Rabbit with matted dirty behind

[gentle giants]

I have someone who has come to me for advice on what to do for her daughter's rabbit. She said the rabbit is getting "matted and nasty on her butt area". She didn't give me any info on what sort of diet the rabbit is getting, but she said she "lets the rabbit soak in the tub" to get it clean. I am thinking this may be a poor diet issue, does anyone have any other ideas? I have never had a problem with any of my rabbits doing this, and the ones that came into my rescue with this problem cleared up within a few days of coming in.

 

[JBun]

It's possible it could be a parasite or bacteria problem and they would need to take the rabbit into the vet if that's the case, but more common is that it's a diet issue (could have to do with stress as well). They should stop all treats and veggies, decrease pellets, and feed unlimited grass hay. If that doesn't clear it up, or the rabbit's condition changes or worsens, they should take it in to the vet. If the rabbit isn't doing well now or isn't healthy, if it's diarrhea or it's more than a mild case of a poopy bottom, they should take it to the vet.

 

[gentle giants]

Yeah, I am betting she will tell me the rabbit gets a cheap brand of pellets and no hay. I am hoping to get her on the phone either later tonight or in the morning so I can get more details without having to spend days emailing back and forth.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Diet would be a part of it. I would also ask if the rabbit is overweight as it would then have trouble eating the cecotropes and grooming down there. A longer furred rabbit, could even be a thicker furred one, could mean that stuff is getting stuck in the fur.
Cleaning up the rabbit and trimming the fur around the bum should help in the short term. A better diet and maybe some vet help should work to clear up the problem.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Diet may be part of the problem, although some of ours end up with cecotropes stuck on the nether region occasionally. I've cut back on veggies with a couple of ours.

 

[Imbrium]

make sure when she cleans the rabbit that she ONLY soaks the bottom - NOT the whole rabbit or even the whole back half - in warm (not hot) water and uses small animal shampoo (no dog, cat or human shampoo). once things have softened up, a washcloth can be used to work out clumps. if any poop needs to be cut out, she needs to be *extremely* careful not to get too close to the skin. the rabbit also needs to be towel-dried as well as possible afterward and kept in a warm place until *fully* dry.

 

[whitelop]

I just had a similar situation with my rabbit, it was because she was sitting in her wet litter in her litter box. She got stained and her fur was a little crunchy. But since I made it so she can't touch her litter, no more crunchy dirty butt, just stained still.

There could be so many things to make this rabbits butt dirty, age, weight, diet, dirty bedding.