rabbit poop matted on stomach

Question
my rabbit is around one year old and recently she has gotten this pink skin on her stomach/ around her butt. Around it she has poop that gets stuck to her and when I try and pull it off her it smells horrible not just like poop.  i am planning on bringing her to the vet but i have no idea what it could be I'm scared there could be something seriously wrong with her.  she is given a bath about once every two weeks with bunny shampoo and she has Lavender scented bedding she does not seem like she is pain.  I do not know what it is.  Any ideas on what to do?  Thank you very much.

Answer
Dear Lindsay,

Your bunny is forming "poop balls" made from cecotropes because she can't properly reach them to eat them, as is normal. Please read:

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

In most cases, the reason for a bunny being unable to reach her cecotrope chute (affectionately known as the anus) is because she's too pudgy, although older rabbits may also have arthritis that keeps them from bending around to get the cecotropes.

You should not bathe the bunny (this could be contributing to her mushy poop), but rather use baby cornstarch to gently comb out the stinky stuff and keep her dry.  Rabbits should NOT be bathed.  Please read:

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

I hope this helps.

Dana