Runny poo's

Hi
Anyone got any great tips to stop runny poo's gathering around the bottom. Dillon has no problems, but I've had him from a baby so he has always been fed a good diet. I have to clear Pippa's bottom all the time with hard clumps of poo stuck in her fur - it is a nightmare and stressful to do. I rehomed Pippa a year ago when she was already 2 years old and she had been kept in a small hutch as a child's pet - she was very over weight when I got her so I'm guessing she hadn't been fed the correct diet and her digestive system is a bit of a mess?

They are both fed on excel pellets, timothy hay and the odd veg but not loads.

I tried cutting down on pellets and giving more hay but this hasn't worked. I've even been to the vets who gave her some probiotic type powder to put in her water for her digestive system, but this hasn't worked either.

Thanks for your help.
Best wishes
Lian

Hiya Has Pippa lost her excess weight now or is she still a little tubby? Tubby buns can struggle to reach round to clean their bottoms, it's also possible that because she was kept in cramped conditions, this has affected her spine and it may be stiff or painful for her. If either of these is a possibility, as much exercise as possible to keep the weight off and keep her mobile will help. Has the vet checked her teeth, not eating the sticky poos can also be a sign that the bunny has dental problems.

Other than that, it sounds like you are doing great, but my only suggestion would be that you try swapping them onto a different type of pellet - I've heard plenty of anecdotal evidence that bunnies who have had sticky bums on burgess excel, have improved greatly when moved onto either Science selective or Allen & Page. A&P would be best as it is much higher in fibre, but it is harder to get hold of and not all bunnies will eat it (maybe see if someone near you has a sample of A&P you can try), but if you can't get that, might be worth giving SS a try for a few weeks. Also bunnies intestines like routine, so I would give veg little and regularly rather than now and again. Sugary veg such as carrot and apple can also upset a delicate tummy (something to do with the sugar allowing different bacteria to get out of control in the gut I think??) so try and stick to leafy veg like spring greens, broccoli, celery and herbs, with just a little piece of carrot.

Good luck

Feed your bunies only hay for the next 3 days that should clear up the diarrhea then after that keep feeding them mostly hay, a small amount of pellets and a small amount of veg, Lucy has this problem quite often and this is what I do and it is also what the vet has told me to do.

Yes she has lost loads of weight and is a pretty normal weight now. She gets so much exercise and thrives on it, but I guess there could be some damage to her spine from the way she was treated before. She's been checked over and her teeth are perfect so I'm guessing she just can't reach her rear end as easy as Dillon.

They get veg regularly but only a small amount so I know it isn't the veg (no fruit or sugary stuff only things like carrott, broccoli, cauliflower leaves etc..) and she has had the same routine for the last year.

I had read in the PetPlan magazine about decreasing the amount of pellets, so might reduce it more than I have already so their main diet is hay and see if that works.

Thanks so much for your help girls.
Lian x

AlisonA said:

I've heard plenty of anecdotal evidence that bunnies who have had sticky bums on burgess excel, have improved greatly when moved onto either Science selective or Allen & Page. A&P would be best as it is much higher in fibre, but it is harder to get hold of and not all bunnies will eat it (maybe see if someone near you has a sample of A&P you can try), but if you can't get that, might be worth giving SS a try for a few weeks.

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I would second that! Evo used to leave behind his sticky poos every night without fail, even if I cut the amount of pellets right down, when he was on Excel. He is now on SS, and has not left one since (also has a bit more of SS than he did Excel too!). He wasn't keen at first, and would eat the Excel and leave the SS....but I persevered, and now he loves the SS more than he ever did the Excel.