A possible reason for baby poopy butts.

[a7736100]

People often notice big sticky poop in new pet babies. Often it's suggested the problem is in the guts.

I have 2 kits with pea size sticking to the butts and it looked like waste would be blocked. I had planned to soak their butts and clean them. As usual I procrastinated. Next morning I noticed one kit on its back and the mother cleaning the butt. Afterwards it was a completely clean butt. The other kit still had a dirty butt. Next day both had clean butts.

Maybe the problem isn't so much in the guts but that babies haven't learned to clean their butts yet.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

It could be their cecals.

 

[MamaMandy]

Very good points, both of you!

 

[AnnClaire]

I also noticed when the 2-3 week old kits are nursing in the runout pen, the doe will groom their back ends as they are nursing. At the time, I thought, "Oh, that's why they move from teat to teat" ... and several times, the other senior doe would go over and start grooming whichever rear was sticking out from under the nursing doe

 

[LindseysWoolies]

I think it does take time for the babies to learn how to clean themselves.

 

[dragonladyleanne]

Funny what you notice! Today as I was working on the new growout pen, I saw a 5 week old bunny grooming his MOM'S butt! I assumed it was partly getting the cecals, but it was kind of cute. Have I got rabbitosis?
:bunnyhop:

 

[Miss M]

Interesting, and a very good point.

In one of the other current threads, diarrhea-in-nest-box-babies-t11157.html , the diarrhea starts when they're already a week old, and continues now that they are three weeks old, so that is another issue.

But this could very well be the answer for a lot of babies. We just manage to catch them between cleanings. :lol: