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rabbit mushy poop and scratch

22 10:33:14

Question
Hi. I have ten rabbits, two adults, five two mos. old, and three two weeks old. The two mos. olds frequently have runny poop [though some are round but still are sticky]. We're trying to minimize the fruits [bananas] and been trying to feed them pellets and more grass, what else could we possibly do. The mother rabbit also have dark brown sticky poop and she's breastfeeding, should I be worried about the babies? What can I do?
Thank you very much for your help.

Answer
Dear Tina,

Mushy stool in young rabbits can be dangerous, so you need to get to the bottom of this to prevent dehydration and other dangerous complications.  Please see:

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

If the mushy poop has a very acrid, stinky smell and is greenish, it could be due to E. coli contamination from human contact, and this can be life-threatening.  I would have a fecal exam done on them to check for worms, and coccidia, and even a culture, if the vet thinks it necessary.

Oral ciprofloxacin can be used to treat E. coli GI infections, but it must be done quickly because the condition can quickly kill a baby rabbit.  If this is merely cecal dysbiosis, then I hope the article above and this one:

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

will help.  You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope this helps.

Dana