Smelly, Mooshy Poo

Question
My rabbit is 3 1/2 months old and I've had problems a few times with her having mooshy smelly poo. It is really stong. I feed her Wild Harvest Super Premium Rabit Blend with Timothy Hay. It comes and goes. It has happened 2 times now. I try to hold her and catch her when it comes time but she doesn't seem to want to be held. Is that a part of the problem? She is out of her cage during the day and in her cage at night. Her cage is plenty big for her. I keep a fresh supply of food and water available to her at all times. Do I need to start limiting her food now that she is older? I'm stumped on what is going on.  

Answer
Dear Amber,

The mushy poops you see are most likely a sign of cecal dysbiosis, which can be caused by various things.  Please read:

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

The two most common causes are incorrect diet:

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

and--especially in older rabbits--pain from dental problems (especially molar spurs):

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

In a young rabbit like yours, diet is a likely culprit, but it's important to get it under control since dehydration from this problem can be a serious threat.  You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Please check the diet article and compare it with what you're giving your bunny, then adjust accordingly.  It might also be a good idea to get a sample of poop and bring it (and her) to the vet for a fecal exam to check for parasites, which can cause mushy poop.  If there are problems, the vet will know what to prescribe.

I hope this gets you started on the road to her full recovery.  Please write back if you have more questions.

Dana