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fig. 1 |
External impaction (fig. 1) is caused by the fur , now growing longer and fluffier, becomes glued together over the vent opening. As the bunny urinates the fur can stick together to form a peak over the genital area. This fur then dries hard and will not allow any fecal matter to pass though. The rabbit produces droppings, particularily night feces which is a small grape like cluster of soft stool that contribute to this ball of fecal matter. The night feces is normally ingested, but is not able to pass through the encrusted area of fur and so begins to build up over the vent area. Rabbits poop a lot and it takes no time at all to form this external impaction. It can literally happen overnight. The soft stool expands then hardens as more droppings are produced inside this hard mass, which is held on by the surrounding fur. The mother rabbit usually prevents this by keeping the vent area clean and dry, however a mother rabbit only enters the box 1-2 times in a 24 hour period, and so may not have had an opportunity to clean the fur off of all her babies before the urine "glued" the fur together.
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fig. 2 |
You will notice in (fig 2.) the mass can be easily broken open to reveal the droppings inside. If this ball has been caught soon enough, then there is usually very little trauma, if any, to the tissues of the genital area. Most often the droppings are formed and healthy looking. Just gently pull away as much of the mass as you are able. Do not pull the fur close to the genital area as the skin can be torn quite easily. If the ball can not be broken open easily, or if it is and there is a pasty fecal matter inside the ball, the little rabbit will need to sit in a sink of water until the mass softens and can be removed. I prefer to avoid getting the rabbit wet if possible. Careful manipulation can usually release most of the material, providing it is made up of normal droppings inside the mass.
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fig. 3 |
Most of the feces have just been removed by hand in this picture (see fig. 3). I have not yet began to cut away any fur. As you can see it was not as bad as it first appeared. The gentials are pink and healthy and no abrasion from urine or feces has begun. This is the danger of an impaction if not caught early enough. Urine will saturate the surrounding tissues along with the moist fecal matter and cause severe abrasion of the skin if left unattended. It is very important to check your litters often and examine each one daily. Not just a peek in the nest box! You need to flip each rabbit over to check the vent area.
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fig. 4
fig. 5 |
I have now begun the tedious task of cutting away the soiled fur. I use a small pair of childrens school scissors and a small pin brush (see fig. 5) to remove the matted material. I believe is it best to cut away, rather than wash away the soiled fur, especially during the colder months. This serves as a two fold purpose. One, not only does it remove the soiled fur away, it removes any future fur from sticking together. Two, it prevents the rabbit from becoming more stressed and as well as being damp which can lead to other problems. The only time I wash the area, is if the fur is too close to the skin to remove and has formed a hard crust so there could possibly be danger of tearing or cutting the skin, or if it is red and sore. If I do wash the vent, I used only water. Just water is sufficient to clean the area and prevents any unusual odor of soap or chemicals being left on the rabbit which may cause the mother to reject it. It is also needful to dry it gently with a blow dryer on medium heat as completely as possible. Be sure to move the dryer around and keep it at least 8-10 inches away from the rabbit.
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fig. 6 |
As you can see here in (fig. 6), the result is a much cleaner healthier rabbit. The fur should be completely cut away from the area surrounding the vent. Pay close attention to the small amount of fur directly over the genitals. This should be VERY carefully cut away. Cut all fur up on a portion of the belly, on the iside of the back legs, as well as the tail fur just behind the anus.
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fig. 7 |
Prevention is by far the best way to avoid having this problem. As soon as the fur grows long enough and has that fluffy look to it, it should be cut away from the vent area. This should prevent any problems with external impaction. In (fig. 7), the fur has only been partially cut away up the belly. As you can see droppings are clinging to the fur near the vent and all this fur will need to be removed.
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fig. 8 |
Thorough removal of all fur is essential to prevent further external impaction of all kits between the ages of 3-5 weeks. Not all kits have this trouble, but it is better to be on the cautious side and remove the fur. Once the kits are past 6 weeks, external impaction rarely happens.
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