Funky Bunny Body Odor?

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hleigh99

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Chester, Virginia, USA
I have a new little boy as of 2 weeks ago. Lastnight I searched and searched for a funky rotten smell, of course itturned out to be the rabbit himself along with each of his favoriteplaces. I assumed it was the end of him that makes other funky smells,but it is coming from his fur or skin. I had a rabbit before and I knowwhat the "come get me handsome spray" smells like, and that is notit. I don't think he got into anything, and it wasn'tnoticable when I got him. The only other thing I can think of is hisdiet which consists of romane lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, some banana,and the dry stuff.

If anyone has any idea what caused it, or better, how to fix it, I would really appreciate it.
 
First, I will address his diet. Does he get pellets and hay? He needs them.

Also, how old is he? I would check his scent glands to see ifthey are the cause. I know Bo gave me those "marking" scentsfor a long time. Now, we'll smell it once in a longwhile. When he poos to mark.
 
He does get both the pellets and hay. And I haveno idea how old he is. I was waiting for him to spray before taking himto the vet for the surgery, and he did that two days ago. The smell iscompletely different from that spraying though.

And just curious, what type of hay do you use?
 
I use Oxbow Timothy hay and I also get some of the oat hay and orchard grass as an extra for him.

Have his testicles descended? You want to make sure they havebefore getting him neutered. You are sure it's a boy?

It's probably anal scent glands.... they have the "Option" of usingthem to mark their poos.... and males tend to do that when they reachmaturity.... A LOT! lol
 
Thank you both. I have never had a boy bunnybefore, so much of this is new to me. And I appreciate the info aboutthe hay. My last rabbit didn't seem to digest timothy hay very well soI guess I am just gunshy. I will try it when I think he reaches thatage though.
 
*nepo* wrote:
If your bunny appears to be youngerthan 8 months, give him alfalfa hay, if he appears older than 8 monthsgive him timothy hay. :)
Click to expand...


thats not what they told us! Timothy Hay has more in it that youngerbunnies need. Mine have all been eatting it since they came home (mostfrom 8-9 weeks old)
 
Nope, baby bunnies need alfalfa hay until about 8mos if possible. Bo was allergic to we had to give himtimothy. He got alfalfa based pellets..... it's the proteinthey need.
 
Yep, but there's some reason timothy isrecommended for older and the alfalfa for younger.. something in thealfalfa makes them fat if they stay on it too long.

I know the House Rabbit Society recommends it, and our exotics vet madesure that's what I was doing..... until we found the allergy.He said that as long as he got alfalfa pellets unlimited.... he wasgetting enough of whatever it is.
 
Alfalfa has many nutrients in it that olderrabbits do not need. Younger rabbits need a higher precentage ofcalcium which alfalfa has but timothy has minimul amounts.

As a rabbit gets older it can no longer use these excess nutrients and feeding them to the rabbit can cause more harm than good.
 
Thank you :) I knew that was therecommendations, but I wasn't sure what it was in the alfalfa that theyneed vs. don't need as they age.

I also know that when bunnies get real old and have a hard time keeping weight on them, it's ok to give them alfalfa then :)
 
Yup that's right Bo. :)

Generally an adult rabbit doesn't need to be on alfalfa pellets andalfalfa hay. It's actually a good idea to put an adult rabbit ontimothy pellets and hay especially if their pee appears 'sludgy'. This'sludge' is normally excess calcium and nutrients.
 
ALFALFA (oxbow)



Alfalfa is an outstanding feed for young animals. It contains morecrude protein, digestible energy, and calcium levels than any otherforage. In addition, it has the fiber content needed for normaldigestive functioning. Alfalfa provides the essential calcium necessaryfor growing bones. Alfalfa is also a source of important minerals,including phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, zinc andselenium.

[align=left]rude Protein (min)[/align]10.00%
[align=left]Crude Fat (min)[/align]2.00%
[align=left]Crude Fiber (min)[/align]9.00%
[align=left]Crude Fiber (max)[/align]12.00%
[align=left]Moisture (max)[/align]10.00%
[align=left]Calcium (min)[/align]0.50%
[align=left]Calcium (max)[/align]0.80%
[align=left]Phosphorus (min)[/align]
[align=left]0.25%[/align]
[align=left][/align]
[align=left]TIMOTHY (oxbow)[/align]
[align=left]Crude Protein (min)[/align]
[align=left]7.00% [/align]
[align=left]Crude Fat (min)[/align]
[align=left]1.50% [/align]
[align=left]Crude Fiber (min)[/align]
[align=left]32.00% [/align]
[align=left]Moisture (max)[/align]
[align=left]15.00% [/align]
[align=left][/align]
[align=left][/align]
 
Yes, I put Bo on timothy pellets from Oxbow justthis past month. He's just about 8 mos old now. Healso gets timothy hay and orchard grass and oat hay which are good forhim. He gets mostly timothy tho.

I guess if a bunny is sick (or other small animal) alfalfa can helpstimulate their appetite because of the good flavor. That'san interesting bit of information when getting buns neutered and stuff.
 
My vet and 1 exotics petshop carries oxbowproducts. I think there are some store brands that aretimothy also, but you have to read the bags. Purina might beand you can get it at farm feed stores I think.....
 
I LuV MaH BuNs wrote:
*nepo* wrote:
If your bunny appears to be youngerthan 8 months, give him alfalfa hay, if he appears older than 8 monthsgive him timothy hay. :)
Click to expand...


thats not what they told us! Timothy Hay has more in it that youngerbunnies need. Mine have all been eatting it since they came home (mostfrom 8-9 weeks old)
Click to expand...




I think ya got it backwards dear daughter of mine.

Alfalfa for the youngsters (and seniors if they have a hard time keeping weight on).

Timothy for the adults.

We just didn't know any better. When we brought them home we weren'tmembers of this fine forum so we would have the proper info. The petstore and the shelter provided no info at all. Bythe time we found out, they were old enough for timothy hay anyway.


 
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