Bunny has poop in fur!!!

[lyndsilea]

I keep my bunny's cage very clean and she has plenty of space to run around. I was clipping her nails yesterday and to do this, I hold her like a baby. I noticed that she has poop all over her fur around her bum. I tried cutting all of the chunks of fur off that had poop on them but there is one chunk on her tail that is so close to her skin, I'm scared to cut her... Should I bathe her to clean her bum? Does anyone have any suggestions? It must be uncomfortable for her :/

Thank you!

 

[Imbrium]

take a small, shallow bowl and fill it with warm (not hot) water, then stick just her bum in the water for 20-30 seconds (or until she really starts squirming about being held) then try removing it with a warm, wet washcloth once it's softened a bit (you can put a dab of small animal shampoo in the water if you'd like)

you could also try gently using a wide-tooth comb or a brush to get it out after softening it with the warm water, just make sure to stop if you're getting resistance

 

[LakeCondo]

I would use unscented baby wipes.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

LakeCondo wrote:

I would use unscented baby wipes.

I have done the wipes, but depending on how much/how bad it's tangled in there, a butt bath may be a more effective option as long as you can only get a small ammount of the bunny wet, and be sure to get it fully dried quickly.

 

[Imbrium]

yeah, when my Gaz got a poopy butt, the first thing I tried was unscented baby wipes and they really didn't help at all - I found the butt bath far more effective

 

[kaymas]

We have this problem with Lupa. We use the unscented baby wipes to get as much off as possible then cut the chunks out. It was so bad the other day we considered giving her a butt bath but eventually got her clean with the baby wipes. I think if you're worried about cutting too close to the skin a bath would be your best option until the poop is softened enough to get it off without hurting her

 

[lyndsilea]

Thank you all SO much!!! I will get her all cleaned up thanks to your help

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We use the baby wipes and sometimes it takes quite a few. Once the poop is dry you can work it loose in small bits. We have a couple that lay on their cecals rather than eat them and this is the origin of the problem for us--also took them to the vet and got their nether regions trimmed up.

 

[patches2593]

agreed with everyone else.

if you want to cut out the fur with poop in it and its too close to his skin or just you can't get it out, try using hair dresser's buzzers. just buzz the poopy fur out instead of using scissors i've never used buzzers on a rabbit but i have on my cat when he had mats in his fur that were too close to the skin to use scissors

also if you'd like, every now and then buzz around his/her butt with the buzzers to prevent poop from getting stuck in his/her fur. i've never done this but you can choose whether to do this

butt baths work too. they do make bunny shampoo that you can mix a little into the warm water to help it and then comb or lightly pull off the softened poop.

you could also try putting a wire grate above his/her litterbox so the poop will just fall right through the grate into the litterbox. and then when he/she goes back into his litterbox, he/she won't actually be sitting on his poop so he/she shouldn't be able to get it in his fur.

please tell me ifthis helps!! :biggrin:

 

[Imbrium]

part of the litter-box building process described in this thread shows how to make a grate for the box:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=53690&forum_id=93

I used that material to make a screen for my boxes so the bunnies never have to actually sit in their waste. I got mine at home depot in the lighting section (ask for light diffusers if you want someone to show you where it is). I think it really helps minimize the issues with poop sticking to bunny butts