Poopy butt with hollands

[tonyshuman]

I have a holland mix, and I agree that it's not normal for any bunny. I don't like the small world mix, especially for adult bunnies, as it has too much protein, and not enough fiber. I think your bunny needs a higher quality pellet, probably a smaller ration of it (I feed 1/16 cup to my Holland each day). Also, more hay. I would also give a probiotic like Bene-Bac or Probios to get the GI tract working correctly again.

 

[ratmom]

I think I will buy some timothy pellets and mix that with it and see how they like it. Thanks for all the help.

 

[Flashy]

Have you tried cutting down the pellets to see if that increases hay consumption?

Was it a vet who checked his molars? Did they have any suggestions about his poopy butt?

 

[fancybutterfly]

I can't think of the name brand of pellets i use...I've researched the amont of protein and fiber, and this stuff has it right. I have to get some today, so I'll post later the name of it.
My buns get a handful of lettuce in te a.m. and p.m. plus the 1/4- 1/3 cup of pellets aday. They are super at eating their hay. THe hay and pellets are timothy based.
I'm wondering if their cage, where they 'go' doesn't get cleaned enough. I clean it out every other day.
You mean except for ratmom and I, no one has a bun that gets a little poop stuck????

 

[tonyshuman]

fancybutterfly wrote:

You mean except for ratmom and I, no one has a bun that gets a little poop stuck????

Pretty much. I pet-sat a very obese bunny that got poop stuck all the time. None of my buns get it. They might have a tiny brown crust on the anus when I do the monthly checkup, toenail trim, and scent gland cleaning, but the amount is way less than how much scent goo builds up over a month (to give you an idea of how much). I also do this checkup and cleaning for the bunnies at the shelter, and only one ever has any crust--she's been really fat and is slowly getting down to a normal weight. That's between 2 and 10 rabbits a month that are totally fine. They're on a good, cheap diet: tons of hay, a small amount of high fiber but cheap pellets (Purina Hi-Fiber Lab diet, it is alfalfa based), and very rare veggie treats.

I know Hollands can be a bit fluffier than normal because their hair is longer, but that really shouldn't interfere with keeping the bum clean.

 

[fancybutterfly]

hhmmm.
Well, it's not like they're dirty all the time. Usually after the soft pills...there will be some small remnents. Usually they clean it themselves and I'll fine a clump here and there. Is that normal?
They're hair is longer down down. I get them cleaned about every 3 mos. I notice by that time, they need a washing. My groomers bun (white and large) has stains!
How much would you(anyone) say is abnormal?

 

[fancybutterfly]

Oh, the pellets I use: Oxbow Bunny Basics/T
timothy based (I read the alphalfa based for adults is too rich (?))
protein: min. 14%
fiber: min. 25% max. 29%

thoughts??

 

[tonyshuman]

Oh, that should be a good pellet to prevent poopy butt. It doesn't have very high protein, and it has a lot of fiber. You may be feeding too much. I give my 4-5lb guys 1/16 cup of that each day, but I think up to 1/8c would be fine for a bunny of the same size.

 

[fancybutterfly]

I don't measure it out...yikes. I know that zeus gets 'dirtier' than Bob, and Z eats more! So even if he looks for food...and he's free range so he gets plenty of exercise...only give that much...ok. I'm sure he'll be fine. He gets lettuce too!
Thanks for your input!

 

[Maureen Las]

lettuce could be the culprit with poopy butt; maybe slowly introduce some parsley (slowly) and cut out the lettuce for awhile

 

[fancybutterfly]

thanks..I'm always switching up the lettuce. I'll try parsley.

 

[ratmom]

fancybutterfly wrote:

hhmmm.

They're hair is longer down down. I get them cleaned about every 3 mos. I notice by that time, they need a washing. My groomers bun (white and large) has stains!

Same here wilbur's hair down there is super long so I'm always trimming down there. I'm thinking about shaving it to see if that would help.

 

[fancybutterfly]

It should...Zeus' has been trimmed and it does eliviate it for awhile.

I just measured out the 1/8 cup of pellets from him. It seems soooo little for an entire day! I'm going to feel really bad when he goes searching for more!

Do you feed them lettuce too?

I give them a mixed blend. anything but iceburg.

 

[tonyshuman]

It's really hard to shave a rabbit, but it can be done. Just be really careful. It may be better to trim with scissors.

Make sure you don't cut back on pellets too quickly--I'd only reduce it by 25% each week. His gut may not cooperate well with a rapid change like that.

 

[ratmom]

I do trim with the scissors I guess I need to do it everyday, because it seems like his fur grows like crazy.

I do feed the dark romaine. I tried chard this week, but neither bunnies seem to like it much. I don't blame them it is way more bitter than kale. They do love parsley though.

 

[ratmom]

So I'm pretty sure set on him not being able to reach down there after watching him a while. I'm not totally sure if he is pure holland, because we found him outside so maybe he is a mix and that's why he can't reach. I'm pretty sure it's the cecals that are all mushy and stick to him though.

 

[tonyshuman]

Most bunnies really should be able to clean their own bunnies, no matter the breed. Does he have a large dewlap? If he is part angora, fuzzy lop, or some other very furry breed, he may need hair trims down there to keep it clean. The body, though, shouldn't be so large in any place to interfere with reaching the hind end.

 

[ratmom]

tonyshuman wrote:

Most bunnies really should be able to clean their own bunnies, no matter the breed. Does he have a large dewlap? If he is part angora, fuzzy lop, or some other very furry breed, he may need hair trims down there to keep it clean. The body, though, shouldn't be so large in any place to interfere with reaching the hind end.

No large dewlap or overweight and he is very furry so I do trim down there all the time. This all started when he turned into a adult so I'm wondering if whoever had him thought he was deformed or not "show worthy", because of it & that's why they let him go.

 

[Flashy]

Any chance he does have some sort of issue (injury? deformity? etc) that is causing this?

How is his movement? How are his back legs? Does he have good power in them? can he jump? Stretch out his back legs to clean them?

 

[fancybutterfly]

There was a post awhile back about cutting down on pellets. I tried it...and though Z has a tiny bit stuck, it has helped.