Devastated By Continuous Dirty Bottoms

[sparklyyy]

Hi everyone,

Haven't been on this forum in a while; I hope you're all doing well.

Anyway, I have two rabbits: Zeke, a neutered male mini lop who's approximately 8.5-years-old; and Nora, a spayed female mixed breed who's approximately 6.5-years-old. I've had Zeke just about his entire life and I adopted Nora from a shelter five years ago. They're totally, completely, 100% bonded.

After I had Zeke for a couple of years (I got him in 2006), I would notice that, very rarely, there would sometimes be a few tiny brown stains on the carpet. Very minor. When I first got Nora (2009), I didn't notice any such issues with her. Over the past two years, it's gradually become more of a continuous issue, and the severity has dramatically increased. Daily, they are plagued with terribly dirty bottoms that I must wash with a sprayer attachment in the shower. If I don't wash them every day, the eventual cleanup results in longer soaks to clean hardened pieces off of their undersides. This also results in not being able to hold them anymore (at least not without towels or their bottoms facing away from me) and constantly having to wash and replace carpeting. I believe that it's a combination of regular pellets and the stronger-smelling cecal pellets.

The rabbits eat approximately 3/4 cup - 1 cup of Oxbow brand Bunny Basics T/ Adult Rabbit Food every day (amount shared between the two of them) and they have an unlimited supply of Oxbow brand Western Timothy Hay. They get plenty of fresh water every day and they both drink a lot (I constantly refill or use multiple water bowls). I used to give them a cup or so of fresh vegetables a few times a month (generally organic parsley or cilantro, which they love) and sporadic treats (a nibble of banana or a grape), but the fruits and vegetables seemed to exacerbate the problem and their vet has since advised me to discontinue these items. Their litter box is changed at least every other day and I use CareFRESH Bedding.

I live in a major city, so I have access to great veterinarians who are specialized in small animals/exotics. Any blood work, examinations or other tests always come back normal. Their weight is fine, their teeth are fine, etc. The only issue I notice is that they've slightly regressed in their litter box habits. There have been more pellets outside the litter box. Also, Nora started lifting her tail really high when she urinates, so it usually sprays over the side of the box, which causes confusion (she'll then sometimes go on the floor surrounding the litter box before I've had a chance to clean it up). I've tried high-corner litter boxes, but of course she manages to spray over the lower side(s) where the litter box is entered. The vet told me that he has rabbits of his own and some rabbits just seem to have the dirty bottom issue crop up more often than others. Sure, it's inconvenient having to take care of the constant cleanup, but it's mostly sad to me that I have to restrict them to a "smaller" playpen (lined with a ton of area rugs that I can easily wash) and can't lie down next to them and cuddle with them because there's a mess absolutely everywhere.

Sorry for the super long post. I wasn't sure what kind of information might be helpful to know and I feel desperate for answers! Has anyone else experienced this with any of their rabbits? Any ideas at all re: tips or tricks I could employ to help remedy their dirty bottoms even just a little bit? :cry1:

Thanks!

Erin

 

[JBun]

It sounds like your buns probably have cecal dysbiosis, or intermittent soft stools or cecotropes. This is caused by an imbalance of microflora in a rabbits cecum, and an overgrowth of bad bacteria, most commonly from too many sugars and carbs in a rabbits diet and not enough fiber, though certain veggies or other foods can sometimes be the cause. In my experience pellets and treats are usually the culprit.

You basically have to try an elimination diet and cut everything back to hay and build up from there. It's usually best to cut out the pellets gradually, reducing the amount over a week or two. Because it has been a problem for so long it may take several weeks to months, on hay only before the problem clears up completely, though often you will see improvement after a few days. While gradually reducing the pellet amount, if the poopy butt clears up you may be able to hold the pellets at that level without having to eliminate them completely.

Once the problem has been cleared up for several weeks, you can gradually start adding other foods back in. You can start with pellets or veggies, but each new introduction should be one item and very gradually introduced, starting with a small amount and gradually increasing each day. If you decide to reintroduce pellets, you likely won't be able to feed the same amount as before or the problem will return. You may want to cut the final amount of pellets in half, though you may need to give even less to keep the problem from coming back. And remember when you reintroduce them to do it slowly, gradually increasing the amount over at least 2-4 weeks.

When reintroducing veggies, same thing, gradually increase the amount over a week or so, and do only one veggie at a time so that if there are digestive problems, you will know which veggie is causing it.

You will also want to monitor your rabbits weights, to ensure that they stay at a healthy weight while you are adjusting their diets.

Here's some more info on cecal dysbiosis and how to go about clearing it up.
http://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/
http://www.sawneeanimalclinic.com/downloads/chronic_intermittent_diarrhea_in_rabbits.pdf
http://rabbit.org/disorders-of-the-cecum/

With the litter box issue, try a high sided rectangular cat litter box or a plastic storage bin with one side cut low enough(but not too low) so that they can get in to do their business. Something like this.

Or this(without the cat litter)


And if they keep peeing over the low edge, you could try a litter box inside a bin.

 

[sparklyyy]

Thank you so much for your thorough and thoughtful reply, Jenny! I sincerely appreciate it. I will check out those links and implement your suggestions. Fingers crossed they find some relief!

Best,

Erin

 

[Azerane]

JBun's suggestions are fantastic, let us know how things progress

 

[squidpop]

Just want to say, wow!, Jbun gives such great advice I learn so much coming to this site and just reading. Will be interested to know if your rabbits poo's go back to normal after several weeks. Good luck!

 

[sparklyyy]

Yes, her advice was fantastic! I'm so grateful. :hug2: My bunnies are fresh and clean (they had a little "butt bath," thanks to the sprayer attachment in the shower) and are going on their elimination diet starting tomorrow. I will be keeping a close eye on their progress and will certainly post updates. :wiggle I'm so excited at the prospect of having full-time fresh and clean bunnies. :weee: I'm sure they'll be excited, too.

Erin