loose poo

Question
hi i have 2 rabbits brother and sister nearly 2 years old,
the female rabbit is a bit overweight and always has poo
stuck to her, over the past couple of weeks its been quite
loose not runny runny, i havent changed anything, they get a
carrot in the mornings when i get them up and there dry food
when put to bed at night, they have a constant supplies of
hay (just normal hay from petshop) and fresh water, the male
rabbit has normal poo she still eats and still lively her
usual self other then the poo, i read answers on previous
posted questions, the dry food is belvedere or something
like that sorry, we keep it in a storage bin so have no
packaging, they were brought up on that, when i 1st got them
i tried them on just pellets and they didnt touch it and
thats usually what they leave in there bowl uneaten, please
help

Answer
Dear Angie,

Your bunny appears to be suffering from chronic cecal dysbiosis, a condition not uncommon in rabbits for several reasons.  You can read more about it here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

Note that the most common reason for this condition is incorrect diet.  You can check here to compare what your bunny is getting with what is a healthy diet that promotes intestinal health:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

Cryptic health problems also can cause stress, and this can trigger GI slowdown in rabbits, resulting in cecal dysbiosis and messy bottom.  Anything from urinary tract infection, arthritis, or dental problems may be responsible.  Dental problems are especially common triggers of GI slowdown, especially in short-faced rabbits such as lops and dwarfs.  You can read more about this here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

You will need the help of a good rabbit vet to figure out the problem and treat it appropriately, and you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

In the meantime, here are some tips for keeping him clean until you can get him to a rabbit-savvy vet:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

I hope this helps.

Dana