Bald patches & sore to touch?

[Ricki911]

I noticed tonight my male rabbit (who is fixed), around his man parts, the hair is missing, and it's rather red. I touched it and he tried to bite me. It's clearly uncomfortable for him.

Now the last vet visit in August she shaved his bum, I never noticed, her going this far (I think it's too close to his parts).

Any ideas? I don't want to take him to the vet if I don't have too. I tend to be over paranoid, and rush them to the vets for nothing.

 

[zombiesue]

Are you sure this isn't normal for him? My rabbit can be a HUGE BRAT about being touched in the genital / bottom region

 

[majorv]

Possibly urine scald. Does he sit in his litter box or have you noticed the hair in that area wet with urine?

 

[Ricki911]

He has an attitude to begin with, so being picked up he doesn't like. The vet shaed his bum hair, because he tends to get poop stuck. I damp it with a cloth, and comb it out. It got so bad, because he wouldn't let anyone near him. But when I touched it, he ground his teeth a little, and went for my hand (which he doesn't usually bite just try to kick).

He came from the shelter I volunteer at, he has been adopted numerous times. Clearly had a hard life, otherwise he is happy just don't pick him up.

He is slightly fat, the vet says he's normal weigh but he simple doesn't clean his back end much. By watching him I think he can't find it LOL.

He does sit in his litter box often, like a sitting position, so I thought or urine scalding. His bum sometimes is damp from either sitting in it,and his neglect of washing himself. So I do it for him most times (i check his bum everyday, but seeing as he isn't a fan of being picked up, I stick my hand under his bum).

 

[zombiesue]

I also had a problem with my porky sucker not being able to reach to clean himself.

Have you tried trancing? If you sit on the ground and put him in your lap, is that more comfortable?

my rabbit is more likely to let me handle him if I leave HIS territory and take him into a room where he doesnt go. Also, to get at his hind end really good, it helps me a bunch to wrap him in a towel and kind of unwrap tue back end, lol, making sure his face especially is still covered.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Rabbit Forum mobile app

 

[Azerane]

If he's getting poop stuck a lot, it's possible that there's something in his diet that is making his poop a bit mushy when it shouldn't be. What do you feed him? Otherwise, in regard to the urine scald, it may help to get a litter tray with a mesh grid, so that he sits on the grid and when he pees or poops, it all falls through underneath the grid and he's never sitting on it. It will help his bum to stay dry so it can heal

 

[JBun]

Teeth grinding means he is probably experiencing some pain. If the skin is sore and inflamed, then there is a medical issue, possibly a UTI. It would be good to have your vet check him.

A rabbit that is overweight can have difficulty cleaning it's hind end, but there are other health problems that can also cause this. If your rabbit isn't very overweight, then you may also want to have your vet check to make sure something like arthritis isn't causing his cleaning problems.

Even a rabbit not cleaning itself properly down there, shouldn't be causing it to get too dirty unless there is also a health issue like urinary problems or mushy poop. If you are regularly having to clean off poop stuck to your rabbits fur, I would suspect possible cecal dysbiosis. This is a bacterial imbalance in the cecum resulting in unformed or semiformed cecotropes. The most common cause is diet related, from a new food introduced too quickly, an intolerance to a certain food, or too many sugars and carbs in the diet from treats or pellets. Do you ever see any mushy poop left behind?

http://www.sawneeanimalclinic.com/downloads/chronic_intermittent_diarrhea_in_rabbits.pdf

 

[Ricki911]

Right now I feed him (and all the rabbits).

They get pellets (martin mills timothy pellets - my one guy will only eat those ones) in the morning only 1/2 cup for all of them together (the vet always comments how she doesn't like pellets and remove them). I have dropped them down, and only give them small amounts (and eventually cut it out).

They get unlimited hay throughout the day, I usually set a bale down for them, or when they get picky i will get them oxbow timothy.

Veggies they get every day (usually dinner time). They normally get romaine, and leaf lettuce (mainly romaine), swiss chard, kale, dandelion leaves, the odd time as a treat (i try every other week) different herbs dill, parsley usually. Celery the odd time, lately it's been on sale so they've gotten a little more than normal. They get carrots, bananas or apples as treats (sometimes once a week, unless I go on vacation and my father is babysitting and he spoils them with more - then I don't give them any for awhile).

I took him into the vets, and his man parts are inflammed. Most likely from bringing the foster in, and he's been humping my other boy rabbit (as the foster is in a pen). I got cream for it, and it seems to really be helping.

She shaved his bum hair again, and said his diet is normal. Some rabbits tend to have issues. The last few weeks it hasn't been as bad, i got him a deeper litter pan. I will try to grid like a few mentioned (but would that hurt his feet?).

I read only cutting back the amount of veggies may help as well?

 

[Azerane]

His diet seems pretty good. It may not be the amount of veggies as much as it may be a particular veggie that his tummy can't handle. You could try only giving him one type of veggie at a time before slowly introducing the next one again to try and determine which one may be causing upsets.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

My guess is the celery or romaine is the cluprit. Try cutting them out of his diet and see if that helps. If it isn't Either, I'd cut back on all fruits and veggies and reintroduce them one by one till you figure out which is the problem. Also I recomend a probiotic.

Hope that helps!

Rue