He's got feces stuck to the back of his bum, and it gathers in clusters. I've cleaned it off and haven't been feeding him a lot of pellets, just hay and lots of water. I'm wondering if he's constipated? I've read somewhere the papaya and kiwi can clear out the system. Is he constipated, or is there something else? What can I do?
Xie Xie
2007-09-16 14:09:34 · 7 answers · asked by ButterToast 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
He's a dwarf rabbit by the way.
2007-09-16 14:11:00 · update #1
Actually, your rabbit has just the opposite problem. It has diarrhea and that is the dried diarrhea that has clumped up and dried on your rabbit's fur.
If you are feeding any vegetables or grass or fruits, please stop feeding them. All of those can cause diarrhea.
Keep giving your rabbit plenty of water. When a rabbit gets diarrhea they get dehydrated from losing all of that water.
What kind of hay are you feeding your rabbit. Stick to a hay that doesn't have wide leaves. So use a hay like timothy hay or orchard grass. Avoid using clover hay or alfalfa hay.
Diarrhea can be cause by a number of things, but normally it breaks down into two categories.
Diarrhea caused by a build-up of too much bad bacteria. This can be a result of feeding your rabbit the wrong kind of things to eat.
The other category is cause by coccidiosis. Coccidiosis is a disease that normally affects rabbits more in the summer. If an autopsy is done on the rabbit it can be distinguished by yellow spots on the rabbit's liver.
My suggestion is to take your rabbit to your vet. Then have your vet take a stool sample and examine it. From the stool sample your vet should be able to tell what is causing the diarrhea and prescribe the correct medicine to treat it.
The first category I mentioned often can be cured just by changing the rabbit's diet or by pulling the rabbit off of it's feed for 24 hours or so. Pulling the rabbit off of it's feed for 24 hours or so moves all of the food out of the stomach that the bacteria feed and grow on and essentially helps move a large portion of the bad bacteria out of the rabbit.
However if your rabbit has coccidiosis, doing this will not help. And normally your rabbit will need to be given liquid amprolium in its drinking water. Sulfaquinoxoline can also cure coccidiosis, but sulfa drugs can be hard on a rabbit's kidneys.
2007-09-17 03:28:36 · answer #1 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have rabbits.
How old is he?
My rabbits get poop stuck to their bottom.
If there is still poo in his cage, then obviously he can still go to the loo.
I would suggest taking him to the vet to make sure that he isn't constipated.
I'm not sure what you can do now, but make sure you feed him good quality pellets, they also like oaten hay, and make sure he is drinking.
Until you know what is up, i would suggest monitoring how much and what he eats.
I am guessing that it is actually diarrhoea, that has dried.
Anything with seeds cannot be fed only if ALL of the seeds can be removed.
Hope i helped, ♥ ☺
Another thing, You can't feed him watery things like lettuce too often, a tiny bit every few weeks is OK but a lot is bad.
For a treat he might like some fruits or veges like apple, banana, a small amount of celery leaves, carrot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, also rolled oats, etc.
Looking on the Internet to find things that might help find out whats up with him is also a good idea.
2007-09-20 23:03:24 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Give him quality pellets from a feed store, a small handful of hay and water daily. If he is younger than 4 months old don't give him ANY greens. Work that in slowly as treats when he is over 4 months old. To firm up his poops he can have one tablespoon of uncooked, old-fashioned oatmeal (not instant) each day.
If the poops are tiny and clustered together like a bunch of grapes are squished together then it is probably its cecotrophs or "night poops". In which case, their fine. But if is as big as his normal poops and soft or smeared try the oatmeal (and no greens) for 3 days. If his poops are still soft or runny take him to the vet.
To clean him up, get off what you can without smearing it. Sprinkle a good deal of corn starch (from the grocery store) on you rabbits bum and work it in. Come it out when its a little dry. Blow the rest out (outside) with a powerful hairdryer set on cool.
Little bits of dried papaya or dried pineapple are fine to give him to prevent hairblock but I think daily hay works best as prevention.
2007-09-16 14:23:00 · answer #3 · answered by Amber 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it sound like he may have a digestion problem,,try giving him timothy hay,,(a grass hay) and dry Oat meal,,(the round cans, they are like tan flakes,quaker oats) Lots of water,,,I have delted with this conditiomn before,,,you may want to read the bag of food you are feeding it,,Mana Pro is a great rabbit feed,,,also do not change there food keep it the same,,,Dont give your bunny any "goodies" ie carrots,,or veggies for a while,,also check to see if the hay u gave it has any mold on it. Another thing, sprays and chemicals are not good for rabbits
2007-09-16 15:07:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like your bunny needs more hay in his diet. Try that. Be careful with friuts - some are not good for domestic rabbits.
http://www.bunnylu.org/diet.html
2007-09-24 12:27:54 · answer #5 · answered by Animal Helper 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
give him lettece and papaya.....it will soften the feces...but i belive he is constripated, take him to the vet to get a medicine so he can take it out.......then feed him lettece and papaya to soften his insides...should work ok
2007-09-23 11:00:49 · answer #6 · answered by Xiana 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
um...1st of all thats gross. n i think its bad 2 hav hay as ther main food supply.but i hope he gets betr!
2007-09-24 12:41:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋