(aka "Sticky bum syndrome")
Revised November 2001
"My rabbit always has caecal droppings stuck to her bottom. What could be wrong?"
Caecotrophs are dark, smelly, shiny soft droppings that rabbits eat as they emerge from the anus, so many owners rarely see them. It’s normal to find caecotrophs occasionally, but if you frequently find them either in the litter tray, on the floor or on the rabbit, something is wrong.
• Can your rabbit reach her bottom?
Fat and elderly rabbits (especially females with large dewlaps) may not be able
to reach their bottom.
• Do the teeth hurt?
Rabbits with painful mouths won’t eat their caecal pellets and they don’t
groom themselves properly either, so they may have messy fur.
• Does the rabbit have
worms?
Some rabbit owners report that sticky bum problems clear up after the rabbit
is wormed. Pet rabbits can get worms (usually if fed on greenfood collected
from areas frequented by wild rabbits) but clinical problems are supposed to
be rare.
• Does the diet need to be adjusted?
This is the commonest cause of problems: rabbits eating a badly balanced diet,
or simply too much food, over-produce caecal droppings and don’t eat the
excess.
The first step in a bunny with a persistently dirty bottom is a trip to the vet for a health check, including inspection of the back teeth and a microscopic examination of droppings. Dental problems or parasites need treating; stiff and arthritic bunnies may benefit from pain relieving drugs and physiotherapy. Dirty bottoms pose a big risk for fly strike - keep the area clean by daily botty-baths, using a mild diluted kitten shampoo, or diluted Hibiscrub (from the vet).
Feeding for health
Sticky bums occur in several situations:
• Too much protein or carbohydrate
• Too little fibre
• Too much of a well balanced diet.
It’s not always easy to identify exactly what is causing the problem. For example, a rabbit fed on a low protein food has to eat large quantities to obtain enough protein and as a result eats too much carbohydrate. Rabbits are designed to browse on grass and fibrous plants. An adult pet rabbit typically needs 13–15% protein and at least 20% fibre. Most rabbit foods (including "complete" foods) must be fed with hay to raise the total dietary fibre to 20%+. A healthy diet for most bunnies is based on unlimited hay plus limited quantities of a good quality rabbit food. Bunnies that need to lose weight can live perfectly well on hay and water alone!
The "Hay and Veggie" diet is a logical extension of this concept. By mimicking the diet of the wild rabbit it is exactly what rabbits are designed to eat and is often very helpful in rabbits with sticky bums. Unlimited hay is fed with a wide variety of vegetables and greenfoods, plus very small amounts of mix or pellets. Any change in diet must be made over at least a week, buffered by unlimited good quality hay. Once their guts have adapted to greenfood most rabbits happily much through a pile of greens the size of themselves each day! Rabbits that refuse to eat hay are quite a problem - you may need to obtain a more specialised diet designed for laboratory or meat rabbits to find one with sufficient fibre. Don’t feed a vitamin/mineral supplement except on specific veterinary advice: a varied greens and hay based diet should contain everything your rabbit needs.
This article first appeared in Rabbiting On, the journal of the British Houserabbit Association, in Spring 1999. It was written by Dr Linda Dykes and Owen Davies BVSc MRCVS. This version was revised by Linda Dykes in November 2001.
This information is brought to you by the Rabbit Welfare Fund - the charitable wing of the Rabbit Welfare Association. If you love rabbits, please consider supporting the Rabbit Welfare Fund. You can make a donation, or you may like to join the RWA. The £17.50 adult subscription includes a subscription to "Rabbiting On", a fabulous quarterly magazine packed with health, behaviour and care advice to help you build a wonderful relationship with your bunny - whether s/he lives indoors or out.
Copyright © BHRA 2000/2001