My bunny's not cleaning herself

[Donna G]

I have a 2-year old Dwarf Lop and she has lovely fur - until you see her underside. She isn't a long haired breed, but has a lot of fur and doesn't clean round her bottom area. As a result she has dirty fur that doesn't smell very nice. I am about to bath her to get it all off because I'm worried about infection and flystrike etc. Is the best solution to have my vet shave her underneath so that stuff doesn't get stuck in it any more? I have no idea how to make a bunny clean herself!

[netibiza]

My friend has two of these bunnies aged 5 months - the male cleans himself but the female doesn't so my friend has to wash the bunny - will she ever learn?

[ShellyHall]

My 4 year Netherland Dwarf rabbit has got a similar problem.  She's been really good about cleaning herself in the past, but recently I'm having to clean her bottom regularly.  I've made an appointment to see my vet just to have her checked out in case there are other underlying problems, eg. teeth or digestion problems.  Perhaps you should see a vet about your problem for peace of mind if nothing else.

[Noweia]

Sometimes if rabbits are overweight they aren't flexible enough to get down to that area - is your rabbit the right weight for her age?

[Kingaroo]

My late bunny didn't seem to need to clean herself -- properly firm dry pellets don't stick or leave residue on slick bunny fur. That's not to say she never got messy there -- if she had eaten a bad balance of food and had soft runny stools, there was quite a mess. On those occasions, I'd just wash her gently over the sink with a warm soapy cloth, and let her dry out in a warm place.

[morg_monster]

My brother's rabbit couldn't clean herself properly after she had to have one of her back legs amputated  - I know this is extreme but does illustrate that if something is wrong with their back (or front) leg(s) then they may have problems grooming.  We used to clean her with a cloth and also try and pull some of the excess hair out from around the area as there was always a lot of matted hair downt here too.  Sometimes when it was cold she would let us use the hairdryer on low setting to help her dry off quicker, bless.

[ShellyHall]

Further to my answer on the 24th March, I have had my bunny at the vets about her dirty bottom.  The vet advised me to give her more greens and reduce her dry mix to stop her selectively eating.  She also gave me some probiotic to put in her drinking water to promote healthy gut action.

The problem has got better and my bunny's bottom doesn't need cleaning as often.

[Donna G]

Thanks ShelleyHall. My bunny is also sorted now. She's had tooth problems for about the last 6 months (malocclusions). I didn't suspect her teeth this time because her eyes were fine. (last time her tooth problem flared up her eyes were all watery). However, on taking her to the vet he said that 3 of her back teeth were growing into her tongue. Although amazingly she was eating ok, her tongue was hurting her, which is why she wasn't using it to clean herself.

He's filed the teeth down and I'm glad to say she has a lovely clean bottom now! She's also grooming our other bunny which she's never done before (we've only had him a few months), so he's happy too!

Thanks for the update and advice.

[Donna G]

ShelleyHall - I've just had a thought. What dried food are you giving your bunny? We use Supa Rabbit Excel (dark green packet). It stops selective eating because all the pellets are the same. It's high in fibre and, I'm told, the best on the market. You can buy it at most pet shops. Here's their website: http://www.burgesssupafeeds.co.uk/Pages/excelrabbit.html

[ShellyHall]

Thanks Donna G for your suggestion - I have tried Supa Rabbit Excel (or should I say my bunny has) and my bunny wouldn't eat it.

Glad to hear your bunny is getting better.  Mine has made a full recovery and we haven't had a dirty bottom for nearly two weeks now - i'm keeping my fingers crossed that we've cracked the problem.

My vey said to keep using the probiotic every now and again just to keep things ticking over properly in bunny's gut.