My dwarf lop, Brian has suddenly stopped cleaning himself and waste is collecting around his rear. I know this can be a sign of illness, but he seems otherwise fine! I've managed to get hold of him and cut a couple of lumps off, but I'm really scared off cutting him. He is becoming very angry with my unwanted attention, and is bounding away when he sees me coming! His partner, Ruby is also getting quite upset with me. It's very awkward as it's cold outside and they are garden bunnies, so I don't want to wash him for fear that he may catch a cold. Should I take him to the vet? They could possibly sedate him and shave his bottom to clear the problem. Any advice would be much appreciated.

The only advice I will give is take him to the vets - as soon as possible - he may not be showing any signs of illness but there could be something. I am not a rabbit expert at all but have owned a few over the years and I know I would have him at the vets if he were my bunny. There may be an under lieing problem that you cannot see for him stopping cleaning himself....Good luck and let us know what the vet says

This usually happens when the bunny is overweight. They stop because they literally can't reach to clean their bottoms. They also can't coprophage which means eating their poo, therefore it gets stuck as they would normally not need to clean this away, they eat it as soon as its coming out. Deffo take him to the vets but if he is chubby you will need to look at his diet I'm afraid. If this is the case, you'll want to get his weight down before the summer to prevent flystrike.

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Thanks for the advice. I took Brian to the vet today, who shaved his rear and shook his pride! There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him and he's not really overweight, but I've been advised to keep an eye on him to ensure he starts cleaning himself properly. This forum is great for peace of mind. Thankyou!

Have you changed or added something to his diet recently??
Is he living in a drafty cage??
Is he getting enough fibre??
Has he been on damp grass??
Has his teeth been checked by the vet?? Sticky bottom syndrome can be caused by underlying dental problems which unfortunately is common in rabbits, dwarf lops especially. It is not always just the teeth but their roots. Get his teeth checked out. I am very experienced in rabbits with teeth problems and sometimes it goes undiscovered by the vet. The only way the roots can be checked its through a xray. Donot wait for a visual sign of illness before taking him back.