Rabbit question

Hello! I have a three year old rabbit and I am not sure what kind of rabbit he is. I adopted him froma daycare since they could not care for him. Anyways, I have noticed that every two days he gets clumps of fesces(sp?) stuck to his rear end. Why is this? I clean it with water and remove the clumps. How can I prevent this?? thanks!

-Nicole

[ireneo]

Usually rabbit feces are round balls and drop off quite neatly. What kind of substrate is in the cage (wire bottom, straw, wood chips)? Does the rabbit have enough room to move around so it's not just sitting in one place? Rabbits like to have a "potty" corner away from their sleeping area. One last question - is the poop formed into balls or are they soft and matted on the fur? If so, the bunny may have diarrhea or at least loose stools. That could come from inappropriate foods or virus or parasites. It might be helpful to have a full checkup at the vet, make sure your bunny is in overall good health.

[Nicole624]

Thank you for answering my question!! We use newspaper is his cage, and he has a seperate container he uses for his bathroom. He uses it all the time, and in the container we use some soft litter. Also, the cage is big and he has enough room to move around. Finally, the feces is clumped up almost matted like. There is a good amount of feces in his litter however. I will have to take him to his vet to get checked. Thanks again!!

[glamourcupcakes]

The "clumps" you are talking about are called cecals. This usually means there is too much protein in his diet - do you offer him unlimited Timothy hay? Seems like he needs more roughage/fiber in his diet.

[ireneo]

Interesting. I've never heard of "cecals" (caecals). I know a rabbit has a caecum, a strange part of the intestine; I've seen it while doing necropsies. I also know they're coprophagous (eat their droppings). I have to remember that even domestic rabbits are like wild rabbits in most ways.

[Nicole624]

Thank you!! I give him timothy hay but I guess not enough. I will give him more. Thanks again!!

[fariasgirl]

rabbits normally eat the cecal stool as soon as they poop it out. and it should look like a tiny bunch of grapes.  for the best advice, contact your local house rabbit association.

[Abby22]

Does your rabbit have long hair? We have an angora rabbit and the same thing happens to her. We have to clean it with water as well. Its good to see that we are not the only ones with this problem! I will also try more timothy hay as well.