Rabbit owners will generally become very familiar with rabbit poop and droppings in their course of bunny ownership. All rabbits form two types of droppings: round dry fecal pellets (referred to in this article) and wet smelly cecotropes that are usually unseen by owners as rabbits normally eat them directly as they are produced.

Problems with poop

Different poops.

Linked poops.

Top to bottom: "...the small unhealthy droppings of a rabbit fed on rich food, then as it is given lots of hay the droppings slowly become larger and healthier..." - © Celia Haddon, used with direct permission. CatExpert.co.uk

Analyzing your rabbit's fecal pellets is a good way of diagnosing whether all is right with your rabbit's health. If they are ever malformed, it is usually indicative of some health problem that needs immediate attention.

LagoLearn's ID chart. In this video Dr. Mary E. Cotter covers "Is Your Rabbit's Pee & Poop Normal?"

Differential diagnosis of poop issues in rabbits Syndrome Incidence in pet rabbits Hard feces Cecals Condition of rabbit Causes Uneaten normal cecals Common Copious quantities Normal consistency Good appetite Obesity

Dental disease

Arthritis

Perineal dermatitis Uneaten soft cecals Common Copious quantities Soft, liquid consistency Well Change of diet

Lack of dietary fiber

Succulent foods

Stress

Same causes as uneaten normal cecals Coccidiosis Rare in adults

Common in juveniles Diarrhea can range from haemorrhagic liquid feces to bulky soft feces Indistinguishable from hard feces Depends on severity of condition Eimeria spp. Mucoid enteropathy Rare in adults

Associated with stress

Sporadic outbreaks in juveniles Normal hard feces are absent

Mixed or interspersed mucus and diarrhea

No fecal output in later stages Abnormal soft cecals may be intermittently interspersed with mucus and diarrhea May be eating in early stages

Bloated appearance

Progresses to inappetence and tooth grinding Still unclear

Dysautonomia has been found in some cases Cecal impaction Sporadic incidence Absence of hard feces

Can produce mucus, which owners mistake for diarrhea None in later stages May pick at food in early stages Appears to be associated with pain or stress.

Cecal impaction is also part of mucoid enteropathy complex.

Can be caused by ingestion of materials that are moved into the cecum, absorb water, and are not broken down by cecal microflora. Examples include clay litter, methylcellulose, or other bulk laxatives. Enteritis Rare in adults

Enteritis caused by bacterial overgrowth/ imbalances is more common in the suckling or growing rabbit. Normal hard feces are absent.

Liquid diarrhea Not seen Unwell

Anorexic

May crave fiber Bacterial or viral pathogens such as E. coli , clostridia, rotaviruses

, clostridia, rotaviruses Can be induced by antibiotics

Plant toxins Enterotoxaemia Sporatic cases in adult rabbits

More common in juveniles Liquid feces that may be tarry

Rabbit may die before diarrhea develops Not seen Unwell

Rapidly progressive

May be collapsed Clostridium spp.

spp. Can be induced by antibiotics Chronic inflammatory disease Rare and only in adults Large amounts of bulky soft feces Indistinguishable from hard feces Thin, bloated

Periods of ravenous appetite interspersed with periods of anorexia Not known

May be immune mediated

Sometimes associated with adhesions post-spay From Varga, M. (2013). Textbook of rabbit medicine. (2nd ed.).

Poopy butt

Poopy butt is the informal term of what happens when rabbits get runny stool or are unable to reach and clean their back end. It can also be referred to as intermittent soft stools, ISS, or sticky bottom syndrome. See Cecotropes for more information, as poopy butt is often caused by unformed cecals.

To clean a poopy butt, please see the Bathing article. It is important to keep the perineal area clean as the anus can be blocked by dried cecals.[1] It is also especially important in warmer months as dirty bottoms can increase the likelihood of flystrike.

Below are links with more information about poopy butt in rabbits.

Diarrhea

True diarrhea or diarrhoea is a medical emergency and is diagnosed when there are absolutely no normal stools produced -- neither hard feces nor cecotrophs. The diarrhea may appear watery or contain blood or mucous. A rabbit with true diarrhea should be taken to a rabbit-savvy veterinarian immediately.

The primary prevention of diarrhea is by properly introducing changes in diet slowly and providing diets that are adequate in both indigestible and soluble fiber.[1]

Young rabbits are at most at risk of contracting diarrhea due to changes in both digestive tracts and diet after weaning.

Common diarrheal diseases of rabbits include coccidiosis, colibacillosis, and enterotoxemia.

The following links have more information on diarrhea.

Eating fecal pellets

See the links below for more information on rabbits eating their dry fecal pellets (not their cecals).

Composting rabbit waste

Your rabbit is pooping a gold mine! Poster source, Special Bunny

Rabbit litter is a great fertilizer for your garden. The manure contains higher levels of nitrogen and phosphorous compared to steer, sheep, chicken, and horse manures. Rabbit droppings can be added directly to the soil without burning by sprinkling it on top or scratching it into the dirt. You can also make manure tea for garden plants by adding a quart of water to about a cup of droppings in a bucket and letting it steep for a few days.[2]:155

If you use a rabbit-safe litter, you can compost all the hay, fur, wooden toys, urine, droppings, and litter together.

Below are links with more information about composting your rabbit litter for use in your garden.

The following information are from rabbit breeder websites. Please remember that we do not condone rabbit breeding for the common house rabbit owner and that these links are purely for reference information.

Further reading

See also