rabbit with sticky bum

Question
hi my rabbit has sticky bun syndrome. it has soft sticky soft stools that stick around its bum. I have to soaks its bum and wash i everyday. I have 5 rabbits but this is the only one that has a sticky bum.I fed them all on science selective feeding food pellets and give them lots of hay each day. I also give my them excel timothy hay with herbage in it. I have tried giving it less pellets and more hay but it still seems to have a sticky bum. can you suggest anything?

Answer
Dear Lindsey,

This is a very common problem, and some rabbits are more susceptible to it than others.  What you're seeing is very likely cecal dysbiosis, which is fully explained here:

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

The most common cause is incorrect diet, so check that here:

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

and the second most common reason for this is undiagnosed dental problems causing pain/stress:

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

For help with either of these, you can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.

Dana