Tinky

Question
Hello,

My daughter was holding our bunny Tinky today and saw something on her
anus, it was black and it looked like a Huge clup of bowel but it wasnt, it was
kind of shiny. She is still eating and doing her regular bowel movements but
sometimes i think she has diahrea. I gave her a bath about a month ago, do
you think she may have gotten an infection? Also she is shedding really bad
by her tail area. Please advise what i should do as i really cant afford the
doctor bills that are going to be.

Thanks

Answer
OK, first the bowel question.

Rabbits don't often have what we think of as diarrhea.  But rabbits do have digestive problems that can cause mushy stools or unformed cecotrpes.  Since you say they're shiny, this makes me think that they're cecotrpes that aren't formed properly or for some reason, the rabbit didn't eat. This website has some pictures for normal poop, normal cecotropes, and problemsome poop/cecotropes:
http://www.fuzzy-rabbit.com/sick.htm

This type of thing wouldn't be caused by anything bath related, but is often caused by digestive upset of some sort.  I do wonder though, since you gave her a bath, was it for any particular reason?  Did she have poopy butt that required her bath?

Now, a vet could diagnose for sure, but there are some things that you can check on, and if needed change.  Then if your bunny starts pooping normally, a vet trip won't be necessary.

First, one of the more common causes of poopy butt is a dietary problem.  For good intestinal balance, a good diet is essential.
First, fiber is very important to a rabbit's diet.  If your rabbit is older than a year, timothy hay should be provided.  As much as she'll eat in a day.  
Second, pellets are a small part of a rabbit's diet.  And pellets need to be of a high quality.  Unfortunately, most pellets sold in stores are not appropriate for pet rabbits.  They're either designed for rabbits that are bred for meat, or are basically junk food.  Many rabbit pellets have sugary and starchy fruits and vegetables in them, that are inappropriate for good bunny health.  It's equivalent of feeding your rabbit McDonalds all the time.  A quality pellet will have at least 18% fiber.  Better pellets(Oxbow for instance) have fiber in the low-mid 20% range.  And if your rabbit is an adult, the pellet needs to be timothy based not alfalfa.
Third, vegetables.  Vegetables and hay should be the biggest part of your rabbit's diet.  A good rule of thumb is one cup of vegetables per 3 pounds of rabbit.  This site lists vegetables appropriate for rabbits:
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html

And this site has more information on good rabbit diet.
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

This is the first thing you can do on your own.  However, if diet is not the cause, you will need to find an affordable vet to determine what is going on.
For more information on problems with poop, you can check out this site:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
and if you want more info on butt baths: you can check this one out:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

As for the shedding by the tail, this sounds like a molt.  At least twice a year, rabbits will go through a major shedding of their fur.  It starts at the top of their body and works down to the tail/butt area.  Often, the shedding is more pronounced by the tail.  Warm weather can also cause major shedding, and some rabbits just do it more than others.  You can either brush this out, pluck it out, or dampen a towel or your hands and rub it out.  Sometimes, rabbits will ingest a lot of fur when they molt, so lots of access to hay and veges is essential.  This site describes normal shedding in rabbits and has examples of fur problems.  What you describe sounds like a normal shedding process, but for awareness in fur problems, here's the link:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/furloss.html

Try examining your rabbit's diet first, hopefully the rabbit's poopy butt is caused by diet.  But otherwise, you'll have to shop around for an vet experienced in rabbits, and one that could work out a payment system for you.