Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Rabbits > dwarf rabbit catch-all

dwarf rabbit catch-all

22 10:34:55

Question
My dwarf rabbit (of unknown breed) is just over a year old and seems to be in great health.  I am not really concerned about any of these "problems" but have more just decided to satisfy my curiosity about their origins and potential implications.  

The first "issue" is that a small patch of hair under his chin is frequently stiff and matted.  Is this from drool?  I've never noticed any.  It doesn't seem to bother him at all though and the hair is not falling out.

The second issue that most closely resembles a concern is about his stools.  In the past several weeks I have found a number of moist, soft "normal" stools - would this be akin to rabbit diarrhea?  They are not cecotropes, but single, wet balls.  Then this morning I found six (six!) separate mounds of cecotropes in his cage.  Only one was still moist, but the others didn't appear to be old.  Why didn't he eat them?  And why so many all of a sudden?

The final reason I write is because Charlie has recently decided to go on strike against nail grooming.  He used to hold quite still for us while I held him on my lap and my husband cut his nails with clippers.  Now he kicks and squirms so that we can't get more than one paw's worth of clipping in before deciding to give him a break.  As a result, some of his nails are getting quite long!  How much of a problem is this?

Thank you so much for your time and all your expertise!

*karen

Answer
Dear Karen,

The patch of chin hair could be a concern, since it may indicate that he's developing molar spurs that need to be filed.  These cause drooling, but much worse problems can results if serious spurs develop:

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

Some rabbits who are getting a very rich diet sometimes don't eat all their cecotropes. It's not a big deal.  But if you see true "mush" that's got a strong odor, please read:

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

If he has cecal dysbiosis, this could be strongly related to molar spur problems.

Finally, the nail trimming:  It's time for either tough love or having a *very experienced, patient, and gentle* rabbit vet do this for you.  Long nails are dangerous, as they can catch on things and cause injury to toe, foot, or leg.  You can find a good overview of helpful techniques and tools here:

http://www.mnhouserabbit.org/care/nailtrimming.html

Hope that helps!

Dana