Strong poop smells...

Question
Hi! I just got a rabbit for christmas...and i love him to death!! At first his poop did not smell at all. But now it smells like body odor. I'm not sure if something in his diet could have caused this change or what....he is a young rabbit i believe him to be around 10 weeks...could he be hitting puberty yet....!!?? I read somewhere else that there is a "cowpoop syndrome" and it worried me....but it's not the marshmellowy pellets that smell...it's th dry little round ones....

                        thank you so much,
                                 Cheney

Answer
It is quite likely that a change in diet is causing the smell.  Change in diet can sometimes trigger a change in bacteria in the bunny's digestive system.  

It's interesting that you see the marshmellowy pellets which are called cecotropes.  In a rabbit with a healthy digestive system, the rabbits will eat these and you don't see them.  Your rabbit is either producing too many cecotropes or the inbalance in his system is causing the rabbit to not want to eat them.  

Usually when you see problems with poop or cecotropes the problem is related to diet.

He could be getting too much of something that his system is not mature enough to handle.  Or he's eating something that should only be a treat or not fed to rabbits at all.

For reference, this page has pictures of normal poop, smushy poop that requires a vet visit, and normal cecotropes:
http://www.fuzzy-rabbit.com/sick.htm

What you should try now is to try to get him to a proper diet for his age and it should be a simple diet at this time.  Young rabbit's digestive system take time to be able to handle things like fruits and vegetables.

Right now, make sure he always has hay available.  At his age, alfalfa is appropriate.  He should also have pellets, and again alfalfa is appropriate.  The fiber content listed on the bag needs to be at least 18%.  Hopefully, this will get his system back to normal.  

After that happens, you can slowly introduce small pieces of vegetables to him.  Fruit should be a treat and given in small pieces.  

Avoid feeding him baked goods like bread, cereal, or crackers.

For reference, more info about diet can be found at these sites:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html
http://www.rabbit.org/care/fruits.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

In terms of puberty, your rabbit is not old enough.  But it won't take long.  Probably in a couple of months, your bunny's testicles could descend.  It's at that time, that his behavior and litter box habits may change.  He can be neutered at that time, and you'll avoid some of the worst parts of puberty.

I hope this answers your questions, good luck with your new bun.