Bunny with mucky bum!

[arfur]

Got our one year old bunny out this morning and checked her over as usual but noticed she had a big solid lump of poo (sorry if tmi) stuck to her. Soaked it off with warm water and cleaned her up while she lay like a baby in my arms (not like her at all) and she is now hopping around her run happily. Am now wondering if I should put some sort of weak antiseptic on her bits as she looked a bit swollen to me or do you think I should just leave her and keep checking her bum? Obviously would take her to vets if she seemed distressed but is this something that just happens to bunnies sometimes? Any advice appreciated TIA

I wouldn't put antiseptic on her bum but give her a good daily clean with warm water. The problem is if flies go near her bum they can lay eggs and then maggots If poss put net curtain or similar across the inside of the cage door where the metal grill is. This is usually enough to stop flies getting in.

Yup, as magnolia says, v imp to keep them clear as foul things happen!! But wouldn't worry too much about her lying in your arms like a baby - our rabbits always lurrrved to be held like this - you can actually trance bunnies if you hold them like that and stroke their noses - they go really wierd and floppy - a great party trick if you don't mind exploiting dumb animals

She is quite fluffy tho I wouldnt say long-haired as such but she's never had this before - thanks for advice will keep an eye on her and [gag emoticon] for maggots - my dh is always joking about checking her bum for maggots, I thought he was having me on! YUK! I am assuming it would be fairly obvious if they were there - certainly couldnt see anything like that?

if you caught it quibkly (sounds like you did) I'm sure she'll be fine - it's much more of a problem in hot weather. and yes, truely foul - they burrow into the flesh apparently ...
wanders off to be sick at thought of cute little bunny-maggot-bum

eeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwww

If it's just happened for the first time, has anything changed? - it can happen if the diet has changed & she's producing stickier poo - has she stopped going out on grass so often because of the weather? Our very fluffy lop usually cleaned herself up, but had problems when we changed her food,when we changed back she was OK until just before she died when she became unable to reach to clean herself up

Yes she has been out on the grass less because of the weather - she has been just getting exercise by having the run on the patio instead. Do you think I should give her grass to eat then?

It might help to give her a bit, or some dandelions, with her dry food.

If you need to wash her bum make sure she's absolutely dry with a hairdryer on a cool low setting. Wet bottoms waft a lovely aroma to attract the flies and they lay eggs that can hatch in a matter of hours and ultimately eat floppsy alive. I should know, it happened to Flower my kids rabbit a few years ago. She had to be PTS as the damage was too bad. I thought by washing her I was helping! Guess I learned the hard way.

happens a lot with rabbits, as they usually get a friend to do this for them. we had to do it lots to my last rabbit, who did NOT lay quietly - rabbit poo flicked all over the kitchen!
dh won't let me have another one ever.