Rabbit kits with solid "poopy" fur and slightly poppy bottoms?

[LavenderGlenn]

Alright, this to me is a serious topic because I am not sure what I am doing wrong or if it is normal behavior for rabbit kits.

My litter of 8 rabbit kits are now four weeks old. They're in a large 3' x 2'6" x 7' hutch with their mother. They have an enclosed area to roam in where they were kindled and a large "run" with a wire bottom.

Their food consists of mother's milk, alfalfa pellets, timothy hay, plenty of water and the mother gets Kale leaves every morning that the kits sometimes latch onto like miniature zombies.

I will walk out in the morning to check on the rabbits, feed them and give them water then see that there is poop on some of them. Sometimes there will be urine as well. I pick it out with my hands or with a tiny hamster comb/brush. I clean off their fur with a gentle warm water wash cloth and dry them as well. They do groom themselves and the doe licks them occasionally.

I know that they like to "stack" in a group to sleep but what is with this? Am I doing something wrong? Or does this happen normally?

And all of their bellies are round or full. There's no lack of food nor water for them.

 

[LavenderGlenn]

Oh, and it's generally one to three poops. I meant that there is solid poop on the fur not that they are completely covered. Yikes!

 

[majorv]

Is the 'run' on the ground where they would have access to grass? If not, it could possibly be the kale or eating too many pellets. They're in the weaning stage (4-6 weeks) when gut issues can develop if their system isn't adapting/developing to changes in what they eat.

 

[LavenderGlenn]

Is the 'run' on the ground where they would have access to grass? If not, it could possibly be the kale or eating too many pellets. They're in the weaning stage (4-6 weeks) when gut issues can develop if their system isn't adapting/developing to changes in what they eat.

No it's all elevated and I cut back on Kale since posting this. They're doing better but another friend who raises rabbits says it could just be the cold weather making them not want to leave the "huddle" to poop.

 

[majorv]

Rabbits are kind of like cats when it comes to grooming and by that age they've developed the habit of keeping themselves clean. I tend to think it's more what they're eating but you could also have a couple of lazy ones, too.

 

[ladysown]

trim back the hair around the bum... trim it short, depending on your abilities you may need to have someone hold the kits still. They are just learning how to keep themselves clean. If you remove any solid surfaces it will help them keep themselves clean.