Every rabbit's gut has a very delicate balance, and if they eat too many carbohydrates, there is the danger of serious problems. For most rabbits this will cause their caecotrophs to be softer and improperly formed and they won't be eaten, instead they will stick to the bottom and cause problems.
Improve your rabbit's diet.
In most cases, the number one thing you can do to prevent poopy butt is by giving them a hay-based diet. Reduce the amount of pellets and treats you give them and increase the amount of hay to give your rabbit a high fiber diet (timothy hay is best).
Diet. A poor diet may be the single, most common problem in causing a rabbit to have a dirty bottom. Rabbits who are fed too much concentrated mix and therefore dont eat enough hay or are too full to eat their caecotrophs are likely to get a mucky bottom from the uneaten caecotrophs as they build up around their bottom ...
Dehydration. If there is not enough water taken in (most commonly found in the food) then the intestines become dry. This in turn leads to a slowdown of movement, which can be a reason for your bunny or guinea pig not pooping.
Territorial pooping: Rabbits are territorial animals that will scatter their poops around an area to claim it as their own. They will do this when they first explore a new area and if they share an exercise space with another animal they are not bonded to.
Food quality is essential in the treatment of constipation in rabbits. The veterinarian recommends the intake of fresh hay and green vegetables, which help normalize bowel movements. With a balanced diet and constant physical activity, it is possible to avoid the risk of intestinal stasis or constipation in rabbits.
Once the blockage occurs, your rabbit's stomach can fill up with food, gas and fluid, he can have difficulties passing feces, and he can experience extreme pain. This condition can ultimately be fatal.
Rabbits with an intestinal obstruction present severe abdominal pain and as a result will become anorexic, unwilling to move and grind their teeth in pain (bruxism). They will also press their abdomen on the ground, have a bloated and distended abdomen, and cease production of faecal pellets.
Baby wipes are the easiest method of cleaning your rabbit without bathing it. Use baby wipes that are fragrance-free, alcohol-free and hypo-allergenic for best results. You want a wipe that is strong enough to clean your bunny without tearing, and which is soft so that it won't hurt your bunny's skin.
You can expect that if the rabbit eats a large amount of hay in the morning, they will produce a large amount of fecal poops around 5 hours later, while the cecotropes will take much longer to be ready for redigestion.
Most of the time, complete blockages require a stay in the hospital and possibly surgery. But if your bowel is only partly blocked, your doctor may tell you to wait until it clears on its own and you are able to pass gas and stool. If so, there are things you can do at home to help make you feel better.
The rabbit may quickly lose all interest in eating, cease passing droppings, show a bloated/distended abdomen, and show signs of abdominal pain (grinding the teeth, pressing their abdomen on the ground, sit hunch up with eyes half closed).
Many rabbits with gastrointestinal obstructions have a recent history of illness or stressful events. They will initially stop eating pellets but continue to eat treats, often followed by complete loss of appetite (anorexia).
Unfortunately, it can do more harm than good. Pineapple is packed with sugar. Giving too many sugary foods can upset a rabbit's digestion in the first place. Giving extra sugar to a rabbit with stasis is especially dangerous.
Cause: stress, diet low in fiber, dehydration, excess lignified material, clay cat litter, dysautonomia, mucoid enteropathy. Signs: hunched posture, anorexia, reduced or absent fecal output, teeth grinding, reluctance to move, enlarged abdomen, doughy or firm cecum.
Rabbit poop will decompose quickly – usually within a few months. However, if you want to use rabbit manure as fertilizer, it is best to either compost it or make rabbit poo tea (more on that later). This will help break down the nutrients so they are more easily absorbed by plants.
Anxiety can cause you to need to poop. This is due to the way your brain communicates with your GI tract. When you become anxious, it can send a message to your gut that triggers the need to poop or other digestive symptoms. Different situations can potentially trigger anxiety.
Pale or white poop: Chalky is not a good look on poop. It may mean your body isn't producing bile. It could be that you have an infection or that your bile duct is blocked. Pale poop could also be a side effect of medicines, including some used for diarrhea.
Stool Color Changes Facts
Normal stool color is brown. This is due to the presence of bile in the stool. Normal stool color can range from light yellow to brown to almost black. If stool is red, maroon, black, clay-colored, pale, yellow, or green this may signify a problem.
You don't need to fill the box, a small layer of litter on the bottom works just fine. If you have some available, scoop up a few of your rabbit's poops and add them to the box.