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Blood around the Bum

22 10:09:09

Question
hello,
I'm a little puzzled. I have a boy bunny that's a few months old, and I came home from work today and I noticed that his bum hole had a little bit of blood around it and was a little swollen. I checked his cage, and as far as I'm concerned, he doesn't have Diarrhea, although there are some scat pellets that are a little lighter brown. Nothing is runny, and I'm just wondering what's going on? He's not acting any different, he's still energetic and he is still eating regularly, and he drinks a lot of water. I do let him lick my fingers, and I work at a resturant, such as washing windows as well as serving food. But still, what's happening? Is it stress (I've had him for only a week)? Could it have been something he ate? is it serious? Is it cause off all the stuff on my fingers?

Answer
Dear Heather,

If you are absolutely sure it was blood, then it would be wise to get him to a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

for a complete wellness check and exam.  He might have a polyp that's bleeding, or it could have just been residue from a cecotrope:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

but it's best to be safe, rather than sorry.  It's good that he's acting normal in every way, which means this probably is not an emergency. But I wouldn't let too much time pass before he has a good wellness exam to be sure all is fine.

I hope this helps.

Dana