Extremely Foul Smell

by Laela
(Springfield, OH)

I sold an 8 week old mini rex buck to a family and received a call the next day saying there is a "run you out of the house" odor coming from him. He appears happy, healthy, playful, and they just adore him, but leass than 24 hours they had to put him in the garage because he smells "worse than normal"...


They informed me that they have had bunnies before (not sure if indoor/outdoor) and never smelled urine this potent, that after one hour from cleaning the entire cage it was that bad again! Please help me so I can help them, I've never heard of this before, and I had searched through your info. and the internet, please forgive me if I missed something on your sight referring to this, thank you.

***** Karen Sez *****

Hmm, is it urine or cecotropes that smell so bad?

The soft night droppings are quite foul smelling, that is, if they are not consumed. I'm wondering if the wonderful folks who now own the delightful (odiferous) bunny have been feeding him greens, apples, treats, etc?

If so, then perhaps he has picked up a touch of mild bunny diarrhea due to a dietary upset? Tell them to flip him over and see if his hind end is just a little messy? Also, are there soft puddles of night feces sitting in the cage or drop pan?

If it is urine they are smelling, then I am at a loss, unless the change in diet could somehow affect the concentration of the urine.

In any case, the new owners should put the bunny back on the diet you were feeding it and see if the problem subsides. Then later, say after 12 weeks of age, they can slowly introduce their own feed choices to the bunny. Is this doable? I'd be very interested in the outcome of this problem.

Don't hesitate to consult a rabbit-savvy vet if needed. The only other issue might be an infection somewhere, for example, in the skin. Have them feel the bunny over very carefully for any wounds or lumps under the skin. (Seems to me any strong-smelling infection would have to be an open one which shouldn't be too hard to find...)

I feel confident that barring a drastic problem, this should be a short-term problem correctable with diet. Certainly hope so, anyway! Let us know what happens, if you don't mind!

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Oct 18, 2014
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starstarstarstarstar 		It was the poop!
by: Laela

You are correct, it's the cecotropes. I called her back to get further details and an update. She appologized and informed me it was his poos. So I was relieved to have an answer for them :) They said there is no diarrhea and only feeding him the sample bag of food I gave them, no greens or raw veggies. But they are using a pellet-like litter for the bedding, could he be ingesting that because it looks like the food? and I don't know how good it is deodorizing cecotropes either??? I told her that could be part of the problem. I let them know if its too much for the family to handle just bring him back and I will refund them her money back, she said she will pass on the info. and keep me updated, but they are not ready to give up on him! Thank you so much Karen, you were right on the money :)

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