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Hard poo around tail

A

abby

New Kit
My rabbit is 2 and he keeps getting hard poo around his tail area, I'm having to clean and trim him every couple of weeks, is this normal? I've only had him a few months, he lives with 2 guinea pigs that came with him. Could he have diarrhea/ He doesn't seem ill and is eating and drinking fine.
 
Hi

A few things that will help answer your post, is your bun overweight do you think - a bun needs to be able to reach his bottom to keep it clean. Does your bunny have a lot of veg? Too much can cause wet poops that could get stuck to his fur? Have you changed anything in his diet recently?
It is really not recommened to keep rabbits with guinea-pigs no matter how well they seem to get on. Mainly because they have very different diet requirements. I am sure someone else will advise you about the possibility of splitting them up.
 
I think it will be the guinea pig's diet upsetting his tum - guinea pigs need high protein mix or pellets with vitamin C added, and they need it available 24/7, whereas rabbits need a low protein, high fibre pelleted food like science selective, and just a handful of that morning and evening, plus lots of hay to eat, given morning and evening too. Guinea pigs also need a lot more fruit and veg than rabbits do, as well as lots of hay. I would take the rabbit out and stop giving fruit altogether, if you already do, and stop with veg till his tum is sorted. But keep him near the pigs as he will miss them and feel lonely without them.
 
I would take your Rabbit to your Vet for a check-up. It is not normal for a Bun to have a constantly mucky Bum and it can be a sign of Dental problems. These can be caused by a diet lacking in hay/grass.

It is not a good idea to house Rabbits and Guinea Pigs together due to their different dietary requirements. Also, rabbits can carry a bacteria, Bordetella Bronchiseptica, which may not cause illness in the Rabbit but can cause fatal respiratory disease in GPs

Hopefully modifying your Rabbits diet to make it a mainly hay/grass based one with some fresh Veg and MINIMUM pellet feed plus addressing any Dental problems will resolve the mucky bum problem. It is important to check your Bun's bum at least twice A DAY as he is a high risk for flystrike.

Janex
 
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