One of my young does has wet tail. Do I use the 'dry tail' that they sell at pet stores for hamsters? Is there anything organic I can use? What causes it? How do I prevent it with other rabbits?

-- Wendy A (phillips-anteswe@pendleton.usmc.mil), March 25, 2002

Answers

From what I've read, wet tail is diarrhea - usually brought on by diet. What are you feeding her? If you're giving her "treats" like fruits and veggies, you're probably feeding her too much of them. If you're going to feed fruits and veggies to rabbits, only do so in very small quantities! They also need good quality hay - like Timothy hay. Any sudden change in diet can cause this, too.

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), March 25, 2002.

I'm terrible about giving all the info, I forgot to tell, she is a Flemish Giant, less than a year old, she gts regular rabbit pellets (alfalfa, I believe) and some scratch. On occaision they get oats, and I give them greens and roses from the garden. This is the same diet all my rabbits have had for years, nothing out of the ordinary or new introduced to her. She also has formed stool, I am sure this is a urine problem.

-- Wendy A (phillips-anteswe@pendleton.usmc.mil), March 25, 2002.

Wet tail from the pet store is to stop diaharra. Since your rabbit has a solid stool, that is not the problem. Is there blood in the urine? Sometimes the urine is dark red in color without having blood in it. Is there a bad smell other then the regular urine smell? Do you think it may be possible that she is just sitting in her urine spot? Rabbits seem to like to "go" on something solid and I find the cages I have that don't have a litter box, the rabbits will go on the 2x4 frame or make a mess of their house. Can you try giving her a litter box filled with pine shavings?

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), March 25, 2002.

I suspect she may have a urinary infection, bladder or urethra. I don't know much about the desirable medications for treating rabbits. We use wire cages, suspended from the ceiling with wire, so that there is nothing beneath the cage to allow urine or feces build up. We also never put boards or anything else in the cages, except a nest box at kindling time. In 20 years we have not had a case of sore hocks.

-- Dianne Wood (woodgoat@pacifier.com), March 25, 2002.