Ongoing bunny poop issue

[Crzzini]

Hi,
We have 3 Holland Lops that never go outside. One of our little girls (1.5 years old) has always had soft, smooshy, sticky poop issues all the time. She’s seems fine and she been like this since we got her. But nobody wants to cuddle her because her butt is always a mess. Her bunny roommates are fine. When we first got her spring 2020, we took her to our vet, which is more of a large animal/farm vet. She checked her over and gave her something that’s supposed to deal with any parasites because my daughter was worried about that.
We have an appointment with an exotic, small animal vet that’s an hour away. But, I’m thinking we should try probiotics and cabbage for a bit before we go that route. Has anyone ever dealt with this and did you find anything that helped? TIA.

 

[dogwoodblossoms]

Sounds like extra cecotropes. Rabbits usually eat the cecotropes but if they have to much of something in their diet (sugar, protein, etc.) they get more cecotropes then they need.
If you feed them lots of fresh foods try bringing the amounts she receives down. You might also want to check her food. There are charts out there for how much protein, fiber, etc. your rabbit needs.

 

[JBun]

Sounds like extra cecotropes. Rabbits usually eat the cecotropes but if they have to much of something in their diet (sugar, protein, etc.) they get more cecotropes then they need.
If you feed them lots of fresh foods try bringing the amounts she receives down. You might also want to check her food. There are charts out there for how much protein, fiber, etc. your rabbit needs.

There's actually a difference between excess cecals and what is likely going on here, which is cecal dysbiosis, or mushy improperly formed cecals. Excess production of cecals is usually caused by too rich of a diet in protein and not enough fiber. Cecal dysbiosis is usually caused by excess carbs/sugars in the diet and not enough fiber, leading to over fermentation of the cecals, resulting in the incorrect bacterial balance and the cecals becoming mushy and improperly formed. They aren't being produced in excess but are the normal amount coming out mushy with the wrong bacteria, so they get left uneaten.

To the OP, your rabbit most likely has cecal dysbiosis, which I've found holland lops to be more prone to digestive sensitivity and this issue. The most common cause of this is a dietary imbalance from excess cabs/sugars in the diet(treats, even pellets). To correct it, usually it's recommended to go to an all good quality grass hay diet(mix of leaf and stem is best) for a few weeks until it clears up for at least a week or two, then gradually start adding foods back in. Though I wouldn't feed high carb/sugary treats anymore, and pellets should usually be a more reduced amount.

You don't want to feed a really coarse hay(not enough nutrients without pellets in the diet), and you want to make sure bun is eating the hay really well or bun could starve if you withdraw pellets and your bun isn't eating the hay. How long it takes to clear up depends on how severe a case it is. If you want to list your rabbits exact diet, we can maybe give a little more info and tips on clearing this up.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/cecal-dysbiosis-in-house-rabbits-what-the-hay/
https://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/
https://rabbit.org/disorders-of-the-cecum/

 

[Crzzini]

There's actually a difference between excess cecals and what is likely going on here, which is cecal dysbiosis, or mushy improperly formed cecals. Excess production of cecals is usually caused by too rich of a diet in protein and not enough fiber. Cecal dysbiosis is usually caused by excess carbs/sugars in the diet and not enough fiber, leading to over fermentation of the cecals, resulting in the incorrect bacterial balance and the cecals becoming mushy and improperly formed. They aren't being produced in excess but are the normal amount coming out mushy with the wrong bacteria, so they get left uneaten.

To the OP, your rabbit most likely has cecal dysbiosis, which I've found holland lops to be more prone to digestive sensitivity and this issue. The most common cause of this is a dietary imbalance from excess cabs/sugars in the diet(treats, even pellets). To correct it, usually it's recommended to go to an all good quality grass hay diet(mix of leaf and stem is best) for a few weeks until it clears up for at least a week or two, then gradually start adding foods back in. Though I wouldn't feed high carb/sugary treats anymore, and pellets should usually be a more reduced amount.

You don't want to feed a really coarse hay(not enough nutrients without pellets in the diet), and you want to make sure bun is eating the hay really well or bun could starve if you withdraw pellets and your bun isn't eating the hay. How long it takes to clear up depends on how severe a case it is. If you want to list your rabbits exact diet, we can maybe give a little more info and tips on clearing this up.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/cecal-dysbiosis-in-house-rabbits-what-the-hay/
https://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/
https://rabbit.org/disorders-of-the-cecum/

Thank you! You really know your stuff! All of our bunnies are together in an enclosure. They get Oxbow Timothy hay and pellets. Fir pellets I’ve been buying Manna Pro select series pro formula complete rabbit. They do get treats (lettuce, carrots, apple slices) maybe once a day but sometimes every other day. Do you think we should separate her from her sister and their adopted brother while we try to correct her issues. Would a rabbit probiotic also help?

 

[JBun]

So the likely problem is the manna pro. Those cheaper bulk feeds will usually have a higher carb ratio to fiber and lower quality ingredients, than better quality pet pellets like oxbow, supreme select, sherwood, etc. I tried feeding it once and it totally messed up my rabbits poop, so I went back to feeding oxbow. You would also need to stop feeding the carrot and apple(and any other high starch treats) for now.

If you want to try a better quality pellet first, instead of having to temporarily remove pellets and feed an all hay diet, the better pellets might be enough to clear up the problem(remember to gradually transition over a couple of weeks, from one pellet to the other). But if not, then a temporary all hay diet will probably be needed to get it cleared up. A probiotic may help some, particularly the bene bac plus with prebiotics, but as long as those pellets are being fed, it's not likely to go away.

For pellet quality, sherwood adult timothy pellet would be my first choice as it's soy free, grain free, and no added sugars. Supreme selective naturals would be my next choice as it's grain free and no added sugars. Oxbow is fine too, it's what I use, but it does have added grain and sugars, so I think you may have better luck with the other two, to get this cleared up more quickly. The idea is to give as few carbs/sugars as possible for the bad bacteria to feed on, and plenty of fiber from hay to help restore the natural microflora in the rabbits gut.

I wouldn't separate or you'll have to rebond them. I would just put them all on the same diet. It's not usually going to cause any issues. I've had rabbits with certain medical conditions, on an all grass hay and select leafy greens diet for years, and they were perfectly healthy. Though if you do end up having to remove pellets and do all hay, you'll need to provide a salt lick, as they won't be getting the necessary dietary sodium from their pellets like usual.

 

[Crzzini]

Thank you. I’ll switch the pellets immediately and remove all treats. If she isn’t better we’ll follow the hay diet you suggested. Thanks again!