Poopy bum cleaning

[Marcelle]

Hello rabbit lovers!

I have a question regarding my boy Chester who has a hard time getting to his cecotropes. Naturally his little area gets into a big mess all around. The fur under there is so fine and silky soft. Using a wet towel does nothing to remove it. I’ve tried the shallow bath but that just matted all the fur that got wet and again didn’t do much as far as removal goes. Getting the cecotropes wet seems to make them almost grease-like on his fur. So I’ve read that cornstarch baby powder is what to use for dry cleaning. My fingers are crossed that this will be a method that actually works for us. Problem is I couldn’t get a hold of cornstarch baby powder but I did find an all natural baby powder (without talc etc) with coconut and arrowroot powders as the only ingredients. I’m anxious to get started on my messy boy but wanted to get an experienced opinion as to whether or not these ingredients are safe for Chester if I don’t end up being able to remove all the excess which I think is likely. Clearly a safe natural food product but is it safe for our bunnies? Any additional tips for success is most welcome!
Thanks a bunch!!

 

[Hermelin]

When I clean a messy bum I use water and towel, then I use potato starch let it dry in and then slowly brush it out.

The starch will bind the dirt and work really good ^^

 

[Blue eyes]

Do you know why he can't get to his cecotropes? Are you sure it isn't mushy fecal poos?

 

[Kellsb]

Honestly, I use "kleenex" brand wet wipes, gentle clean. (Blue package that looks almost like diaper wipes with the plastic opening on front of little bag) They have no alcohol or harsh chemicals, and they work wonders when my little mans got poopy bum.

 

[Marcelle]

When I clean a messy bum I use water and towel, then I use potato starch let it dry in and then slowly brush it out.

The starch will bind the dirt and work really good ^^

That’s a good plan. I’ll get some potato starch then. Thank you!!

 

[Marcelle]

Do you know why he can't get to his cecotropes? Are you sure it isn't mushy fecal poos?

It’s definitely the cecotropes. He’s poops out pellets fine. He’s not much of a hay eater unfortunately he mostly eats pellets and that’s made him a bit chunky. He has regular vet visits and is healthy otherwise. He tries to get to the cecotropes but he loses his balance so mostly will just poop them on the floor and then turn around and eat them that way

 

[Marcelle]

Honestly, I use "kleenex" brand wet wipes, gentle clean. (Blue package that looks almost like diaper wipes with the plastic opening on front of little bag) They have no alcohol or harsh chemicals, and they work wonders when my little mans got poopy bum.

Awesome I’ll try the wipes too! Thanks for your help!!

 

[zuppa]

It’s definitely the cecotropes. He’s poops out pellets fine. He’s not much of a hay eater unfortunately he mostly eats pellets and that’s made him a bit chunky. He has regular vet visits and is healthy otherwise. He tries to get to the cecotropes but he loses his balance so mostly will just poop them on the floor and then turn around and eat them that way

Hi, you can clean his bum of course but it won't fix your problem, you need to revise his diet asap so he can drop some weight. If you delay it will only get worse so you better start now.

Firstly, can you tell what name his pellets and how much he gets daily, if you give him more pellets he naturally eats less hay, so you can cut portions or also can change his pellets to ones with lower protein level. You need to make him eat more hay as he can have more health problems, dirty bum is only first sign.

Also, how old he is and how long you have him, what brand pellets you feed him, we are happy to help here!

 

[Marcelle]

I give him the Oxbow pellets. He’s two and a half I’ve had him since he was 4 months. He’s not overweight really. He was before he’s actually gone down and is pretty close to average these days. Not too long after I got him I noticed he wasn’t eating much and I managed to pull his lips up and saw that his teeth were very overgrown and crooked. Turns out he has dental disease. Since then he gets his teeth filed regularly but his hay consumption never went back to normal. I’ve tried every kind of hay, I’ve tried mixing things into the hay and I’ve tried cutting back on the pellets but nothing seems to make him go for the hay any more than he already does. I think it’s just not very comfortable for him to chew in large amounts. He’s high maintenance but he’s worth it! Any suggestions on pellets that would suit him better would be great!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We put ours on Timothy pellets. Had the vet give them a shave around the area and use scentless wipes (baby) from Walmart. The biggest thing was getting rid of pellets with Alfalfa in it and going to a Timothy only pellet. We also went to Orchard grass because of allergies and only give a small amount of pellet.