Rabbits - Soft Stool

Question
Hi, I have two rabbits, they're around 1 year and 6 months, a girl and boy, they've been sprayed/neutered. They have access to plenty of hay, graze on the lawn and are fed with rabbit nuggets from the pet shop. Fresh clean water is also available. The problem is they seem to have soft stool which often get's stuck to the garden slaps so my main question is, what can I do about this?

Thanks in advance.

Sapna

Answer
Hi Sapna

Sorry to hear of your bunnies problems. Having sloppy stool is not normal. In healthy buns you should never see soft poops at all. While they'll still produce cecal soft poops, they will be eaten straight away and you should never see any trace of them.

My first suspicion is the nuggets, some brands of nuggets are known to cause soft poops in more sensitive rabbits. At your bunnies age they should be on "adult" portions of around two egg-cup fulls once a day. If they are already on a portion that size, then I would suggest stopping pellets altogether for a day or so, just offering hay and water, let their guts settle down. If you do find this fixes the problem, it would be worth seeing if they'll slowly switch over to another brand.

Occasionally rich spring grasses or wet grass can also cause gut upset so be aware of what lawn grass they are getting. Excess veggies and treats can also cause soft poop but you don't mention feeding them this.

It may be worth taking a sample of the poop into your vets to have it analysed. Excess soft poop is a concern and a serious magnet for flystrike so it's best you seek the cause and nip it in the bud as soon as you can!

Hope that helps!
Cat