rabbit skin

Question
hi my rabbit suffers from runny bum  and it smells awful and i have to shave her every 2 weeks which is not pleasent for her i took her to the vets and didnt get much joy can someone tell me what hay is best for her as she will not eat timothy  hay she now has developed a white scaly skin on her back i was going to bath her in rabbit shampoo would this help clear it up and also where can i find a proper rabbit vet as my vet doesnt seem to have much knowledge thank you

Answer
Dear Kim,

You can find a more experienced rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

and I'd get bun there ASAP for treatment of possible fur mites.  Please read:

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

The runny stool is due to cecal dysbiosis:

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

which is caused by pain/stress.  So it's important to find out what is causing the pain/stress and address it so the runny stool will stop.  The most common causes are incorrect diet:

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

and pain from dental problems, such as molar spurs:

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

I'd guess the latter if she's having picky eating habits.  I'll bet she has painful molar spurs that need to be filed smooth.  It's a very common problem!

To keep your bunny clean and comfortable until this problem is resolved, please use the directions here:

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

I hope this helps!

Dana