Crusties on rump

Milyvan · Jun 28, 2015

I'm sure it's probably covered somewhere but I couldn't find....

Beautiful Tumper (Was his name already. Didn't change for his benefit. If he were not name-associated I would've called him Gizmo.) is a very furry lionhead who has been through a lot of neglect in his life. In fact, he still stays in his adoptive warren instead of coming out to play which is easy to understand when Dusty is a standard harlequin around 5#s and Lilly is a large lop around 12#s. Their warren is my 10'x14' bedroom.

He's been very appreciative of the attention and fresh veggies I offer along with the mixed food my other buns adore. He also seems to appreciate I clean daily. But I do have a dilemma.....

His fuzziness seems to allow his urine make his droppings stick sometimes. And then become crusties.

I've tried to gently groom them but he gets skittish when someone touches his hindquarters. Maybe because his last home was with dogs?

As we only have a walk-in shower and no tub, and I've been trying to comfort him as opposed to terrorize him, any suggestions to gently clean this?

I do make AT LEAST a daily cleaning and I read a hint that lionheads were needing oats (Which I don't feed Lilly nor Dusty except in the occasional cheerio type treat.) and Tumper is happy. But if I could make his rump clean for him, I bet he'd like.

(I submitted his pic on Grumpy Cat's FB page with the caption:GRUMPY BUNNY I wanted to be a wookie, not a tribble when I grew up.) Any true advice welcomed. TY!

Blue eyes · Jun 28, 2015

If his bottom is getting messy, then only his bum should be washed by using something like a plastic tub the size of a shoe box. Just use about an inch of water and only stick his bum in the water. The rest of him should not get wet.

Is he litter trained? Rabbits litter train easily and that should help keep him off of his urine. Putting hay on top of the litter also keep the top of the litter box dry (just refresh that hay twice per day).

You also mentioned feeding a "mixed food." By this do you mean a pellet food with colorful bits in it? They are often called "gourmet" mixes. These types of food are actually bunny junk food and are not healthy for rabbits. The healthy pellets are plain and have no colorful bits or seeds in them. It would be good to transition all of your buns to a healthy pellet (if this is the case). But don't switch suddenly -- it needs to be done gradually.

Are your other two rabbits bonded? Are any of them fixed? It is not common for a threesome to easily get along without going through a bonding process. Your new rabbit may be intimidated or afraid of the other rabbits (size doesn't matter, but pecking order does).

You may like to go through the following site for a general overview concerning housing, diet and bonding.
http://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com

Milyvan · Jun 30, 2015

Blue eyes,

Never thought about a small plastic tub of warm water. Will try and TY!

He is exceptional with his litter pan habits so I am vigilant to keep it clean! (Heck, he trained Dusty to use his litter pan.....which turned out to be wonderful both for me and bonding for them as Dusty grooms the wool from his eyes and he generally gives her a little grooming in return. Happy bunnies....happy "mommy"!)

I tried the hay on top but he seems to prefer the hay where it is in a cradle-type manger within nibble reach of potty pan. When I put it on his litter he simply pulls it out and drops it outside the warren.

Lilly and Dusty are definitely bonded. They practically follow each other around alternating who leads and sleep together almost spooning. But they're very open to Tumper if only they didn't startle him so much. I think this will balance out over time as nobun fights nor tries for dominance frequently. (Tumper, as I said, was previously left locked in his cage for a couple of years and then moved to his owner's grandmother's where he was allowed to run on her patio but with 3 collie type dogs. I find it no wonder the little fuzzball is skittish.)

Food-wise, besides daily alfalfa hay (and sometimes I'm able to get fresh coastal hay) and fresh veggies as supplements and the really rare fruit----usually raisins----they're staple (always available) food is a mix of Kaytee Supreme Fortified Daily Diet and Wild Harvest Adult Diet Advanced Nutrition.

Oh and he's definitely fixed. As I said, I was mostly concerned with a gentle way to remove those occasional crusties. I'm trying to make him happy (and me too) with minimal stress. He's been through enough for 1 bun! (Heck, I wish I could save 'em all but I have to be realistic, too.)

TY for advice! Bunny <3 to your furfriends, too! :bunnyhug:

Blue eyes · Jun 30, 2015

Is there a reason you are mixing two food pellets? The Wild Harvest is not a healthy pellet. Anything with seeds mixed in is not good for them. Click on this link for info specifically on Wild Harvest:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/2009/1/Nutrition-Wild-Harvest-Rabbit.htm

While there, you can see the other link to bio.miami page which is a great resource that I often refer to.

Once a rabbit is over 6 months, they really should not be getting any alfalfa hay since it is too rich for their digestion. They should be on a grass hay like timothy, Bermuda, orchard grass, etc. (Alfalfa hay is not a grass, but a legume.)

A healthy pellet for a rabbit over 6 months should have timothy hay listed as the first ingredient. There should be no seeds or corn or anything extra visible in the pellets. The mixed pellets and/or the alfalfa hay may be the source of Tumper's messy bum. :idea

Milyvan · Jul 1, 2015

Blue eyes,

I mix the foods for a few reasons....finances (limited military retired income) and the fact they loooooove the Wild Harvest but I wanted to make sure they're getting nutrition, too. So they get their "cake" but eat their veggies, too.... Plus I sift all their food before putting it in the food bin as the dust is an annoyance to me so I mix it while I'm doing that.

I misspoke on their hay....it actually is timothy hay. (I was only thinking of the green packaging. Oooops.)

I do appreciate the info. While they love it so much I won't completely eliminate the Wild Harvest I will try to ensure their mix is a more 80/20 blend instead of the 50/50 I've been doing. :juggle

TY again!

Blue eyes · Jul 2, 2015

I guess you did not click on or see the bio.miami hare site. Here is a direct quote from it:

"Some types of seeds (especially things like "Canadian peas" and corn kernels) have hulls that are indigestible to a rabbit, and can cause life-threatening intestinal impactions/blockages.

Corn, fresh or dried, is NOT safe for rabbits. The hull of corn kernels is composed of a complex polysaccharide (not cellulose and pectin, of which plant cell walls are more commonly composed, and which a rabbit can digest) which rabbits cannot digest. We know of more than one rabbit who suffered intestinal impactions because of the indigestible corn hulls. After emergency medical treatment, when the poor rabbits finally passed the corn, their fecal pellets were nearly solid corn hulls! Those rabbits were lucky. "

It isn't that Wild Harvest is "less healthy" but it is actually a health risk. The corn and the seeds can literally kill your rabbit. It is more like poison, than like cake (when fed regularly).

I realize it is tempting to offer them what they like, but in this case, it is a serious risk. I had one rabbit that would raid the pantry if the door was accidentally left open. He always went straight for the potato chip bags! He'd pull down the open bags and bury his head in the bag and munch away. "Sweet Mauia Onion" flavored chips were his favorite. Needless to say, we had to end his pantry raids. :bunnysuit:

Milyvan · Jul 3, 2015

I contacted the makers of Wild Harvest in this. The article was written in 2009 and does not apply to their current food according to them. TY for your input and hagd.