How do you check their bums?!

I know it may sound a bit of an odd question, but i really need to know! I checked Harveys bum by just putting my hand under his bum, and it felt a bit like some of his fur has got stuck together dried and gone hard. What im wondering is how do you clean their bums!? Turn them over on their backs? How do you even do that!? I cant pick Harvey up normally without turning him over! He goes mad when i try to pick him up so i dont now! But im worried about fly strike etc so i was thinking of taking him to the vet for them to check him and also show me how to check myself? What do you think?! Can you please help me!

Vicki

You don't have to get them on their backs. Stand him up so your hand is under his front legs and his back legs are on the ground/your lap etc. That should give you the chance to see. Or get someone else to hold him so you can have a quick look. Matted fur that has faeces in can be washed out gently with warm water on some cotton (I wouldn't submerge him in water. Or, if it needs to be cut out, take him to the vet as it can be tricky and you don't want to accidently snip anything.

You should try to get him used to being looked at or you will have trouble when its rearly needed. If your having major trouble then try wrapping him in a towel and turn him over like you would hold a baby. Push his head into the crook of your arm and the lower part of your arm is used to hold him to you .Then its easy to see his rear end. If all fails then use your hand to feel underneath. youll no if its messy :lol: . Then you will have to clean it with a quick wash of the area. If hes prone to a dirty bum then use something like zentex from the vet to ward off flies. val

If you feel uneasy I would definately just go to the vets for them to show you how.

Mine are fairly easy to do, I just hold them the right way up until they are calm, resting on me as though they are in the standing up position, perhaps give a few treats when they are still I rest their backs against my arm then whilst supporting their tummies with my other hand, I slide my arm down so they are resting like a baby in my arms. I stroke their heads to calm them down when they are lying on thier backs and then I have a quick check or get someone else to do it!!! I've also done it so they are resting on my knees, which is quite good as it gives you an extra hand!!!

That sounds very complicated but really it's not but as they are so fragile, perhaps your vet would be best to demonstrate!!! don't want any damaged backs etc!!!

Oh god it sounds so complicated! I think ill book him in the vets and get them to show me, He literally goes mad kicking if you pick him up, wont even settle for a second! Always been like it since the day i had him. He's fine letting you 'put your hand under' to check! But i really need to see it, if you get what i mean!? Aww soo confusing! :roll: :lol:

Sophie doesn't like being picked up, I check her bum when she is lying on the floor chilled out. I just lift her tail (she doesn't mind that!) and look to make sure she is clean!

Could you try that?

Mine hate being on their backs. Storm is getting big now and shredded my top to bits when I tried flipping him over :shock: I just hold them up in front of a mirror

I pick my buns up with one hand under the chest and one under their rump (supporting their weight), put the bunny in front of my boyfriend's face and say "has it got a pooey bum"? :lol:

I find that when I am picking them up I can't see that far round, so it helps to have someone else there to help.

Aliandbuns said:

I pick my buns up with one hand under the chest and one under their rump (supporting their weight), put the bunny in front of my boyfriend's face and say "has it got a pooey bum"? :lol:

I find that when I am picking them up I can't see that far round, so it helps to have someone else there to help.

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:lol: :lol: Reckon thats the best idea so far :lol:

I usually just lie on the floor and when my buns are hopping away from me check. :lol: It works pretty well!

Aliandbuns said:

I pick my buns up with one hand under the chest and one under their rump (supporting their weight), put the bunny in front of my boyfriend's face and say "has it got a pooey bum"? :lol:

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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Im sorry but that just had me in stitches!! :lol:
How about trying to find someone local? Take you bunny to a hopper meeting if there is one you could get to and then someone could help you with how to handle your bunny. There are a few people in Essex.. dont want to volunteer them but you could always ask.. bunnylove, alisona.. sure there are more but cant remember :wink:

I first took my bun to the vets and she turned her over and I am like how the hell !
I then tried it and it didnt work she just escaped lol.... but shes now getting used to being turned over I hold her very firmly so she knows shes going no where...
But if yours doesnt like being picked up then I think the suggestion of standing him in his back legs is a good one

Well i chickend out of trying myself, so he's booked in the vets tonight, ill get them to check and demonstrate infront of me then hopefully ill be able to do it myself! Its silly really coz i hate upsetting him so i never do it, same as when i bought him a lead he didnt like it the first time i put it on him so i threw it away! :lol: Maybe im too soft with him! :lol:

There are some tips/instructions I wrote here on how to pick up, that might help you.

To turn you bunny upside down the easist way is to cradle it in the crock of your arm a bit like a baby.

As long as you get a look, then lying on the floor, boring a friends nose etc. are all fine :lol:

When I asked my boyfriend to clean Lolly's bum when she had a poorly tummy he just looked in disgust and said "I'll hold her - you wipe"!!!

I guess he just wants the nice bits of being a bunny daddy and not the smelly dirty bits! (I am not only bum wiper, I am also litter tray maid and wee wiper upper too!) :roll:

Right i took him to the vet tonight and she showed me how to turn him over, then i had a practise infront of her and he did even flinch! :shock: Was so surprised! The bit about a mucky bum was wrong on my part! Aparently i had felt his testicles which have no fur on them and assumed it to be a mucky bum! :lol: :lol: So embaressing! At least we know he doest have a mucky bum anyway and he was fully checked over ears, eyes teeth he had his nails clipped and was weighed, he was 2.25 would you say thats ok!? She said it was fine but not to let him put much more weight on.
We also talked about haveing him neutered, and i asked all the right questions! She uses internal dissolving stiches, keeps him eating right up to the op and straight away after aswell. She also said she sometimes puts a drip in through his ear to give him fluids to keep his blood pressure up? I have never heard of this before! :? So do you think i should book him in with her to be done, or wait until my normal vet who is away on maternity leave and wont be back until july which will mean he will be nearly one! She does seem like she knows what shes doing with rabbits and asked what i was feeding him etc, so would you get him booked in to be done by her or should i wait until my other vet comes back? Id sooner get him done asap really! Then ill have to go take a sleeping pill to knock me out for the day whilst he's being done! :shock: :lol:
Anyway sorry for the long post! Please let me know what you think!
Vicki

To be honest, this vet that you have seen does seem to know what they are talking about... but generally I would recommend getting it done sooner than later, because of bouncing back better when they are younger... Mines being done on monday but thats mainly because shes going to a rabbit hotel in the not to distant future... and I dont want her coming back pregnant lol!
Good luck with what you decide

Vicki said:

Oh god it sounds so complicated! I think ill book him in the vets and get them to show me, He literally goes mad kicking if you pick him up, wont even settle for a second! Always been like it since the day i had him. He's fine letting you 'put your hand under' to check! But i really need to see it, if you get what i mean!? Aww soo confusing! :roll: :lol:

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I have exactly the same problem with Candy, I have no chance of picking her up, so what I do is wait untill she's laying on her side nice and chilled and I carefully lift up her back leg just high enough to have a quick look. Sometimes she gets huffy with me sometimes she's fine.