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Forum DIET & CARE Wet tail? Poop balls form constantly!

  • This topic has 16sd replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by Paige.
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    • Bunniesandferrets
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         I need a reply asap thanks!

        Would this be considered wet tail?

        Info:

        Mimzy: Female Dutch:Four years old- has been getting these as long as we have had her!

        She forms “poop balls” and they stick to her butt… she eats regular rabbit pellets no food coloring, no fruits or extra treats added or anything and they get veggies about 5x out of a week. We think she may be allergic to pellets in general as she forms these balls of poop no matter what kibble pellets we give her! we have tried everything!

         

        So i need some grooming tips, and a way to stop this. We do not have enough money to buy veggies as they go bad REALLY fast and the ones that are good for bunnies are pretty expensive! 

        So please, can anyone give me tips on getting the darn thing of my poor rabbits butt? without causing pain to her or using baby powder?

        and then i need some tips on how to stop it!

        Thanks in advance! i need answers as soon as possible! The motto here is “a binky bunny is the happiest bunny!”, she never does binkys because she never feels good. i need help please.


      • Sarita
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          Rabbits do not get wet tail. Have you had a vet look at her? That is what I would do.


        • Pandorachik
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            ditto sarita. But does she get hay?


          • Bunniesandferrets
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               Constant supply of hay. constant supply of food, constant supply of water. fresh bedding every day. 

              we have taken her to the vet before, i don’t remember what he said though. he did not treat it and that is all i can remember!

              She also smells really bad, we have even given her baths(and i know it is not recommended because flies are attracted to a wet bunny!) but nothing works. sometimes the balls of crap fall off, but a new one forms almost immediatly. i don’t know what to do!


            • KytKattin
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                The constant supply of pellets might be the problem. How much hay does she actually eat? Do you have some good varieties of hay? Why types of hay do you feed? Try to limit her pellets a little more. The main part of her diet should be hay. You can give her more veggies, at least one daily, by buying something like romaine. It is pretty cheap. If you have something like a Costco membership you can get 8 heads for less than $5. One a day and you have a weeks worth! Consistency will probably be more important than amount. So even if you are only able to give her a little bit every day, that is better than skipping days.

                Have you cleaned her scent glands? That might be causing her to stink. Is she spayed? Even girls are stinkier unspayed.


              • LBJ10
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                  Some rabbits don’t do well with pellets. So if she’s eating a lot, it can be really bad. Can you try reducing the pellets?


                • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                    I would find another vet quickly-wet poopy bums are indicative of illness and your vet should have given you something. The bottom line is this is not a grooming emergency, but a health emergency. Do you have a different vet to take her to? This is a good site to find another vet with
                    http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html


                  • Beka27
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                      The “poop balls” sound like cecotrophs or (“cecals” or “night droppings”). Are they very tiny, smushy, and look like clusters of grapes? When cecals are overproduced, that is usually because the diet is too rich. Are the pellets you’re feeding timothy or alfalfa-based? I agree with the others that the pellets need to be strictly limited, no more than 1/4 cup per day. You will need to feed green, leafy veggies DAILY to make up for the limited amount of pellets. Rabbit digestion is very delicate, there’s no skimping on proper diet. As you’ve seen firsthand, feeding an incomplete diet can and will cause health issues.

                      Some more info on rabbit diet:
                      http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

                      And info on rabbit poop/digestion issues:
                      http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html


                    • Pandorachik
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                        I think you guys have figured out the problem. I learned something abour rabbits today that I didn’t know! Yay lol.
                        And I would try reducing pellets too.


                      • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                          It sounds to me like night droppings are the problem. My male rabbit does get this but he is disabled and can’t reach back there to get his night droppings so sometimes they will be stuck to his butt. Sometimes I can just take them off of his butt and feed them to him or sometimes if they are really stuck on there. He does require a wet bath and I dry him really well. I would definately take him to the vet to get him looked at to rule out any medical issues.


                        • 3 buns mom
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                            We got our dwarf when he was 4 y.o. For the first 3 years of us having him, we went through this every single day! Tried everything, changed all his foods! Had to give him daily baths. But it stopped suddenly last November! The only difference we did was take him completely off pellets. The vet we go to, who is one of only a few board certified in the world, told me that pellets are not really good for rabbits. They should have plenty of vegetables every day, and endless supply of fresh hay. Pellets are not good for their teeth, and they are also fattening. I can’t remember the exact quantity of veggies per pound of weight though. I think it’s like 1 cup for every 2 pounds of weight daily.

                            I should add he will have an occasional episode after he’s chewed through my trash bag and pulls out pizza crust or french fries….lol This seems to be his new thing, and I catch him in the act when I wake up in the morning. (My rabbits are never caged) So it’s time I move the trash out of his reach.


                          • Bunniesandferrets
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                              Thanks for all of the help! i will answer a couple things: to start, let me apologize for my ignorance!
                              1. this has been going on for as long as we have had her.
                              2. she is spayed and i have no idea where the scent glands are
                              3. I will give her and Frank less pellets and more veggies and check the ingredients of their pellets right away!
                              4. the ball fell off thankfully last night! yay! it usually does but this one was HUGE and was worrying me more then the others!
                              5. i do believe that Mimzy is overweight but what is the average weight for a female dwarf rex rabbit? not mini rex but a dwarf rex(medium sized)?
                              6. they are not bonded to us so they don’t do anything cool like tricks or get into things or jump on your lap.. they are bonded to each other..
                              7. it does appear to be the cecals causing the problem as the ball consists of no round poops(which would make no sense anyway!)
                              I know a lot about rabbits and i have been trying to fix this problem for as long as we have had her! the ball fell off but i want to go ahead and give her a bath anyway as she is in need of one and there is still some matter left on her bum.
                              I don’t think they get enough exercise! i want to let them play in the back yard in a large playpen if that is a good idea, what do you guys think?

                              Lastly, thank you for all of the information and tips! its so much appreciated!!


                            • BinkyBunny
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                                I noticed in your profile that you said your bunny was really fat. That can also cause problems of self-cleaning. So along with the diet recommendations, this may also be caused by her weight, which then should get better with diet changes. While she is getting to a healthier weight, you will have to give her butt baths (not a full bath) or get the poo glob off somehow regularly to prevent infection and of course to prevent attracting flies (flystrike), which you are already aware of.  Gently running luke warm water over your bunny’s messy area can help clean her off without giving her.  Of course you have to have her securely held!  Some people also fill up the sink with just couple of inches of water, no more and clean off that way.   

                                I am a bit confused though  as in your first post you said Mimz was a 4 year old DUTCH rabbit, but in your last post you said she is a Rex.  In your profile I see you have two bunnies (Frank being the Rex)  So I am just figuring that got mixed up??

                                So I’ll just cover both. I am NOT an expert in breeds so this is just from my basic knowledge and googling (which you can do to for more clarification).

                                Rexes: I only know of two (Mini and Standard) Minis weigh 3 – 5 pounds, and Standards Rexes are typically about 8 – 9lbs. Though there are some that are smaller and some are larger!

                                Dutch: 3 – 6lbs.

                                But that may not fully answer the question about the proper weight for your bunny. You may have a smaller dutch who should only be 3 pounds, but weight 5 pounds, and that would be overweight even if it fits into the weight average for that breed.

                                Instead it’s best to figure out if your bunny is fit for his or her size. This is a really great tip by the RabbitNetwork.


                                “How do you know if your bunny is fat? Many house rabbits are, and they are not at all embarrassed by it! Rabbits store fat inside their abdomen, which makes just eyeballing them for love handles ineffective. Run your hands along your rabbit’s side, feeling the rib cage. When you reach the end of the ribs, your should be able to feel a slight inward slope, the waist. Fat bunnies will balloon out instead. Remember that the ribs are palpable in even quite obese rabbits, so don’t let your bunny fool you into more snacks!”

                                SOURCE: http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/obese.shtml


                              • Bunniesandferrets
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                                  So it’s been a few months!
                                  A couple of months ago i gave them a new ‘enclosure’ with at least twice as much space as they were in before.(these are technically my sister’s rabbits. i was angry when i posted this because she was not taking care of them and i was unsure how to at the time)
                                  She has since left for summer and i rearranged their whole cage. they actually no longer have a CAGE because my sister used to shut them in it and leave.

                                  I have informed myself about rabbits a TON since then.

                                  I am glad to say that Mimzy and Frank are both now at a controlled weight and NOT fat!!!
                                  we have been giving them a diet of 1 bowl of kibble a day, constant hay(as always) and veggies daily. as well as water of course!
                                  Mimzy is at about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds and frank is a bit heavier but we have not weighed him.
                                  their bellies do not balloon out anymore!
                                  they also get play time in a play pen outside and their fur is OMG so soft!! and so shiny!

                                  As to clairify for the other questions,
                                  i was originally talking about Mimzy, the dutch who was having the problem. I asked weight for a rex because i was unsure whether frank was FAT because he was fat or if he looked fat next to tiny Mimzy haha. i have also descovered that Frank really is a FRANK and not a francis or whatever. Frank is a boy

                                  I have not seen a true ‘poop ball’ for three weeks!!


                                • LittlePuffyTail
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                                    That’s great news. Thanks for the update.


                                  • Cindy hart
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                                      I have a 6 week old Flemish mix that is having this problem! Also his peep seems grainy!! And there are knots and bumps around his genitals! He gets fresh vegetables, hay and plenty of water!! All his siblings are fine!!


                                    • Paige
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                                        Hi! BB members are advised to not reply to old threads (threads more than 1-2 months old) to avoid confusion.
                                        Feel free to create your own topic.

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                                    Forum DIET & CARE Wet tail? Poop balls form constantly!