Wet hindquarters and urine scald.

[GypsyG]

I have two rabbits that are 5 months old from the same litter that have an unusual bad habbit. They use their bowls like litter boxes and then sit in them, making themselves all gross. I recently found out that a buck that I sold to a friend from the same litter does the same thing.

I have to clean both rabbits up a couple times a week and the constant urine has caused them to loose hair around the base of their tails and the insides of their back legs. I have been putting Bag Balm on the bare patches to prevent scald, but when the rabbits were in my mom's care while I was away for a week, she forgot to apply the bagbalm and I came home to scalded rabbits. Now I fear the potential for flystrike because it is summer and they are outdoors.

Is there any reason that these rabbits would all have developed this same gross habbit? Any suggestions for treatment and prevention of this problem in the future? Should I just cull these rabbits? I had high hopes for them since their sire was my friends champion rex buck who has since passed.

I know that bin feeders will be everyone's first suggestion, but when my father graciously volunteered to build my cages he cut the doors too big and I don't have any place to mount them.

 

[Mini Horses]

can you mount them ON the door? It would be most of the first suggestions, as you say. Otherwise, where else could some fashioned are be made. Until then, consider putting bowls in to feed and removing shortly after?

Maybe a pic of the cage would help us to help you?

 

[GypsyG]

can you mount them ON the door? It would be most of the first suggestions, as you say. Otherwise, where else could some fashioned are be made. Until then, consider putting bowls in to feed and removing shortly after?

Maybe a pic of the cage would help us to help you?

They are basic wire cages with doors that swing inward and hook to the top panel. They are on a metal frame that holds two opposing rows of five.

They don't typically eat all their food at once.

 

[Mini Horses]

They are basic wire cages with doors that swing inward and hook to the top panel. They are on a metal frame that holds two opposing rows of five.

They don't typically eat all their food at once

Could you move the hinges on the door to open differently (maybe out?) which would allow mounting feeders onto a wall that the inside swing would prohibit?

 

[B&B Happy goats]

GypsyG I have had a doe with a litter that had the same habbits...I really think is is in their genes. Any how my solution was to send the doe and kits to freezer camp,....very yummy. and problem was resolved....permanently

 

[GypsyG]

Lol... It must be genetic from the sire side then, because I have had no problems with the mother or any of the kits from her following litter.

 

[GypsyG]

I'd ha

Could you move the hinges on the door to open differently (maybe out?) which would allow mounting feeders onto a wall that the inside swing would prohibit?

It wouldn't be as simple as just remounting the door...I have to take the entire top panel off the cage because the door panels are an inch bigger than the door holes all the way around and were mounted from the inside before the top panel was clipped on. Poor design, I know... But I didn't have to build them myself, so I'm not going to complain.

 

[GypsyG]

GypsyG I have had a doe with a litter that had the same habbits...I really think is is in their genes. Any how my solution was to send the doe and kits to freezer camp,....very yummy. and problem was resolved....permanently

Actually, doing my initial research online I kept coming up with e. cuniculi being associated with urine scald issues... When I found out that it could be passed from mother to kits that scared me since there were so many of them from the same litter with the issues... But the mother has never showed any signs of being unhealthy, her following litter has no problems, and the affected rabbits don't show any other signs like back leg weakness or head tilt. That leads me to believe it is simply caused by lem using their bowl for a toilet then sitting in it. I have been baffled by this behavior because in all my previous experience all my other rabbits are very tidy and keep themselves well groomed.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Actually, doing my initial research online I kept coming up with e. cuniculi being associated with urine scald issues... When I found out that it could be passed from mother to kits that scared me since there were so many of them from the same litter with the issues... But the mother has never showed any signs of being unhealthy, her following litter has no problems, and the affected rabbits don't show any other signs like back leg weakness or head tilt. That leads me to believe it is simply caused by lem using their bowl for a toilet then sitting in it. I have been baffled by this behavior because in all my previous experience all my other rabbits are very tidy and keep themselves well groomed.

I had 1 doe who I deemed "a horrible house keeper" she would poo and wet on anything and everything and everywhere...her kits did the same...she has been processed and her remains are in the septic system.. I won't keep a doe who does that because her kits will also.

 

[GypsyG]

I had 1 doe who I deemed "a horrible house keeper" she would poo and wet on anything and everything and everywhere...her kits did the same...she has been processed and her remains are in the septic system.. I won't keep a doe who does that because her kits will also.

I think I will just off the doe because I am tired of cleaning her stinky messes and the thought of whole litters with her habbits is a nightmare! I think I will try to find a new accomadation for the buck so I can give him a bin feeder and see if that helps. I really want to keep the line because I really coveted my friends buck who sired him and he's the best marked Harliquin rex I have, and the only harliquin rex buck.