dirty bum!

Question
have two rabbits that are a little over a year old, and have had them from birth. One is a spayed female, the other a neutered male. The problem i am having is with the male. This problem goes back a while, so i should probably mention a little bit of history as it might help you to figure out the problem.
We had to bottle feed him from when he was a couple days old, to about 3 weeks because he was the runt and wasnt getting any food to eat. We didn't know that we were supposed to wipe his genital area with a damp cloth after feeding, and im not sure weither it was that, or the change in diet, but he became extremely constapated, and could not pass anything at all. This went on for over a week, with us cleaning it with epson salts everyday. Eventually the problem went away, and we didn't realize any other problems until a couple months ago. His bottom became very dirty with stuck on cecotrophes that we would not clean off. He ended up getting an infection and had to be taken to the vet. We think that the infection has cleared up, but tonight when we brang them inside for some play time, we noticed that there was TONS of hard, clumped up cecotrophes stuck to his bottom. We tried removing them, but they wont come off. It doesnt seem like he cleans himself very much, if at all. We don't know what to do about this problem, because every time we clean it off, its there again the next day. I was beginning to wonder if because he didnt have his mother cleaning him all the time, then thats why he's not doing it now, but im not sure. He seemed to be cleaning himself up until after he got neutered. We are at a wits end and have no idea what to do about this problem. I would greatly appreciate any help that you could give up.
Thank you very much

Faith  

Answer
First, it is a misconception that rabbits are like dogs and cats and need the anus stimulated for bowel movements - this is not true.  What you are probably dealing with is coccidiosis or some other digestive issue, not a "psychological" or "self-grooming" issue.  If your vet has not tested for the parasite you should ask for a fecal exam.  Diarreha is not normal - not even the cecotophes resembles diarreha and rarely clumps up in the fur.  Bunny's raised by hand are not usually healthy and typically have digestive issues because of the improper diet.  This is NOT your fault, rabbit milk is impossible to mimick which is why hand rearing is not recommended.  Have your vet do a fecal exam and I bet you will discover a more resonable explanation for your issues.

Brenda