IV literally been sat here looking up bunny's ******s . As I was worried for my Luna. She had been pooing alot which has been getting stuck to her fur. So been gently wiping it off with paper which I looked closer as I wanted to make sure it wasn't getting in places it shouldn't. Then seen the slits down the side of her bits which I didn't know about as never got told when I bought her. It was full of poo. So yeah I was worried it had split or something and wasn't ment to be there . Glad I know now. They really should tell you this. Thanks x
If your two buns are the ones in your profile picture, if she’s getting poop stuck in her fur then there’s some sort of problem, healthy buns stay clean on their own. Is she overweight? Google “rabbit body condition score” to see how to score obesity. A really fat rabbit may not be able to bend around to clean herself. Is she having diarrhea? Cecotropes will always be wet and squishy and those are usually the only ones at risk of getting stuck in fur, and ideally you should never see them. Regular poops should be dry and hard and greatly resemble cocoa puffs. Is she older? Elderbuns might have stiff joints that prevent them from reaching around. Mind you, Lahi is 12 and has never had that issue, but I also supplement his diet with glucosamine to keep him limber. Is the litter box nice and clean? Rabbits really love to hang out in the litter box, even if there’s nothing but poop in it.
Personally I don’t know that much about scent glands, I noticed in the past when I checked that Picca and Lahi did typically have hard, crusty pieces in their glands about the size and shape of a deshelled sunflower seed, but I didn’t like to mess with it too much because they were always really stuck to the skin and the skin there is SO thin. Thinking of that skin tearing just made me cringe. But a vet told me years ago not to worry about cleaning scent glands and no vet has brought it up to me since so honestly this is the first time in a long time I’ve even thought about it.
Trancing, on the other hand... the scientific name for that state is “tonic immobility”, and it’s extremely traumatic. It happens typically in prey animals, and in a sense is what we think of as “playing dead”. But it’s a fear response. They are not relaxed, they are in a state of absolute terror and stress, with hormone levels to match. It’s the human equivalent of someone having a panic attack and completely shutting down and going nonresponsive. Regular useage makes it easier to use and the rabbit is “tranced” quicker... in other words their trauma is increasing and you are making them more susceptible to panic attacks.
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/trancing/
In any case. Gonna tell you right now, there is a LOT they don’t tell you when you buy a rabbit. My vet actually had a big pamphlet of information to hand out to new bunny owners and even that 5 page document could only cover the absolute basics. There was probably a solid page on hay and food and the importance of hay. (My vet would get SO FRUSTRATED with how many people came in with sick rabbits that very quickly turned out to be fed no hay at all, just pellets)
Treat your bunny like a very small horse: Unlimited water, unlimited hay, unlimited love and affection, as close to unlimited space as you can get; Group housing if you can manage it; Expect hefty vet bills, and get them neutered/spayed asap or risk a very moody, unpredictable animal that can’t be housed with other animals at the same time as they pine for other animals.
It can also make for a very stinky room, etc. if not cleaned out regularly.
