Maintaining clean fur

[b.tate]

Hi there, my bunny keeps on having her poop sticking to her fur near her bum area, I do clean it off but build up occurs quite quickly. Any advice for helping her? She is a half dwarf half Angora bunny so she does have a lot of fur and is very soft, she maintains herself well other than in this area.

She also currently has milky white urine.

Thanks!

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

I believe that Angoras need to be shaved during summer. I’m not too sure if that’s true though so don’t take my word for it.

milky white urine also isn’t a good sign. What is her diet like?

 

[b.tate]

I believe that Angoras need to be shaved during summer. I’m not too sure if that’s true though so don’t take my word for it.

milky white urine also isn’t a good sign. What is her diet like?

I think she has a pretty good diet, she eats a lot of hay and pellets daily. Every second day I give her veg like a carrot.

 

[John Wick]

I think she has a pretty good diet, she eats a lot of hay and pellets daily. Every second day I give her veg like a carrot.

A carrot is actually not considered a veggie for diet -- it's a treat, so carrots, like fruits, should not be fed in high quantities or very frequently.

 

[b.tate]

A carrot is actually not considered a veggie for diet -- it's a treat, so carrots, like fruits, should not be fed in high quantities or very frequently.

I had no idea, thank you. Can you maybe recommend some veg for me?

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

What hay and what pellets does she get? Is it alfalfa or grass?

As @John Wick said, carrot is high in sugar and should be fed as a treat in moderation.

Any dark, leafy green veggie is generally fine however some are high in calcium or can cause gas. I recommend checking out the HRS list of safe veggies as they go more in depth, but the website isn’t working for me atm.

Feeding your rabbits

Read our vets’ advice on your rabbits’ diet.

www.pdsa.org.uk

 

[Cinn-a-bun]

I had no idea, thank you. Can you maybe recommend some veg for me?

Romaine,
Green and Red Leaf Lettuce
Bok Choy
Cilantro
Parsley
Mint (spearmint)
Carrot tops
Radish tops
Kale 2-3 times a week
This is just a starter list.

 

[JBun]

If your rabbit has a lot of calcium sediment in the urine, I would suggest sticking with lower calcium veg for now. So leafy lettuces(not iceberg) and cilantro, etc. You can also look on the list below for the calcium content in veggies. Having milky urine doesn't necessarily indicate a problem yet. It's normal for rabbits to excrete excess calcium in the urine. However, consistently having to excrete excessive amounts of calcium could overly tax the kidneys, possibly leading to kidney or bladder problems in the future. Or if the cloudy urine is currently also thick and creamy, pasty, or gritty, that is a sign of a health issue called bladder sludge, which would need to be addressed immediately.

Lowering Blood Calcium | House Rabbit Society

rabbit.org

And as asked, what type of pellets and hay? Also amount of pellets fed each day, amount of hay consumed per day(compared to the size of your rabbits body), weight of your rabbit and is your rabbit currently a healthy body weight(not too skinny, not too fat)?

The poop sticking is another separate health issue. If it's the round fecal poop sticking, that could be due to irritation in the digestive tract causing there to be a sticky mucous coating on the fecal poop. This can be caused by excess sugars/carbs in the diet, like the carrot or sometimes too many pellets and not enough fiber from hay.

But if it's the cecals that are sticking, and more particularly if they're coming out pasty and improperly formed, this is called cecal dysbiosis. Most often this is caused by an improper balance in the diet of too many carbs/sugars from treats or pellets. Usually this can be corrected by eliminating all sugary treats like carrots. Sometimes also reducing pellet amounts is necessary so hay consumption is increased(hay always free fed). In more severe or long standing cases of cecal dysbiosis, cutting back temporarily to a free fed hay only diet(ensuring hay is being eaten very well, and also offer a salt lick) is necessary to help restore the microbial balance in the rabbits digestive tract.

Intermittent Soft Cecotropes in Rabbits | House Rabbit Society

rabbit.org

Disorders of the Cecum | House Rabbit Society

rabbit.org

Guide to Bunny Poops — BUNS

bunssb.org