bunny poop; mushy bum

Question
we have a dwarf bunny about 2 years old. she has a litter box which she uses.  she seems healthy and has a good appetite.  the problem is her poop.  it sticks to her fur and she develops large poop clumps that stick to her and absorb the stink of her urine.  the clumps can get rather large.  is this common, is there anything we can do in the way of changing her diet or anything else to stop the poop from clumbing on her???  thanks.

Answer
Dear Frank,

Your bunny sounds as if she's suffering from a very common condition, cecal dysbiosis.  It's her cecotropes that are sticking to her bum, most likely.  Please read:

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

The most common culprits for this problem are a diet too rich in starches or other "incorrect" foods:

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

and in a dwarf bunny there is a very good chance that the pain/stress of molar spurs or other dental problem is eliciting the GI slowdown that will result in this condition:

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

You can find a good vet to help you here:

www.rabbit.org/vets


Hope this helps.

Dana