Baby with poopy butt

[Flashy]

Sorry for having two threads on the go at once.

My babies are 3 weeks and 4 days old.

Today the biggest one has a poopy butt. Other than this he seems fine, lively, eating, interested (I haven't seen him drink yet), but generally his boisterous self.

They had their first little go in the run yesterday and said rabbit (Star)and Dusk decided they were going to munch the grass growing up through the patio squares, so I had to pull that out. But I'm wondering whether that might have caused this.

I read somewhere that bunny with that enteritis thing make a sloshing noise when you pick them up, but there are no sloshing noises coming from the bun at all. The poops themselves look like cecals stuck on there. They are not slimy or anything like that, they just look like regular cecals stuck on.

What do I need to be doing? (other than making sure the butt is clean and ensuring it doesn't get anything else strange).



(not sure if this should be here or in the Rabbitry, but if it's the wrong place then feel free to move it).

 

[Pipp]

Probably the grass, yup.

And other than keeping it very clean and encouraging normal intake of hay,water and mom, should be okay.

I'm no expert, mind you.



sas

 

[Flashy]

Cool, thanks I figured that was probably best, but I'm far less of an expert than you, lol.

Thanks

 

[chloaster]

I'm no expert on baby buns either, but I know some of my fosters get poopy bums when they first go out on the grass so I'd agree it probably was the grass that upset the system.

 

[Flashy]

^Yeh, I think it must have been. the bun is fine now. Totally clean, and eating for England, and yesterday when they went in the run there was nothing growing up in between the paving slabs and they had a great time

Thanks for the reply.

 

[ra7751]

Hi,

It sounds asif your bun is weaning....and since your later post states he is better, I will pass along this info to everyone just as an educational type response. The condition you hadis very similar to enteritis...and I don't know about any sloshing in the gut. That is just an indication of fluid in there. The condition you are encountering is all too familiar to wildlife rehabilitators. The GI tract is going thru a conversion. The pH in a baby rabbit's gut is about 7...neutral. A baby is born pretty much sterile...no bacteria in it's gut (and no antibodies to fight infections either). The bacteria to start populating the gut comes from eating the mother's cecals. That is one of the reasons that so many pinkie cottontails are lost in rehab...they haven't received that vital feeding of cecals. But back to the point, as the rabbit weans, the gut makes a very quick conversion from a neutral pH to a pH reading of 1-2. The beneficial bacteria in the GI tract has a difficult time adjusting to the changing ph and will start to die. This will cause an upset GI and also allows the growth of nasty bacteria such as e coli and clostridium. The latter is related to botulism and tetanus and both can be fatal. The key in getting thru this little time of terror is "steady as she goes". Don't change anything especially what they are eating. This is a crucial few days and any change in activities or food can cause problems. I would stick to whatever you have been feeding since the grass that was eaten might be part of the problem. Some vets use a controversial antibiotic treatment using a drug called metronidazole (Flagyl) to help control the bad bacteria. We have used that protocol and it seems to help. I would also try to watch and make sure the bun is eating it's own cecals. If the rabbit is on a wire type flooring, it might not be skilled enough to eat them without them falling thru. A solid bottom would be a better choice just in case this is happening, But for the time being, I think a standard and basic bunny diet is the order of the day....and watch for proper hydration. Best wishes to you little bun.

Randy

 

[Flashy]

Thanks very much for that reply Randy

When I saw the mucky butt I did a lot of research into enteritis (M. E.) and it didn't sound too much like it. It listed symptoms as the bun being lethargic, not eating, or drinking, bloated in bad cases, etc, and none of those were true, it also said that it occured from 4-5 weeks to 10 weeks, and at the time he was only three and a half.

What you have said makes a lot of sense.

They have pellets, loads of fresh hay, and obviously mum. They also have been getting probiotics in their water (I know the jury is out as to whether it actually helps or not, but I also read that it doesn't hinder, so it's there on the off chance that it might help).

I don't know whether the bun is eating it's own cecals, but they are on a solid floor, which, as you say, will make it easier. Mum also leaves a few lying around so they might eat those too.

He does drink often, and whenever he is not sleeping, he's mostly eating, and is by far the most boisterous of all the bunnies, and really friendly. So he is not lethargic which is good.

The grass was a total accident and oversight on my side, and is not something that will happen again. They were on patio, and I missed the grass growing up, but now it has all been removed so there is no chance of a reoccurance of that error.

Is it worth trying to feed him some cecals? Or leaving some in a strategically placed place for him to eat if he wants? Also, given that henow seemsok, is it worth taking him to the vet or just keep everything constant and consistent and hope for the best? Is there anything that I could do to help? And also given that he has been fine for a few days, does that mean it is looking good? Does it lay doormant or anything? I guess I am asking where I stand with this now.

Sorry for all the questions. I'm scared stupid about losing this, or any other dinky (as they have become known).

Thanks so much for the reply

 

[Flashy]

It sounds asif your bun is weaning....and since your later post states he is better, I will pass along this info to everyone just as an educational type response.

I'm just wondering what you can learn from it, etc. Is what has happened not 'normal' with type of occurance?

Sorry, I know all my questions are annoying, but you have a wealth of knowledge, and I see so much written fromyouthat interests me greatly. I also thoroughly appreciate anything you can say that might help my buns, and they will too. I already appreciate all the rest of the help you have given me.

Sorry for being a pain, I'm rather good at it :biggrin2:But thank you though

 

[ra7751]

Hi,

It sounds like you have everything under control. There is only one small little thing that I am concerned about. I am not a fan of putting any type of medicine or supplement in the water. That usually leads only to contaiminated water and you really don't know if they are getting the correct amount. In a situation like this, the probiotic may actually be part of the cause. Probiotics generally are based on lactobacillus acidophilus. That is not a naturally growing bacteria in the GI tract. What it does is acidify...notice the first four letters of acidophilus. By adding probiotics at wean, it will speed the conversion of the gut when it is better to have a more gradual conversion to allow the bacteria to adapt. The use of probiotics is controversial in the vet community. I do use them quite a bit with cottontails (wild rabbits). However, I use them to control the rate of conversion going into wean. In reality, I start the GI conversion earlier than nature does and that allows a more gradual conversion as they wean. I mix small and increasing amounts of probiotics into the baby rabbit's formula and solid food starting about day 10. I can usually have a "ready gut" by 21 days which usually gets the rabbit thru the bacterial imbalance. Keep in mind that what I am mentioning here is still a research in progress and I would suggest that rabbit people stick to the basics and offer a proper rabbit diet based on age and condition of the rabbit.

Randy

 

[Flashy]

Gotcha I'll wash the bowls out, and just give them plain water (edit, all done )

You're a star, thank you

 

[Flashy]

In answer to the question about cecals, I can safely say that yes, he is eating them, because I just caught him, lol.