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Thank you for getting back to me. It sounds like your rabbit may be suffering from what is called cecal dysbiosis. Rabbits produce a special dropping called cecal pellets. These are not regular feces, but a are a rich source of beneficial bacteria. Rabbits must eat them to stay healthy. However, the cecal pellets are usually passed in the middle of the night, and you won't know if your rabbit is eating them or not. When you find clusters of droppings, and droppings get stuck in the fur, those are signs of dysbiosis. Dysbiosis usually occurs for one of two reasons: foods that are too rich in carbohydrates or an imbalance in the beneficial bacteria. You can read more about cecal dysbiosis here (scroll down):

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

If your rabbit is eating well and behaving normally, there are a few things you can try. (If she's showing appetite loss or lethargy, you need to see a vet right away). First make sure her diet is correct. Lack of fiber can lead to an imbalance in bacteria. The bunny's main food should be hay. Do be sure that it's grass hay, not alfalfa. She should have all of the hay that she wants. Pellets should be limited to 1/8 cup per day for a rabbit this small, so don't give her any more than that. Dried bread, yogurt drops, fruits, and carrots are too rich in sugars and refined carbohydrates. If you feed any of them, I would discontinue them. It would be better to feed greens, such as parsley, mint, clover and dandelions (from an unsprayed lawn only). However, while her droppings are a bit runny, don't feed any produce at all. Once she recovers, introduce produce gradually. The following site has detailed information on rabbit feeding, including lists of the best produce, and what foods to avoid:

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

The other important thing to do is provide some beneficial bacteria (probiotics) for your rabbit. A brand called Bene-Bac is often available in pet stores and online. You can also use a human liquid formula, if it is nondairy. These are available in health food stores. Give some beneficial bacteria every day for a couple of weeks. After that, provide some twice a week. If you do this and make sure the diet is right, you should see an improvement. If the problem returns, it is probably something more complicated, and I would recommend seeing a rabbit vet. This site a directory of rabbit vets:

http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

As for cleaning the fur, it's not a good diea to bathe a rabbit. Getting the whole body wet is very stressful for them, and can lead to illness. There are a few other things you can try.

If the mess is only in fur, not stuck directly to the skin, you can use rounded-end scissors to get under the glob and cut it off. Don't try this unless you are absolutely certain you have plenty of room to work. If you miscalculate and cut the skin, the rabbit will need stitches. It's just not worth trying this unless you're sure.

You can also attempt a dry bath, using cornstarch baby powder. Don't use the kind made from talc - only cornstarch. Work a generous amount around and into the stuck feces. When there's plenty of cornstarch worked in, the glob should loosen and you'll be able to work it out. A comb might be useful in teasing it out.

There's a whole page on cleaning "messy bottoms" on the House Rabbit Adoption, Rescue and Education site. You can read more about the dry bath technique and what to do if that doesn't work. You can read it here:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

If you have more questions about this, just let me know by clicking on REPLY. I hope your rabbit will be fine.

Anna

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Expert:	Anna
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Answered:	11/4/2009

Pet Expert/Biologist

40 yrs.: herps, pocket pets, rabbits, poultry, dogs, horses. Biology degree. Volunteer vet assistant