help http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/rabbitfood.asp
Also, rather than washing his bottom, you could try wiping it with baby wipes. It might be les stressful for him.
 
It is quite likely that he can't groom himself well without front teeth. My Rosie gets a bit mucky round her bottom as she doesn't have front teeth either. I just give her a bit of a combing every few days for now, but I'll do it more often in the warm weather as the risk of fly strike means it is not safe to leave it for any time at all then.

Mine all used to leave their sofpoos when they were on Suparabbit Excel, even when they didn't have much of it. Now I use Allan and Page and I only see uneaten caecotrophs if somebun raids the guinea pig food :roll:

The diarrhea to watch out for is when it is liquid poo, or a jelly-like substance, that is when a vet trip is needed. A mess with their caecotrophs warrants a change of diet, and help with grooming if they can't manage.
 
Maybe the dwarf food is too rich for him? I had similar problems with my bun, who was on the normal Excel. He is now eating the Science Selective (made by Russel Rabbit), and is 99% improved. If you find the bit about Science Selective on Russel Rabbit's website, you can email them for a sample.
 
JCO said:
Hiya!! Is it actual diarrhoea your bun has or is it that he is not eating his soft poops and is sitting in them and they get stuck to his bum!! Does he actually EAT the hay that is available??Is he a podgey bunny, which would make it difficult for him to get to his bot to eat his soft poops and keep himself clean. Has your vet checked his teeth?? Although he is a young Bun a dental problem is still possible. Buns with early dental disease have difficulty eating enough hay and they cannot eat their soft poops/keep themselves clean very well. Also spinal discomfort needs to be excluded. Hay is very unlikely to be the cause of diarrhoea. The 'offending' foods are those high in sugar/carbohydrates. Jane and Buns xx
Click to expand...

i have this problem with bump. she can reatch as i've seen her do this!

she has a small amount of excel in her bowl (1 tablespoon at night and 1 in the morning - with 2 tbs in treat ball) - she does what we call the shuffle - she'll poop and then scoot back and eat it from the floor.

the trouble is that sometimes she'll just sit in them and get herself dirty. her teeth are ok as she munches lots of hay and they were checked last vet visit.
 
JCO said:
Hiya!! Is it actual diarrhoea your bun has or is it that he is not eating his soft poops and is sitting in them


Candy never eats her soft poops, she just squashes them all over the bottom of her cage for me to clean up. I know she's suposed to eat them but I dont think she dose.
Click to expand...
 
Hello! My nethie Lucy - Loo now and again has diarrhea I usually feed her only hay when this happens for a couple of days and that seems to sort her tummy out.
 
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