# Shocked As To The State of Barney's Rear End



## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

I pride myself in looking after my pets to the best of my ability. However I have neglected Barney since his moult this year. Not on purpose, he has had abnormal moults in the past, but this year it seemed normal and I didn't groom him because his fur was coming away nicely.

Most of the time I am cleaning his hutch out in the dark using torches under the flood light which lights the garden up, not inside his hutch. Yesterday I noticed he had something hanging from his back end, that big it looked like another tail or limb. Even when I touched it, it felt hard. I had a feeling it was a large mat, I knew I either had to try to deal with it or take him to the vets.

I brought him into the house earlier this afternoon and locked the other pets in another room to take a proper look at him. I discovered he had two large mats, not just a mat on the other side of his tail but it was caked in poo.

At the other house he was able to run round the garden so I was able to see any loose fur that needed teasing out. The flood light there was angled to shine into the hutch too, so I could see a lot better.

My husband helped by keeping Barney calm and still while I set to work. I have managed to clean him up, but I am going to make a point of checking him properly from now on by bringing him inside to groom him at least once a week.

Feel free to have a go at me, I have been concentrating on Duke our dog whose skin became infected with scratching. He was under the vet and the vet has given him the all clear but he is still scratching. I have bought some tea tree ointment and shampoo for him. If that doesn't work we are going back to the vets.

I would appreciate any useful information on grooming rabbits including how often. This could have been disastrous had it have been the summer months with flies. I do use rearguard but his back end would have been an ideal breeding ground and I feel sick, that I let him get like that.


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## SammyJo (Oct 22, 2012)

In regards to grooming, it depends what breed he is tbh, long haired buns need grooming more often than short haired buns.

I have a lionhead and a short haired bun, I groom them both every couple of days with a kitten brush. I also check bums etc every day. 

When I was a child I had a bunny who had flystrike, she recovered from it but I will never forget how awful it was, I was only about 7 at the time, but I still remember.


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

Even more shocked now the phone started to ring, I answered it and a message said you have just been called from the RSPCA, sorry we have missed you


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

im not going to have a go at you, whats done is done and you know that you need to keep a better eye on things so it would serve no purpose other then to make you feel bad, which im sure you already do

firstly, the fact that he had poo in the matts suggests to me that this is probably a diet issue, if rabbits get too rich a diet they produce excese cecoatropes, the wet sticky poops which under normal circumstances they re eat, but with too rich a diet, they over produce them. this can lead to them getting the wet poop stuck in their fur around their rear ends when they poop, or sit in the poo corner, which gets worse as they hop around

whats his diet like at the moment? can you talk us through everything he gets, including quantaties and the brand of pellets hes on?

also, a bunny friend would be greatly benificial to him, not only would a friend groom him (and vice versa him to his friend) as part of natural rabbit social behaviour, a bunny never seems to groom itself as much as another bunny will groom them, but it would be a huge benefit to him mentally too, as it sounds like hes spending a lot of time outside on his own lately, which no bunny should have to, they are social animals and crave company, if you cant provide him that then he really needs a friend

also, as its the middle of winter, you really shouldnt bring him inside at all, he will have a nice thick winter coat to cope with the cold, and when you bring him inside, into a nice warm heated house, he can very quickly and very easily over heat, which can be fatal, if you get warm you can take your coat off, he cant


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

I have rung them straight back and still on hold...

They are welcome to come round now or at any time. I haven't clue how or why they have rung.

If I hadn't managed to remove the mats I would have taken him to the vets.

Funny though the rain cover over Barney's hutch has a see through front, so when it is windy or raining I pull it down and fasten it using the velcro straps attached. Friday this had been folded back on top of his hutch, I assumed the wind had blown it back - I'm not so sure now.

I am going to have to hang up and try to contact the RSPCA tomorrow.


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

Lil Miss said:


> im not going to have a go at you, whats done is done and you know that you need to keep a better eye on things so it would serve no purpose other then to make you feel bad, which im sure you already do
> 
> firstly, the fact that he had poo in the matts suggests to me that this is probably a diet issue, if rabbits get too rich a diet they produce excese cecoatropes, the wet sticky poops which under normal circumstances they re eat, but with too rich a diet, they over produce them. this can lead to them getting the wet poop stuck in their fur around their rear ends when they poop, or sit in the poo corner, which gets worse as they hop around
> 
> ...


I don't intend to get another rabbit, I took him on because he was neglected, he came to us while his owners went on holiday and stayed.

He is a large short haired mix breed, I feed him Burgess light as he has big appetite and I feel comfortable feeding him as much as he needs without the worry of him getting fat. He has fresh vegetables every day, fresh herbs twice week and treat once or twice a week. I fill his living area with fresh hay everyday and check his water bottle every day. He was checked by the vet early November he weighs just over 5k the vet confirmed he is not fat, just a large rabbit. I haven't seen much of the wet poo in his hutch most of the time I don't see any. What was on his fur mat looked like squashed dry poo, the wet stuff looks like proper poo whereas the dry poo looks like tiny compressed hay balls

I was aware of the change in temperatures so I had already turned the heating off, which was why I groomed him early this afternoon.

I was so shocked as to how quickly his fur had matted.


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Hi, 

You've been more honest than most would be, and I'm glad your were able to clean bun up.

As he's had a problem, I think you should check him at least once a day, to see if he is getting messy again, and keep the hutch extra clean. 

Does he have space to run and move about, so he's not sitting in his own poo? 

Some buns get tummy problems on Burgess pellets. It may be wise to consider changing to something higher in fibre such as Science Selective - but do it gradually.


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## Guest (Dec 10, 2012)

sskmick said:


> I don't intend to get another rabbit, I took him on because he was neglected, he came to us while his owners went on holiday and stayed.
> 
> He is a large short haired mix breed, I feed him Burgess light as he has big appetite and I feel comfortable feeding him as much as he needs without the worry of him getting fat. He has fresh vegetables every day, fresh herbs twice week and treat once or twice a week. I fill his living area with fresh hay everyday and check his water bottle every day. He was checked by the vet early November he weighs just over 5k the vet confirmed he is not fat, just a large rabbit. I haven't seen much of the wet poo in his hutch most of the time I don't see any. What was on his fur mat looked like squashed dry poo, the wet stuff looks like proper poo whereas the dry poo looks like tiny compressed hay balls
> 
> ...


You are feeding him far, far too much. A rabbits diet should consist of 80-90% hay, pellets should only make up around 2% of the diet.

The poo in his matts *will* be excess cecotropes AND dry poop, you need to address his diet otherwise this will keep happening especially as he is getting older because he won't be able to keep himself as clean.

Reduce his food *slowly* until he is on roughly an egg cup full a day and veg once a day (small selection), that way he will eat more hay which will stop him over producing cecotropes, will help with dental wear and reduce the risk of him putting on too much weight as he gets slower as he ages.

I hope you reconsider getting him a companion, rabbits are extremely social animals and bonded animals tend to live a longer life because the stress caused by being kept alone takes it's toll over time.
If you really can't get him a friend have you thought about homing him to someone who can offer him a friend?

You are after all breaking one of the 5 freedoms in the welfare act by keeping him alone.

_(2)For the purposes of this Act, an animal's needs shall be taken to include
(a)its need for a suitable environment,
(b)its need for a suitable diet,
(c)its need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns,
(d)any need it has to be housed with, or apart from, other animals, and
(e)its need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease._

Animal Welfare Act 2006


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

B3rnie said:


> You are feeding him far, far too much. A rabbits diet should consist of 80-90% hay, pellets should only make up around 2% of the diet.
> 
> The poo in his matts *will* be excess cecotropes AND dry poop, you need to address his diet otherwise this will keep happening especially as he is getting older because he won't be able to keep himself as clean.
> 
> ...


second this ^

you are feeding him far too many pellets which will be the cause of the poo problem, if you address his diet you will find the matting will stop

i really hope you do re consider getting him a friend, no bun should every have to be alone, they are very social animals and crave company, think about how many hours hes outside on his own, day in, day out, how would you feel in his posistion, if you really arent able to provide him with a friend, which every bun needs, maybe as bernie said,, its best if you consider rehoming him to some one who can, some one with more time for him and a friend


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

If a bun is overweight, they are often unable to reach under to eat their caecotrophs (soft poo). Then they can sit on them. 

I wonder if bun has put on weight since your last vet visit? Perhaps you take bun in for a weight check - our vets do it for free. If bun needs to lose weight, do reduce food gradually, as rapid weight loss can have serious health implications. Lots of of hay is good for digestion and teeth.

Re Duke. Long shot - I dont suppose you use shake and vac on the carpet? That can irritate.


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

B3rnie said:


> You are feeding him far, far too much. A rabbits diet should consist of 80-90% hay, pellets should only make up around 2% of the diet.
> 
> The poo in his matts *will* be excess cecotropes AND dry poop, you need to address his diet otherwise this will keep happening especially as he is getting older because he won't be able to keep himself as clean.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your opinion, he is eating hay, plus Burgess light, and fresh vegetables. I find the more veg he eats the less Burgess he eats.

I don't believe I am breaking any welfare freedoms, I am constantly seeing rabbits up for adoption because they don't get on with other rabbits. He isn't showing any signs of stress, he is a friendly chap who loves his cuddles and was content with me clearing his matts. As soon as my husband said he isn't happy now I stopped but at that point, I was only checking I had cleared both matts and that the rest of his fur was okay.

He is almost 4 years old and has had a clean bill of health from vet early November. At 4 I would not want him to undergo anesthesia for the purpose of neutering just in case he will bond with another rabbit.

Correct me if I am wrong but once bonded rabbits cannot then be separated not even for a trip to the vets as they can display aggression towards one another and have to be re-bonded.

No I am not a perfect rabbit owner, I took him on because he was badly neglected and would not have lived very much longer if I hadn't have stepped in. I spend as much time as I can with him that includes every morning and every evening, weekends I can spend more time with him.

The reason I felt responsible for him was because I bought him for my step-daughter who wanted a pet for our grandson allegedly, he was 2 at the time. I tried to put her off, but she was adamant she wanted a rabbit. She rang me and asked me to take her to the pet shop for a rabbit. I also bought the hutch as they only had enough money for a hutch suitable for a guinea pig. Fortunately the pet shop told us they cannot sell us that particular hutch for a rabbit as it is too small. It obviously looked big enough when Barney was a baby - anyway I bought a two tier hutch 5' maybe 6' long 2' wide and hubby and son-in-law built him a large run that attached to the hutch.

After less than a year when he came to live with us that hutch had to be thrown away and I bought him another two tier hutch and a run to attach to it.

Have I thought about re-homing him - yes, but because of what he went through in his early life - no, because I may make mistakes but I learn from them. I cannot guarantee anyone else will care for him better than me. I have had him for almost three years. He is up to date with his vaccinations, I use Rear Guard to protect him against fly strike and so far as I am aware he has a good diet, which includes pieces of apple which I forgot to mention last time.

In general I do meet his needs and trust me there will not be a repeat of mats on him again.


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Like I said before, you were very honest, and I believe you will stay on top of the matting. You will soon spot if he has an underlying digestive problem that is causing him to produce excess caecotrophs. 

Just for interest, yes - some buns can "divorce" very easily, but when we take a bun to the vets, we always take the bonded group - ours are in 2s and 3s. The vets are happy with it, as it is less stressful and aids recovery. 

Only occasionally do we leave a bun at home, and that is always due to their own health problems. Then, we take them in a carrier and reunite them on the homeward journey.

It would be better for bun to have a friend if poss -another needy bun maybe. Four is still relatively young age for a GA. We have several dental buns, the oldest being seven, and they have regular gGs to have spurs burred down - nothing to do with poor diet, just genetics.


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

I have three rabbits that weigh 5 kg each. I use supreme science selective as I have had probs with burgess in the past. They get prob an egg cup and a half each twice a day, lots of hay ( real high quality stuff) and maybe a small amount of veg twice a week, spring greens mostly. Having rece
Recently fostered a bun that had to have surgery after severe fly strike I would say weight, over feeding of pellets and too many veg especially carrots are the things to think about if your bun has a grotty bum. If they are overweight they can't clean their bum. Check for urine scald too if they can't clean themselves. Hope you find an answer


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## Guest (Dec 10, 2012)

sskmick said:


> Thank you for your opinion, he is eating hay, plus Burgess light, and fresh vegetables. I find the more veg he eats the less Burgess he eats.
> 
> It might be worth switching to Science Selective or Allen & Page Natural as Burgess has been known to cause excess cecotropes and both brands I recommend have a higher crude fibre content. But I would work on reducing the pellets first because too much change can be detrimental to the guts.
> 
> ...


You meet most of his needs, but being an outside rabbit it really isn't fair to keep him in a solitary life. My buns are always cuddling up and and comforting each other and they don't have to keep warm due to being inside, your boy doesn't have that and is outside where he can hear and smell predators and has no one to keep warm with.
Try imagining how lonely you would feel if you were locked in a room for several hours (during your most active time) on your own and only being let out and played with for a few hours a day by someone that doesn't speak your language.
Would be a lonely life, no?


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

Fortunately he doesn't have excess wet poo, nor does he have a mucky bum. If he did I would have been straight to the vets for advice as rabbits can dehydrate very quickly especially with the runs.

The poo that was on one of the mats looked like he has squashed a poo ball, it wasn't plastered on him or inbeded in his fur. His bum is clean, while I was grooming him he dropped a couple of normal poo balls. I don't intend to change his diet or amounts as we haven't had a problem, so far but if we do run into problems I will change his diet. Thanks for the tip on the Science Selective and Allan & Page Natural.

I do take onboard what you are saying about a rabbit needing a companion however, that itsn't going to happen. He will have to make do with the company he has - us, the dog and the cats.

The mistake I made was not checking that all his fur had come away after his moult. As he usually has an abnormal moult, so I am very keen to ensure his fur is groomed but this moult looked to be normal and his fur was coming away easily so I didn't check as carefully as I should have. Fortunately at the weekend, I did see he had two white spots of fur either side of his tail and I wondered what it was, it looked like fur that hadn't come away, that's when I discovered they were two mats of fur. 

The advice I was seeking was on grooming, how often do people groom rabbits, I check his bum daily from around February/March, which is when I use the first treatment of RearGuard but I don't tend to groom him until the moult around July/August - the brush I bought specifically for rabbits is rubbish. This time I had to use a grooming brush/comb that I use for my cat (a Ragdoll). After the moult until Feburary I just check his bum area every now and again. Howveer now I will be making a point of checking his fur regularly.

I have read up a bit about rabbits and I was surprised that while some rabbits have a life expectancy of 5 years others can live well into their teens. He is a Giant mix (I mentioned large mix, but the vet told me he is a Giant mix). I hope he will be with us for a long time to come.


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## Guest (Dec 11, 2012)

sskmick said:


> Fortunately he doesn't have excess wet poo, nor does he have a mucky bum. If he did I would have been straight to the vets for advice as rabbits can dehydrate very quickly especially with the runs.
> 
> The poo that was on one of the mats looked like he has squashed a poo ball, it wasn't plastered on him or inbeded in his fur. His bum is clean, while I was grooming him he dropped a couple of normal poo balls. I don't intend to change his diet or amounts as we haven't had a problem, so far but if we do run into problems I will change his diet. Thanks for the tip on the Science Selective and Allan & Page Natural.
> 
> ...





> not just a mat on the other side of his tail but it was caked in poo.


= mucky bum, your rabbit does get a mucky bum (produce excess cecotropes) otherwise poo would NOT be stuck in matts, dry poo does not stick. I was not talking about the runs, if I was I would have given you much different advice. Rabbits are supposed to produce cecotropes but if the protein levels are wrong they will over produce them.
Your rabbit is over producing cecotropes due to the brand and the amount of pellets you are feeding, just because he is a large breed doesn't mean he needs more pellets, he needs more hay and forage.

As for the grooming a healthy rabbit will need no more than a wet hand to pick up excess hair when you check them over, but if you get the diet sorted you won't have to worry about poo matts 
Only long haired or cashmere/angoras need grooming regularly, short haired rabbits can keep themselves clean if the conditions are right.


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## Louiseandfriends (Aug 21, 2011)

All I can say is listen to the other guys! They know what's best. 

_*It is unkind and cruel to stop natural bun behaviours.*_ Pleaseeeee get him a friend. 2 buns are honestly no more work than 1! How would you like it if you had to live most of your life alone and the only 'friends' you had spook a different language. If you can't do this, please give him to someone who can provide him with a friend. Choices should be made in his interest, not yours. xx


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

i dont tend to need to groom my boys, i dampen my hands in water, rub them together and run my hands back and forth over the rabits coat to lift loose hair, their feet get a bit clumpy cos they have thick coats, and they get tufty bums that i pluck....until they run off. I never have to brush them to be honest, they seem to be able to groom themselves or each other and not have a problem.


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## Tao2 (Sep 9, 2012)

I don't need to groom mine either. They are short haired though. I also never use rearguard. I am sure it is useful for rabbits with health problems that prevent them grooming but if a rabbit is healthy and has a healthy diet, I don't think it is necessary.


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## Kammie (Apr 4, 2009)

I don't usually groom my lot either, with the exception of George who needed to be plucked because of his huge moult this time. He now just looks like he had all his fur clipped where the new fur is growing. Look at my recent thread for picture of what I got off of him, I got more yesterday too and he'll need a bit more done in a few days probably when the rest of the fur loosens.


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## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

My lot arn't groomed either, they just groom each other and themselves. They don't need rearguard because they never have dirty bums


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

All ours are short haired, although a couple have little lionhead manes.

We don't groom them as they don't need it, but when certain buns go into mega moult, we do "pluck" excess hair off, so they don't ingest when grooming.

Obviously it's dfferent for longhaired buns, or for buns with health problems, who are unable to keep themselves clean and tidy.

We don't use rearguard here, just try and keep everything super clean and the flies at bay, and check buns regularly.


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## Guest (Dec 12, 2012)

Summersky said:


> We don't use rearguard here, just try and keep everything super clean and the flies at bay, and check buns regularly.


I still have the bottle of Rearguard that Bluey's owners gave me when they handed him over 4 years ago :dita:
I really should throw that in the bin :lol:


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

I have just read your opinions on Rearguard, not being necessary, I use it as a precaution as I do with flea treatment on the dog. I should have been posting on here a long time ago. I thought I was doing right by Barney. 

Good news guys, I have had a lengthy chat with my husband who was adamant I couldn't have another rabbit, he reminded me that I said I wouldn't choose a rabbit as a pet. I said I wouldn't I know very little about them but have but under the circumstances we have ended up with Barney and apparently rabbits can live well into their teens, he said a rabbits teens I said no our teens, he has another good 10 years. That is a long time to live on his own. He still said no, why don't we rehome him to someone with rabbits who will be able to meet his needs. I said I couldn't do that I actually love him, that would be too hard for me.

I told him another rabbit will not cost us anymore as I am overfeeding Barney. He said it will be more work, I said it won't I clear the hutch out every day, okay there will be more poo but that doesn't mean I have to do a full clean twice a day.

He then said, you have already made your mind up haven't you. I said I have for Barney's sake, I didn't realise the impact of keeping one rabbit nor the length of time they can live for.

I think it is best to wait until Spring no doubt rescues keep rabbits indoors whereas Springtime will allow the new arrival time to climatise. I know I will not be able to choose a particular rabbit, and no disrepect to anyone but it doesn't really matter I will grow to love the new arrival as I have with Barney.

I will need to know of rabbit rescues as close to Leeds as possible that offer the full service of neutering and bonding. I am assuming it is during that time that I will need to get a new home for them so they are both in new surroundings and Barney will not feel it is his sole territory.

This isn't a spur of the moment decision, I had been thinking about another rabbit for a while but for selfish reasons, because I see a particular rabbit that I really fall for and want and I feel I can give a good home to. However my thread has opened my eyes alot. I am glad I posted my thread, I want to be not just a good pet owner but be able to offer my pets the best I can.

I have started today to reduce Barney's food to half a bag of veg instead of the full bag, I still give him a full bowl of pellets but I don't intend to top it up during the same day. I intend to reduce his pellet intake to half a bowl a day and I am changing his pellet food this weekend to one of the brands recommended to me, I will do that gradually by mixing it at first, unless you guys feel I should do a straight switch from Burgess to the new stuff.

As much as some of the post are harsh, I have taken onboard your advice as I only have Barney's interests at heart, and I wish to thank you all for your input.


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## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

That is such great news sskmick  well done for taking on board what is best for your bunny 
You will need to introduce the new food gradually, over a week or two really 

Its a good idea to wait until spring for the new one, and also a good idea for new accomodation or if you would like to keep what he has now it will need to be disinfected and sprayed with white vinegar solution 

*Heidi*


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## Tao2 (Sep 9, 2012)

Well done for sticking with us!! I know some of the comments may have seemed critical but the posters all have the best interest of the rabbit at heart. Lesser mortals though, would not have come back, you are clearly made of sterner stuff!

I think a friend for Barney is a good idea, but waiting a while will also give you (and him) time to improve and get used to his new diet, which should also sort out any mucky bum issues.

Just thinking about feeding amounts, I notice looking back through the posts advice saying an egg cup full of pellets per day, I wonder if that is correct because he is a large rabbit? I feed my mini lops an egg cup full but they are only tiny rabbits? Do you know roughly how much Barney weighs so perhaps someone can advise exactly how much to feed him? Also, as you reduce the pellets, he should be consuming more hay. I find my rabbits are fussy about hay and like to eat it fresh, so I keep give them fresh throughout the day and evening rather than in 1 or 2 meals, I think they are more likely to eat it that way.


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2012)

That's awesome news, rep coming your way 
As I said feel free to pm anytime


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

I reckonif you get his diet sorted his bum will be so much better, have you not got him litter trained cos that makes cleaning out so much easier?
I ust megazorb in a big tray & all I do is tip that out and clean and fill up again, it takes seconds, much easier than cleaning a full hutch out. If you place it in their normal toilet corner they take to it really well & will make life a lot easier!


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Great news that Barney will get his friend.

We're all on a learning curve here, however much we think we know. That's why it's so great to share what we know. 

We put newspaper and hay in an underbed storage box. Buns poo as they eat, and they wee in a corner of the box. Much easier to empty and clean.

Some people put a hay tray over the litter tray for same effect.


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## Louiseandfriends (Aug 21, 2011)

That's good that you're taking our advice on board.  I agree, it can appear a little harsh at times, but all we want is the best for you and Barney.  xx


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

Tao2 said:


> Well done for sticking with us!! I know some of the comments may have seemed critical but the posters all have the best interest of the rabbit at heart. Lesser mortals though, would not have come back, you are clearly made of sterner stuff!
> 
> I think a friend for Barney is a good idea, but waiting a while will also give you (and him) time to improve and get used to his new diet, which should also sort out any mucky bum issues.
> 
> Just thinking about feeding amounts, I notice looking back through the posts advice saying an egg cup full of pellets per day, I wonder if that is correct because he is a large rabbit? I feed my mini lops an egg cup full but they are only tiny rabbits? Do you know roughly how much Barney weighs so perhaps someone can advise exactly how much to feed him? Also, as you reduce the pellets, he should be consuming more hay. I find my rabbits are fussy about hay and like to eat it fresh, so I keep give them fresh throughout the day and evening rather than in 1 or 2 meals, I think they are more likely to eat it that way.


When the vet weighed him he was in excess of 5k, the vet confirmed he was a big rabbit but not fat. He also confirmed he was in good health including his teeth. I intend to cut his pellets down to half a bowl and basically play it by ear. This morning he got his usual full bowl of pellets and three medium size carrots and obviously plenty of Hay. I have not topped his bowl up this evening, in fact I think he was annoyed because he had thrown his bowl down to the bottom part of his hutch.

We shop for the pets on Saturday morning at 11:00am (happy hour) we get 10% discount and points. I will get him the recommended food then.

I knew when I posted I would be in for a rocket, but I also knew I would get the advice I needed to care for Barnley properly.

Many thanks for your input.

Sue


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

B3rnie said:


> That's awesome news, rep coming your way
> As I said feel free to pm anytime


I will certainly hold you to that, you have been a rock. The advice you have given me is second to none. Thank you.


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

Lopside said:


> I reckonif you get his diet sorted his bum will be so much better, have you not got him litter trained cos that makes cleaning out so much easier?
> I ust megazorb in a big tray & all I do is tip that out and clean and fill up again, it takes seconds, much easier than cleaning a full hutch out. If you place it in their normal toilet corner they take to it really well & will make life a lot easier!


I have never felt the need to litter train him, he uses a particular corner which is right at the front of the hutch, thinking about it, it may be easy to train him if I were to put a corner litter tray there.

He still drops poo balls here and there too, so I'm not too sure it would make it easier for me. Worth a try though eh

Would I be introducing too many changes all at once, I feel his diet should take precident - what do you think?


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

Louiseandfriends said:


> That's good that you're taking our advice on board.  I agree, it can appear a little harsh at times, but all we want is the best for you and Barney.  xx


... and I am grateful. I wasn't sure hubby would go for another rabbit. The new arrival will mean we will have six pets, awful lot of money when we board them all. Yes we have considered everything. If there is anything we have missed I know I can rely on you guys to put suggestions forward.

Many thanks

Sue


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2012)

sskmick said:


> I have never felt the need to litter train him, he uses a particular corner which is right at the front of the hutch, thinking about it, it may be easy to train him if I were to put a corner litter tray there.
> 
> He still drops poo balls here and there too, so I'm not too sure it would make it easier for me. Worth a try though eh
> 
> Would I be introducing too many changes all at once, I feel his diet should take precident - what do you think?


Get yourself an under the bed storage box, because he is a big bun he will need a big litter tray. And I found those corner trays to be too small for my big guys.

If you stick loads of hay in it then he will sit and eat whilst peeing 

Once he is neutered (if the vet gives the all clear) you will find litter training much, much easier because he wouldn't feel the need to mark his territory


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

B3rnie said:


> Get yourself an under the bed storage box, because he is a big bun he will need a big litter tray. And I found those corner trays to be too small for my big guys.
> 
> If you stick loads of hay in it then he will sit and eat whilst peeing
> 
> Once he is neutered (if the vet gives the all clear) you will find litter training much, much easier because he wouldn't feel the need to mark his territory


Do I have to take him to get him neutered - I was hoping the rescue would neuter him. Obviously I will have to pay. Oh eck, how do you keep a rabbit from getting infected after being neutered. The thought of the hay and straw round his sore bits. Poor little sod. How long is the recovery time. Perhaps I should have started another thread.


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2012)

sskmick said:


> Do I have to take him to get him neutered - I was hoping the rescue would neuter him. Obviously I will have to pay. Oh eck, how do you keep a rabbit from getting infected after being neutered. The thought of the hay and straw round his sore bits. Poor little sod. How long is the recovery time. Perhaps I should have started another thread.


Yup, you can ask the rescue who they use to neuter so you know you have a rabbit savvy vet 

It is best to keep him in overnight after neutering because the effects of the GA stop him being able to regulate his temperature. You can keep him in a large dog crate with newspaper (or vet bed) and then plenty of hay and water and then he can go back out the next day.
For this reason it is best to get him neutered once the weather starts to warm up so that the temperature difference isn't too great for him.

Vets use dissolving sutures and/or glue so all you have to do is make sure he doesn't obsess with the wound (don't let a vet put on a bucket collar, rabbits really don't cope well with these), and check that it is clean and healing well.
You will have a post op checkup at the vets to make sure things are healing correctly so hopefully within a few days he won't notice anything is missing 

So long as you get a vet that is experienced with rabbits it will be a very straight forward op


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

I'd watch giving him that many carrots. My lot weigh 5 kg ish each and if they get a tiny chantenay carrot once a week they're lucky. I feed mostly spring greens. Carrots are very sugary. Tonight mine have all had a sprig of basil each  and loads of Ings Hay!


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