Rabbits are clean? Not this one 😭

[RipleyLLC]

I have 6 rabbits. Five of the rabbits have impeccable hygiene. They are clean and I don't have to do any clean up care.
.The sixth rabbit, my little Evi, is the dirtiest rabbit I've seen so far. She doesn't clean herself very well (she doesn't seem to care lol). Today I decided to bathe her backside because she is so dirty. One thing I've noticed about her is that she just lays and sits in her own urine (she has the run of the house and pees in one spot). I try and stay on top of it, checking the hallway many many times during the day and constantly cleaning up the urine, but she'll lay or sit in it sometimes before I can check again.

I had to cut off a bunch of fur from her tail and her feet. Unfortunately, I have found an open wound on the base of her tail. It was scabbed over with nastiness (I didn't know about the wound until I started removing the hair) and I cleaned her up as well as I could at the moment (she was fighting and super unhappy grinding her teeth). I dried her up very well and made sure the heat was on high in the house to prevent hypothermia. Everything looks a lot better except that one spot.

My questions are:

1. Why is she not cleaning herself?
2. What can I do to prevent this from happening again? (I keep her pen very clean and change the bottom out every third day)
3. What can I get medicinally to treat this wound? (It's smaller than a dime in circumference)

 

[Preitler]

With my patients, it's motility issues that prevent them from cleaning themself, either they can't rach there or it hurts. My 11 yo girl is on daily Meloxicam (pain Med), makes things a lot better.

Sometimes I need to bath her, and I use a blow-dryer to get her dry, always my hand in the airstream to not get her too hot.

I'm not sure what's the right stuff for treating urine sore wounds, I used Mirfulan for sore spots, but cleaning and keeping them dry (by removing fur down there) seems to help most. Gave my old girl a mite treatment recently, skin between legs looked crusted over, and sore underneith, when they can't clean themself imo they are susceptible to mites too. She'S loking better now.

 

[JBun]

If you mean her hind end is getting urine soaked or soiled from poop, neither is normal and isn't from a lack of proper grooming. It usually means there's an underlying issue that needs correcting.

If it's just that she's peeing in a certain spot outside the litter box and sitting in the urine, the easiest solution is to put another litter box in that spot. But if this is happening in the litter box, you may need a different set up that allows better urine drainage away from her, or possibly needs more space and a bigger litter box. Or if there are any signs of incontinence or dribbling urine, she'll need to be checked by a rabbit vet, as there's a likely medical issue causing it. UTI would be the most common cause.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/litter-training.html

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Litter_training

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Urinary_tract_infection

If her bottom is getting soiled with mushy cecotropes stuck in the fur, that's most commonly a dietary issue (different than mushy or runny fecal poop, which is most often an emergency), but medical issues are possible too. Most often mushy cecotropes is due to excess carbs and/or insufficient fiber in the diet. Or possibly a sensitivity to a certain food, like certain veggies or sometimes pellets.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Rabbit_poop

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=102923&id=4952892

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Grooming

If in doubt and you're unsure if there's an underlying medical issue, a check up with a knowledgeable rabbit vet would probably be good to do. With there already being an open wound, she may need to be seen by a vet regardless. Because of where it's located, it's going to be very susceptible to developing infection, so it's essential to closely monitor it for any signs of this, and get her seen by a vet at the first sign or any suspicion. If the wound looks nasty now, it may already be infected and your rabbit will need to be seen by a rabbit vet and get put on an appropriate rabbit safe antibiotic, for usually a minimum of 4 weeks if it's abscessed.

(LINK CONTAINS MEDICAL RELATED PHOTOS)
https://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Abscess/skin_abscess.htm

But if not infected yet, I would keep it wiped off several times a day, and put a thin coat of plain triple antibiotic ointment (no added pain relief) on the wound after cleaning off, to try and stop any infection starting while the wound heals. Just what I would do.

When in doubt, it's best to consult with a knowledgeable rabbit vet.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Choosing_a_rabbit_veterinarian

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/California

https://rabbit.org/care/rabbit-vets-near-me/

Just an additional note, usually it's best to never trim the fur on the bottom of a rabbits foot, particularly the back feet, as it can make them more prone to developing sore hocks. If this is what was done, you'll need to monitor the pads of the feet to make sure no sores develop, especially on that back heel.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Sore_hocks