rabbits shedding baddly and mushy poop

Question
is it normal when rabbits shed really bad in the summer? and is it normal for a rabbit to have really soggy and mushy poop?

Answer
Dear Stephanie,

Some rabbits shed very heavily in the summer.  As long as the skin is healthy and pale, not red, irritated, or flaky, it's not a problem.  But *be sure* to groom off all the loose fur well every day, until it's gone.  You don't want your bunny licking it off when he grooms himself.  Also provide unlimited fresh timothy hay and fresh, wet greens to promote healty intestines that can easily pass any ingested hair.  Read more about this here:

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

The mushy poop is a sign of a health problem, and its causes and treatments can be found here:

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

The most common cause of this problem is incorrect diet:

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

but untreated dental problems, excessive heat, etc. all can cause enough stress to trigger this potentially dangerous problem:

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

You can find a good rabbit vet to help you here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope that helps.

Dana