Dirty bum

[1357rabbitlover]

My 8 month old male rabbit Buckley got neutered about 2 months ago.
Since being neutered he has stopped grooming himself properly , and has become very lazy and will even lie in his toilet.

His bum is always knotted and dirty so i have to bathe it and brush it.
I brought him to the vets about a week ago an all they said was 'The bad weather has caused him to become lazy and he cant be bothered to clean himself properly'. They also weighed him and he's not overweight.
I dont understand because my other rabbits have lived outside through the winter and they always cleaned themselves properely.
So were the vets right in what they said?

 

[OneTwoThree]

Is he a long haired breed? Have you tried cutting the bum hair short?

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

I have this same problem with my 6 month old holland lop buck, Ripley. I've thought of trying to trim the hair down there a bit but I'm worried he'd kick while I try to do it. I'm trying to come up with a solution to it as well. How old is your bunny? Mine isn't neutered, at some point he just quit cleaning so well. =P

 

[MandyK]

Hmm, I've never heard of the weather making a bun so lazy that they stop grooming altogether. Do you have the option of going to different vet for a second opinion?

In the meantime, you could try buying a spray-on bunny shampoo? I bought one at a local pet store for about $5 when my rabbit had trouble grooming her bum. Spray it on, rub it in, and the poop will come off a bit easier. Try your best to stay on top of it, and remove the poop when it's soft/mushy. If you wait until it's hard and caked on, it will be difficult to remove.

 

[LovingMyMiniLop]

My Bun wasn't cleaning her self and had a dirty bum, I held with her feet up, and took a semi-warm washcloth and got her bum wet. Then I just started pricking them ever so gently

 

[OneTwoThree]

I would get a second opinion. Isn't a sign of a UTI for rabbits poorer cleaning habits?

 

[1357rabbitlover]

The dirt on his bum is only sometimes poo. Most of the time its mud.
He is a fluffy haired breed - his mum is a lionhead lop.
Whats UTI?
My vets are specialised in rabbits too! I think i'll get a second opinion just to make sure nothing is wrong.
I bought some rabbit shampoo today so i'll bathe him tomorrow with the shampoo see if that helpd!

 

[OneTwoThree]

He might not be able to clean out the mud? UTI is urinary tract infection. Do they have areas that aren't in mud that he can stay in?

I'd be wary of shampoo, just be very sure you got it all out or they'll eat it when cleaning themselves. Rabbit fur is super dense so it'd be easy to not get it all.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We use unscented baby wipes to clean one of our Rexes.

 

[1357rabbitlover]

His whole run has a plastic bottom, but i added his old run to the 'new' one, thats the only mud part but that's where he likes to stay.. Probably cuz it was his old run!

He's been to a different vets today and they said, 'he's sitting in the mud all day and he cant keep up with cleaning himself every second so it gets muddy, just help him by wiping it down'. - This seems like a better explanation. So i'll just keep a check on it and wipe it down with wipes.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Dusting the bottom with cornstarch will allow you to remove mess more easily.
Could you put rubber boot trays in the muddy part of the old run? Might keep him cleaner