Rabbit problem.

[The Highway Man]

I have a couple of Dutch does, 1 is 3 and a half and the youngest is 8 months old. I don't know why but the youngest is doing soft poops and lying in them so its sticking to her undercarriage and setting hard. I'm having to bathe her 3 times a week to remove it, has anyone got any idea why she's doing it. She's also going through a phantom pregnancy at the moment so what fur is not caked in crap, she's plucked out to make a nest so she looks as if she's an abused bun. I'm very concerned about her.

[balders118]

I had a rabbit that had this issue too. The vets said it was a digestive issue that I think was genetic, but the end result was that there wasn't a lot they could do - we just had to keep on top of keeping her clean.

[The Highway Man]

I've bought a bottle of pet medicated shampoo, so at least her belly is getting cleaned properly. It's not a problem when she's out on the lawn as the damp grass cleans as she munches.

[bexVN]

Is she carrying too much weight. If she is overweight then she may be struggling to clean herself.

A vet ck with a vet that knows rabbits would be worth thinking about just to ck there is nothing medical. Take a sample of the offending poo. Rabbits naturally pass soft pellets but they should eat them, it'd be good to know if these are the normal soft pellets or not and if they are why she is not able to eat them. You can ck about her diet at the same time. Not all rabbits digest eg grass very well.

[Steve in Stoke]

That was one of the first signs of dental issues with one of my old buns, even before the drooling. Havethe back teeth checked for spurs at the vet.

[Superficial]

Get her to the vets for a check up if it isn't normal for her, and give her some Fibreplex (can buy online or from vet) to firm things back up. Is she litter trained? May be worth doing daily litter changes and using lots of hay so it's not so easy for her to sit in the mess.

WRT the false pregnancy is she spayed? Most female rabbits will get uterine cancer if not spayed so it's worth doing ASAP. http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/spay.shtml

[The Highway Man]

Both rabbits live outdoors in a hutch inside a shed. Neither are litter trained however tend to do their business in the same corner of the hutch. I didn't know about getting them spayed, I've had females in the past that lived to ripe old ages intact. They're not overweight, the older bun cleans herself no problem.

[volospian]

Could just be a food intolerance. One of ours couldn't eat curly kale without getting into a right mess, while the other could scoff it all day with no issues.

[Superficial]

The Highway Man said:

Both rabbits live outdoors in a hutch inside a shed. Neither are litter trained however tend to do their business in the same corner of the hutch. I didn't know about getting them spayed, I've had females in the past that lived to ripe old ages intact. They're not overweight, the older bun cleans herself no problem.

In that case it should be really easy to litter train them, just pop a litter tray in the corner they currently use and empty it regularly.

Not all females will die of uterine cancer, but the majority will get it providing they don't succumb to other illness first (lots of people are still ignorant about rabbit vaccinations ). The trouble with this cancer is that by the time it shows itself it's too late to do anything to save the bunny. I have 8 bunnies in total and am working my way through spaying them all, but would recommend it to anyone. Apart from the obvious health benefits they are much friendlier and calmer without hormones buzzing through their body, for example I've never had the problem of a phantom pregnancy in any of my does. Also makes it 100% easier for them to live with other bunnies. They can be spayed from 6 months so you could have both of yours done anytime now

[The Highway Man]

Thanks for that, i'll enquire with my vet.

[littlegreenfairy]

One of ours gets the runs if she has cauliflower. May just be a case of too much greenery.

[aero250]

A rabbit can get a poorly tum from suddenly getting to much wet grass. Diet should be min 80% hay. Previous posts mentioning teeth and neutering should be considered seriously.

[shoebag]

volospian said:

Could just be a food intolerance. One of ours couldn't eat curly kale without getting into a right mess, while the other could scoff it all day with no issues.

Same experience here. I have 2 free range house rabbits that live together. The Dutch female is always clean yet the boy rabbit a large English Spot who eats the same diet gets a messy butt and ends up having a butt bath. (No other polite way to say it really.)

[The Highway Man]

The older Dutch is spotless yet she eats exactly the same diet as the youngster. She's due another bath in the morning as I've just wiped her down, it's too cold to bath her tonight.

[bexVN]

The Highway Man said:

The older Dutch is spotless yet she eats exactly the same diet as the youngster. She's due another bath in the morning as I've just wiped her down, it's too cold to bath her tonight.

You can't really compare the two regarding their dietary needs. It is an individual response.

[The Highway Man]

She's due her nails clipped on Monday, I'll discuss the problem with my vet then, thanks for all the responses guys.