Not sure what is wrong

[philothea]

I did my evening check of the rabbits to feed/water and make sure everyone was handling the heat ok (tough day today). My red NZ jr buck was just not looking right. He was hot (despite the fans and water bottle) but something didn't seem right. I looked at his tray below and some of his poop was a bit on the tiny side (no mucus or anything like that). I pulled him out and flipped him over. He had some wetness on the tail, but not much but on the very tip of his penis it is very red (just the first 1mm). Not sure what is wrong and if that is just bothering him (no teeth grinding).

I did give him a cold tile to lay on for the first time today. Any ideas? He is my only NZ buck so I need to keep him healthy.

 

[Miss M]

I would put some antibiotic on his penis just to try to keep anything that may be going on from getting worse, while you figure out what's the matter.

Does he have a normal number of poops? Tiny poops, if I'm not mistaken, could be indicative of wool block or dehydration. Maybe take him off pellets for a couple of days, and feed only hay and rolled oats, and maybe put electrolytes in his water, and watch him like a hawk.

You could mist him with water, or hold ice cubes inside his ears (wrap his ears around the ice cubes).

 

[philothea]

He was doing better this morning, normal poop and more active. The penis still looks the same. What kind of antibiotic can I use on it? It is basically a dark red bump at the tip of the penis a little more to one side than the other.

 

[paradox]

This may be a stupid thought, but could it be a simple ant bite or chigger bite? You said there was an actual bump, that makes me think bite. Would not explain the other symptoms but it is always possible more than one thing is going on.

 

[Miss M]

It could be a little bite...

I would just use a little Neosporin on it... or, if you think it might be a bite, maybe hydrocortisone instead.

Glad he seems to be doing better.

 

[paradox]

I would be careful with cortisone on that area. This is probably TMI but I have to explain it to tell you how I know it LOL. My son once had a horrible case of chiggers on his penis. Picked them up crawling around in the grass and they like to go to dark and damp places so the diaper area was perfect. Generally itchy bite automatically equals hydrocortisone. But when it would not get better and then the whole thing swelled up, we went to a doctor. The doctor said never use that on genitals or even nipple areas as the skin is thinner and it absorbs more readily which makes it more like giving someone a shot or pill of steroids rather than it just soothing the skin. I am sure in an adult it wouldn't be as big a deal because of body mass, but on a small child it is a no no. I imagine it would be quite a dose of steroids for a rabbit since they are even smaller. Just a thought.

 

[Cottie]

I would be careful with cortisone on that area. This is probably TMI but I have to explain it to tell you how I know it LOL. My son once had a horrible case of chiggers on his penis. Picked them up crawling around in the grass and they like to go to dark and damp places so the diaper area was perfect. Generally itchy bite automatically equals hydrocortisone. But when it would not get better and then the whole thing swelled up, we went to a doctor. The doctor said never use that on genitals or even nipple areas as the skin is thinner and it absorbs more readily which makes it more like giving someone a shot or pill of steroids rather than it just soothing the skin. I am sure in an adult it wouldn't be as big a deal because of body mass, but on a small child it is a no no. I imagine it would be quite a dose of steroids for a rabbit since they are even smaller. Just a thought.

Your poor boy!!!

Maybe vaginal itch cream, like miconazole? I know my grandma used that on a mosquito bite on her inner thigh. Just don't confuse it with Icy-Hot cream - my half blind mother did that...

 

[philothea]

I haven't seen him trying to mess with it so I am not sure it is really bothering him or not.