is there something im suppose to be doing for my male rabbits?

[Bluerules]

Hi all as you remember I have Smokey 12 1/2 yr old dwarf mix and Paulie a 2 or 3 yr ld mini lop.. I have never ever had this probelm with Smokey.. but I had Paulie and Smokey outside today and I noticed a huge amount of hard poo caked to Paulies butt. So I took him inside and soaking him in the sink and got it all off. What causes this? now his nice white fur is all stained by his bum and not to mention GROSS

 

[Stanza]

My rabbit gets this sometimes.

I think it's just because of the longer fur on their bums.
I'm sure if you keep an eye on it you will be able to catch it soon after it happens and get it off

Or he might be reacting to something he is eating that is making his poop softer and stickier.

 

[fuzz16]

sorry i cant help...hopefully someone else peeps in and can.
and maybe someone can move it to the infirmary.
does he get plenty of hay?

 

[Hazel-Mom]

I would keep an eye on him for a while. If it happens again, you may want to look into his diet, or see whether anything is stressing him.

(Hazel gets this once in a while, when she's had too many treats, or too much protein in her diet. It also happened when I was away for some time, because she was stressed.)

If it happens a lot, I would advice to schedule a visit to the vet.

 

[Bluerules]

would protein mean to many veggies? he gets hay yes. thanks for the help. is there any kind of brand of rabbit food that's best? I live in Canada

 

[momto1]

this happens to our new little boy too. For the past two days he's had poop pellets stuck all over his butt I've had to take a minute or two to pull them off.

I think it's because he poops all over his cardboard and then lays down so I think he just lays in it and it gets stuck. If this keeps happening I will be taking him in for another checkup though.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Protein is more related to the pellets and hay. Alfalfa based pellets and hay have more protein than timothy. In general, pet rabbits only need about 14% protein pellets and timothy hay. Even though he gets hay, if he is getting alfalfa hay, it may be an issue.
Veggies have lots of water and would more likely cause mushy poops. Some can have more calcium or protein, but unless you give certain ones a lot, it's usually not a issue.

There are several good pellets in Canada. What you can get does depend on what province and city you live in. Martin makes a good timothy based pellet that is a good price. If you can get it, Oxbow is also a good food. You do not want a pellet with extra bits in it as they are basically junk food for rabbits.

 

[Bluerules]

Thank you, I think the food is alfalfa based. But they get Timothy Hay in their cages

 

[Pipp]

I'm moving this to the Infirmary.

Was he used to being outside and eating the fresh grass? I agree its likely a diet issue, but cecal dysbiosis can be serious and he's really going to need to be watched very closely and kept well hydrated while at the same time sticking to just high-fibre hay for a day or two.

Watch for continued 'poopy' output and especially for any signs of lethargy.

Where are you located? Can you put your location in your profile?


sas :expressionless:

 

[Pipp]

Ah, just saw your 'Canada' reference. You can get Martin's Little Friend LESS ACTIVE Rabbit Pellets, that's a good brand and its reasonably priced.

Just make sure you get the Less Active and not the regular.

Are you feeding him lots of Timothy hay? I buy it by the 60-lb bale here in BC, way cheaper and it encourages them to eat way more.

How is he doing?


sas :?

 

[tonyshuman]

It can be diet, but it can also be weight. Bunnies should be able to clean their own rear ends and if they can't reach it due to weight, that's an issue. Is that a possibility?