Natural remedies for poopy butt in kits?

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Smith's Rabbits

Smith's Rabbits

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I am looking for something to give my rabbits to help firm up their poop. Though the droppings I find are all solid, my young kits are always having poopy butt especially between 3 and 5 weeks old. I get tired of having to keep cleaning them up and so I wonder if there is something I could simply add to their feed to help to keep them solid during this time. Right now they get free choice pellets (17-18%) free choice timothy hay, with a handfull of oat hay (helps the does with producing milk, but the babies love it too) We rarely if ever give any thing green during this time and if we do its not enough to make a difference, they also usually share a apple/strawberry puff every few days (like the baby fruit puffs) make great bunny treats.
 
Old fashioned rolled oats, like Quaker oatmeal? That helps with firming up poopy butt.
 
You might back off on the pellets and also supplement with rolled oats. Dandelion is good for diarrhea and overall digestion, and there are other weeds that are helpful, but I don't know them off the top of my head.

This thread has a related discussion:

some-problems-with-young-need-opinions-t7072.html

Oh, hi there, OAF... you beat me to the post I see! :)
 
Okay, this is just my opinion so feel free to ignore it. To me, 17-18% feed is too rich for young rabbits. Sure you get faster growth, but if you are losing some to GI problems, are you really any further ahead?

Try feeding timothy hay or grass hay in the morning along with kitchen oatmeal. Free choice hay and a reasonable amount of oats. In the evening, when they have been nibbling all day, give them a measured amount of pellets. I can't help you on quantities because I have not fed pellets in years. Maybe someone else can help there.

Green feed can be a problem or a blessing. There are many greens that are perfectly safe and actually help prevent poopy butt. The leaves of raspberry, blackberry and strawberry are all excellent, as are the lawn weeds plantain and shepherd's purse. Dandelions are very healthful and nutritious, but are slightly laxative and should be fed to youngsters along with some of the other ones I have listed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsella_bursa-pastoris
 
MamaSheepdog":zukrttn3 said:
You might back off on the pellets and also supplement with rolled oats. Dandelion is good for diarrhea and overall digestion, and there are other weeds that are helpful, but I don't know them off the top of my head.

This thread has a related discussion:

some-problems-with-young-need-opinions-t7072.html

Oh, hi there, OAF... you beat me to the post I see! :)
Click to expand...
As soon as i read ,,,free choice pellets. I new right there. Mamasheepdog is right and so is maggie. I use to do this myself. BUt i learned the hard way and no longer do this. I use to measure feed in the morning and at night. Now i only do it at night feedings. I measure to what they need. If it is a mom with a litter of 5 at 4 weeks old. All they get is one cup. And i stuff there hay rack with grass hay. THey next morning the pellets are gone.But i dont give more pellets. ONly hay. No pooppy but. It works.<br /><br />__________ Thu Apr 19, 2012 5:33 pm __________<br /><br />
 
I have never had poopy-butt problems either, and I feed pretty much the way Maggie says. I have never been able to find any but 16% pellets, so this may also be a factor. First feed of the morning is hay and my grain mix. I feed all 28 holes and then go back to the first fed and give them fresh greens and weeds. Lastly, I feed pellets to does with kits. In the evening I feed weeds again and then pellets. I started topping off hay in the cages that needed it last night, but up until now hay was only given in the morning. I typically go through about 2-3 flakes of hay between all of the rabbits, so they all get a pretty large amount and usually have some left at the evening feeding.

MaggieJ thank you for the clarification on dandelion- since it is a "tummy herb" I thought it was good for loose stools.
 
Dandelions are great in a mix of greens. But I know some people feed wet dandelions to rabbits that they suspect may be developing a blockage. I never feed just one plant unless it is strictly medicinal. Feeding a variety is, in my opinion, both safer and more nutritious.
 
Right now mine aren't getting much variety- wild mustard, assd. grasses, and filaree are about all that is on the menu. The garden should be going pretty soon, and that will help a lot. I tried giving catnip to all but nursing/prego does, and the bunnies were not impressed.
 
My rabbits won't eat catnip either. But it has a use... Keeping flies and mosquitoes away from the rabbits. Gather big bunches, bruise it and hang in the rabbitry or lay atop the cages. It really does help!
 
MaggieJ":3t2k1ek7 said:
catnip has a use... Keeping flies and mosquitoes away. Gather big bunches, bruise it and hang. It really does help!
Click to expand...

I think I am going to do this at each entryway to the house, and I will also try bruising the leaves and rubbing them on us and the critters as a pest repellant.
 

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