possible sickness

Question
My bunny, Squeaky, is less than a year old and I just got her 2 days ago. Today, the third day that I had her, I noticed she had made a mess. It is a redeish-orange liquid with brown mush. I have no idea what this is but I am worried about her.

There is another problem about her. Squeaky tends to snort a lot, which is where I got her name from. When something is close to her face or when I try to pick her up she'll snort. I don't understand why she is so scared because the lady at the pound said that this bunny was her favorite and Squeaky was very calm in her arms. But she is rowdy and hyper and snorty with me.

Please help me with both of these problems, I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer
Dear Laura,

I didn't see the mush pool, so don't know if it's urine or fecal matter, but please read:

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

for information that might help.

Also see:

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

in case you see any sign of mucus in the stool.

She will need to be spayed at some point, if she isn't already, so please see:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html

Unspayed, unbred females have a very high risk of uterine cancer, and the orange discharge could be a concern.  You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Her behavior is completely understandable, too.  She's in a brand new place with new people and new surroundings.  She is away from the shelter people she grew to trust.  So now it's up to you to gently and patiently let her learn to trust you.  Unlike dogs, rabbits are not automatically trusting of a new person, and it can take a couple of weeks for her to warm up to you.  The tips here will help:

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

I hope this helps the two of you get started on the road to a long, happy friendship!

Dana