Mini Lops : Mushy Poo

Question
Hi, I have just purchased two mini lops for my children.  One is quite smaller than the other, despite only being two weeks younger. I have three questions :
1. They both seem healthy except the smaller one has mushy poo.  I am not sure if it is doing the small black pellet poo or not, but the mushy poo is sticking to its bottom and is quite large (about inch long).  Does this indicate a problem?  It is drinking water and eating the food given to us by the breeder (not pellets - more like food given to horses) and has eaten grass.
2. Also, it is OK to keep them in an outdoor hutch during the day, and bring them in at night?  We plan to let them outside (supervised) whenever we can but that may only be for an hour or so some days.  We hope to toilet train them.
3. We have cork floor in some areas of the house.  The little one slips a bit on it, but seems OK on the carpet.  Anyting to worry about?

Answer
Dear Ella,

I'll answer your questions one at a time:

1.  Yes, the mushy poop is potentially very serious, as in a baby rabbit it can cause fatal dehydration relatively quickly.  Please read this right away:

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

and find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

This condition can sneak up and kill very quickly, so please don't delay in having it treated by a good rabbit vet.

2.  Rabbits do not handle heat well at all.  If the outdoor temperatures are above 78 Farenheit, then I'd keep them inside.  That said, it's good for growing babies to have fresh air, and especially sunlight.  As long as they are NEVER in direct sun (this can kill in less than an hour, and the number of "heat stroke emergency" posts I get in the sumer is truly depressing...), and have a constant source of fresh drinking water (a heavy bowl is better than a sipper bottle) and shelter, then they should be fine during the day.

Nighttime is a different matter, as you already realize.  There is no such thing as a predator-proof hutch.  Raccoons, cats, any number of animals can kill rabbits in hutches with little problem.  Or worse.  

The hutch should still be in a predator-proof yard during the day.  A passing dog also can do a lot of damage, and there are other diurnal dangers.  It's safer to be sure someone's always watching and listening when the babies are outside in a hutch, even during the day.

3.  Smooth flooring with insufficient traction (linoleum, wood, finished cork, tile, etc.) are very bad for rabbits, especially when they are growing.  Please try to keep the baby off the smooth areas and on the carpet.  We put down 100% cotton bath mat runners on our tile so the bunnies have "runways" all over the house (you can dye them your favorite designer colors!).

Letting a bunny live only on smooth floor can result in a condition called "splayleg" in babies, and can cause painful joint damage and arthritis in older rabbits.  The bottoms of their feet are furry, and lack the pink pads of a dog or cat that give those species more traction.  An indoor bunny (which is what they all should be, most of the time) needs special flooring for good health and happiness.

You can learn more about how to properly feed and care for your new family members here:

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

and here:

www.rabbit.org

Good luck, and please feel free to write back if you have any other questions.

Dana