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Poo sticking to rabbits bottom!

jayne2710

Young Bun
Can anyone give me advice on a build up of poo round my rabbits bottom please. This started about 3 weeks ago where she had a big clump of dried poo round her bottom. I took her to the vets where she had all the fur shaved off round her bottom as it was literally caked on and she was given some medication for 5 days to increase her fibre. However I have today noticed the poo again all hard round her bottom!
She is fed on Burgess Excel pellets, variety of fresh veg and hay. She is bonded with a male who is ok.
Any advice please?
 
Can anyone give me advice on a build up of poo round my rabbits bottom please. This started about 3 weeks ago where she had a big clump of dried poo round her bottom. I took her to the vets where she had all the fur shaved off round her bottom as it was literally caked on and she was given some medication for 5 days to increase her fibre. However I have today noticed the poo again all hard round her bottom!
She is fed on Burgess Excel pellets, variety of fresh veg and hay. She is bonded with a male who is ok.
Any advice please?

Hello

'Mucky bum' can occur when a Rabbit's diet contains too much protein/carbohydrate ( pellets) and not enough long fibre (hay).

Exactly how much Pellet feed do you give ? A Rabbit's diet should be 80%-90% hay. Some details here :

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-diet/

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/

Some Rabbits have been known to get a mucky bum when fed on Excel pellets. Reducing the quantity of Pellets and gradually changing over to a pellet feed with a higher fibre content is an option. All my Rabbits have a pellet free diet, an example here :

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ar...heets/recommended-diet-for-adult-rabbits/view

If I were to give a concentrate feed then my preference would be Fibafirst :

https://supremepetfoods.com/fiba-first-2/

Or Supreme Vetcare Plus (Digestive health formula)

https://supremepetfoods.com/supreme-products/supreme-veterinary-exclusive-range/

Did your Vet check your Rabbit's teeth ? A Rabbit prone to getting a mucky bum may also have Dental problems. Also, a Rabbit with any sort of mobility problem ,eg due to arthritis or obesity, may not be able to keep themselves clean.

More info about 'Mucky Bums' in Rabbits here :

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/dirtysticky-bottom/

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/CaecotrophAccumRabbit.htm

Hope some of the above is useful :)
 
Can anyone give me advice on a build up of poo round my rabbits bottom please. This started about 3 weeks ago where she had a big clump of dried poo round her bottom. I took her to the vets where she had all the fur shaved off round her bottom as it was literally caked on and she was given some medication for 5 days to increase her fibre. However I have today noticed the poo again all hard round her bottom!
She is fed on Burgess Excel pellets, variety of fresh veg and hay. She is bonded with a male who is ok.
Any advice please?


Hi Jayne :)

Some people have found that Burgess contains an amount of oil that makes it too rich and high in calories for their rabbits and consequently they get a mucky bum.

It does depend on the amount, but some rabbits seem to be more sensitive than others. Just as you've noticed with your two.

Can you reduce the pellets and up the hay? Perhaps adding in different types of hay and perhaps readigrass? Whilst readigrass is higher in protein than hay, it's still usually well tolerated by rabbits with sticky bums!

Some info on diet here:

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/


I find giving the more fibrous leaves - bramble and rose leaves for example - help a lot. Forage is more fibrous and often less 'rich' than shop bought veggies. It's more of a Wildie diet really, but it can be helpful for domesticated rabbits' gut health :)
 
Hi Jacks-Jane
Thanks so much for your really comprehensive reply to my sticky bottom problem! Well my rabbits!
The vet did check her teeth and they were fine. I have checked out all the links that you sent and I have been giving too many Burgess pellets. Probably the equivalent of 6 egg cups full a day for 2 rabbits rather than 2! So I will reduce that the try and get them to each more hay and buy a variety of different hay. I will start by doing this and see how I get on.
Thanks so much for all your suggestions though - really appreciated! :)
 
Hi Mighty-Max!
Thanks for your advice. Going to reduce the amount of pellets to one egg cup each as I have been giving too many each day and try and get her to eat more hay - and buy a variety of different types. I will see if this makes any improvement or I may have to change rabbit food brand.
Thanks for your advice though!
 
Hi Jacks-Jane
Thanks so much for your really comprehensive reply to my sticky bottom problem! Well my rabbits!
The vet did check her teeth and they were fine. I have checked out all the links that you sent and I have been giving too many Burgess pellets. Probably the equivalent of 6 egg cups full a day for 2 rabbits rather than 2! So I will reduce that the try and get them to each more hay and buy a variety of different hay. I will start by doing this and see how I get on.
Thanks so much for all your suggestions though - really appreciated! :)

I hope a bit of dietary modification will mean Bunny does not continue to get a messy bum :)
 
Hi Mighty-Max!
Thanks for your advice. Going to reduce the amount of pellets to one egg cup each as I have been giving too many each day and try and get her to eat more hay - and buy a variety of different types. I will see if this makes any improvement or I may have to change rabbit food brand.
Thanks for your advice though!


You're welcome :)

There are other rabbit food brands that are higher in fibre.

Some people just feed fibafirst sticks alone ..

A really comprehensive guide here:

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp
 
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