my rabbit URGENT!!!

Question
hello my 10 week old rabbits private area is red and has dry
skin. and his mothers private is pink and swollen.and our
other rabbits private is swollen and red. we use sudocrem im
not sure if it will work or not. please tell me if there is
any medication or cream that can help. thank you moussa fahy

Answer
Dear Moussa,

Without seeing the bunnies, I cannot know what is wrong.  But one possibility is that they have been attacked by flies, and there are maggots in their scent gland pockets, eating away at their flesh.  

First thing to do is gently wash the entire affected area with clean, dilute povidone iodine solution (our brand name is Betadine, but you may have something different).  Be sure to check for any parasites or wounds.  It's odd that all of the bunnies would suddenly present with these signs, so I also wonder if there is something in their environment causing irritation.

Is their hutch very clean and dry?  Be sure they are not sitting in urine-soaked hay or straw.  Rabbits need an extremely clean, dry, hygienic environment to thrive and be well.

Once you have washed the affected areas, very gently pat dry with 100% cotton cloth/toweling, and blow dry on low/warm until the bunnies are fluffy again.  Do NOT put them away wet, as this will make the problem worse. You can use a soft brush or flea comb to very gently separate the damp fur so it will dry more easily.

Once they are dry, you can put a very thin layer of triple-antibiotic ointment on the very sore areas, being careful not to glop it on the fur.  This will soothe the area and promote healing.

But the most important question is:  WHY did they present with these sore vents?  This may be a job for a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

and if the symptoms do not go away once you have them all clean, then you need to get them all to the vet as soon as possible.

Hope this helps.

Dana