Hay only for Poopy Butt?

[hutchebs]

Greetings! New here.. found while researching what I am now discovering to be referred to as "poopy butt". I read somewhere to begin with giving just hay (no pellets or greens) for a bit to see if this solves the issue. I just feel bad, as she greeted me this morning looking for treats in her normal pellet mix. She looked very disappointed when all I was offering was another bowl of timothy hay.

Chloe Bunny is a 6 yo spayed mini lop who lives inside. Due to our 2 small dogs (pugs) and the cold winter (with snow taller than both dogs) she has been spending lots of time in her cage these past few months. She has an outdoor play yard during spring- fall where she spends many happy hours outdoors. This poopy butt is a new thing for Chloe, second time it has happened in a month though. So messy had to give her a butt bath which turned into half her body bath and had to clip away much of her pretty fluffy tail

Can I start giving her a small amount of romaine lettuce or another single green in a few days?

 

[JBun]

Actually if it's not too severe of a case where it's a daily occurrence and gets all over, you may be able to just start out with the pellets and reduce the amount, and see if that helps. You probably will need to reduce the amount by half at least. I've found that pellets and sugary starchy foods seem to be the problem foods the most. You should also stop any sugary and high carb treats, including carrots. If it were one of the leafy veggies that was causing it, you would more than likely be seeing mushy poop every day. Doing it this way is also less upsetting for the bun, as she will still be getting her usual food, just less of it. And make sure she is getting unlimited hay. Buns will eat a lot more of it when getting less pellets. You will want to make sure that she is eating the hay well too, as things like dental issues can cause poopy butt as well, because a rabbit isn't eating it's hay normally and so is getting less fiber.

One thing to be aware of is that certain bacteria and parasites can also be a cause for poopy butt problems, but usually this will be a daily occurrence and more severe, but not always. So if your buns behavior changes where she isn't acting right or something seems off, or symptoms worsen, get her to the vet, as this type of problem is much more serious.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We had a problem with one of ours. Cut out all pellets so she only got orchard grass and a small amount of greens, mostly herbs as they don't contain as much water as lettuce. Since I eliminated pellets, she's been doing great and lost some weight too.

 

[MustNotBuyMore]

If it's true diaherea, you need to give only hay (unlimited) and nothing else. Then you need to get her to your vet ASAP. Also pick up some neomycin sulfateis at your pet store.