I have a female Holland lop who is 2 years old (estimate). She leaves a few cecotropes around during the night almost every night. She steps on it and smears it around the xpen. She is unspayed and not litter trained. She is not much of a hay eater, so I have cut back on pellets and veggies to encourage hay eating. I have seen her clean her groin/private area, but she falls back as she’s grooming herself. I’ve seen this happen 3 times. Is this a sign that she’s overweight? Maybe arthritis? I also noticed her fur is not as soft as my male dwarf who is a year old, could she struggle with grooming herself?
Falling over when grooming/cecotrope
- Thread starter Lilsakli
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Hard to know without getting hands on the bunny, but I'd agree with what you said about obesity possibly being the cause. I currently have a Lilac who gained a lot of weight after being neutered, and he too grooms himself this way sometimes... he has been put in "bunny fat camp" and recently got a younger bunny friend to play around with.
Overweight rabbits definitely have a harder time grooming themselves, so their fur will become more unkempt. Fur softness itself can vary a little depending on the individual.
Overweight rabbits definitely have a harder time grooming themselves, so their fur will become more unkempt. Fur softness itself can vary a little depending on the individual.
Could be difficulty reaching down there. Being overweight can certainly be a hinderance. Arthritis would be uncommon at such a young age, though not impossible. Could be she's just not very coordinated. If she shows any other signs of balance issues, she could have a different underlying health problem.
The uneaten cecotropes could be a diet thing and not a coordination thing. If you can get her eating more hay, that is usually the solution for uneaten cecals due to too rich of a diet. If you continue to struggle to get her to eat hay, I would try different varieties of grass hay to see if she might just be picky. If that doesn't solve it, it might be a good idea to schedule a dental check with a knowledgeable rabbit vet, to rule out dental issues as a possible cause. They could also check her weight, check for arthritis, and any other signs of balance issues.
https://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
One thing that can sometimes cause a cecotrope issue and a rough coat, is internal parasites. That's something else the vet could check for and rule out.
The uneaten cecotropes could be a diet thing and not a coordination thing. If you can get her eating more hay, that is usually the solution for uneaten cecals due to too rich of a diet. If you continue to struggle to get her to eat hay, I would try different varieties of grass hay to see if she might just be picky. If that doesn't solve it, it might be a good idea to schedule a dental check with a knowledgeable rabbit vet, to rule out dental issues as a possible cause. They could also check her weight, check for arthritis, and any other signs of balance issues.
https://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
One thing that can sometimes cause a cecotrope issue and a rough coat, is internal parasites. That's something else the vet could check for and rule out.
So shes has been with me for a month now. She’s getting better and more flexible as I am letting her out more for exercise time. She barely leaves behind cecotropes now. Fur starting to feel softer now. She will have first vet check up in April 26, that’s the soonest I can get her in during this covid era.
