I'm back, bunny update...and question

[mmfh]

Hi, probably none of you remember me and I've been gone for quite awhile from the forum. My lion head bun named cleopatra has been doing very well. A few months back I noticed she was limping and I took her to the vet. She had somehow broken her leg but the vet said that it was healing well and he didn't want to intervene because rabbits legs don't always heal well. She made a full recovery and aside from her leg being a little bit crooked it would be impossible to know she had been injured. Whew! I have a question that is more out of curiosity than anything: Cleo needs to go to the groomer twice a year to get her privates shaved because she constantly gets fecal matter matted to her rear. Why is this? Is it normal? Could her diet be wrong? She gets fed 1/4 C of plain rabbit pellets, and Timothy hay everyday. Plus, I know when she is out she gets under the bird cage and finds whatever seed may have been thrown out but that is negligible in quantity. I sweep regularly lol. She also gets a treat every night when she goes back into her cage, which is kaytee Timothy biscuits with baked apple or a mazuri turtle diet pellet. She maintains a weight of 6.3 to 6.5 pounds. Is she just a lazy groomer or is there a problem? I don't mind taking her to the groomer but I feel like I am doing something wrong since I never hear of other people having this problem. Also, can I bathe her bottom? Can rabbits even be put in water if it is not an emergency? Lol not that I want to bathe her, she is quite headstrong and I have visions of loosing an arm. Thank you.

 

[JBun]

Welcome back!

Your problem is actually a pretty common one with rabbits, but it is also not normal for it to be happening and indicates a problem. What you are most likely seeing is cecal dysbiosis, where there is an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the rabbits cecum, that causes smelly unformed or semi formed cecotropes to be produced, instead of the usual grape like cluster that would normally be eaten by your bun. This mushy poop then sticks to the rabbits fur. This is most often caused by a diet imbalance, though other causes can be from medications, stress, etc, and in some cases parasites can be the cause of the mushy poop(which would require testing and medication from the vet). Sometimes a new food can cause the cecal dysbiosis to occur, ingestion of a foreign object, or lack of fiber, but in your rabbits case it sounds like it is being caused by too many sugars and carbs in the diet. The bird seed that she is eating could be a contributing factor, as well as the treats that she is getting. I would suggest rearranging the bird cage so that your rabbit can't get to the spilled bird seed, then eliminate any sugary starchy treats, and feed unlimited grass hay along with the pellets. Then see if those few diet changes make a difference. If after a week or so, you don't see any changes, you may then need to reduce pellet amounts to see if that helps. You may even need to eliminate pellets for a few days or weeks and feed only unlimited hay, but usually eliminating treats and/or reducing pellets, often fixes the problem. The reduction in carbs and the increase in hay consumption and fiber, is usually what will clear it up. After the poopy bum is cleared up, you can gradually start reintroducing pellets(if you had to eliminate them completely), starting with small amounts but you will end up feeding a reduced amount from before. You can also gradually introduce dark leafy greens into the diet as good healthy treats after you've reintroduced the pellets. Just start with small amounts and one at a time, and keep an eye out for soft poops.

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

Hopefully these few simple diet changes will get the problem cleared up and you won't have to shave the area anymore. Until it does clear up, if you have a messy bum that needs cleaning, using unscented baby wipes or working the dry material out with hands or scissors(carefully) is preferred to bathing as bathing can be very stressful for some rabbits. But if the messy bum is really bad and bathing is necessary, you can do a butt bath. This link has good instructions on that.

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/baths--cleaning.html

 

[majorv]

6 lbs for a lionhead is pretty heavy, unless she's mixed with a larger breed. They typically weigh about 3 - 3 1/2 lbs. If she's overweight she could be having a hard time grooming that area.

 

[mmfh]

I don't think she is a purebred. I was told she was a mini lol but she kept growing and growing. She is the same size as all my cats. Even her mane is quite sparse. I don't think she is overweight but in truth the last time I had her at the vet I never thought to ask.