The Scoop on Rabbit Poop
Wondering what rabbit poop can tell you about their health? You're in luck because we love talking about rabbit poop!
Is it weird to admit that we actually think rabbit poop is kinda cute?
Sorry, not sorry!
If poo can be considered cute in any form of reality, then bunny poop is the cutest.
In fact, we lovingly refer to rabbit droppings as bunny berries around here. Cuz, well they're like little berries!
Daaawwww!
Cuteness aside, yes, you can tell a lot about a rabbit's current health just by observing their bunny berries. 
What You Can Learn from Rabbit Poop
If you didn't know already, rabbits poop quite often. Ok, maybe that's not as cute as we'd like it to be.
But frequent pooping is very normal for most rabbits. In fact they can release up to 300 pellets per day! And the good news is, rabbit poop doesn't have much of a smell, nor is it very wet. In fact, it's quite dry which makes it easy to clean up.
So when you're on bunny berry cleanup duty, take a peek at that poo and you might learn a bit about their digestive system, current state of health, or even if they may have parasites.
Normal Rabbit Poop
Rabbits go number two...like a lot. So you'll have plenty of opportunities to assess and investigate your bunny's berries.
But what does normal rabbit poop actually look like?
Well, it's usually a "dry" poop. Now, there will be some moisture, but it's not a very wet sample of feces. In fact, rabbit poops are kinda fuzzy in that they're fibrous.
We know, even their poops are fluffy. Is there anything NOT cute about a bun?
Anyway, rabbit poop is fibrous because of its diet, which is full of grass and hay.
And, as you know, it's round and comes out in the form of little pebbles. Some people refer to rabbit dung as pellets.
If you were to squish a rabbit pellet between your fingers, it should come apart pretty easily. In other words, rabbit poop, while fairly dry, isn't hard.
Lastly, rabbit berries rarely smell strong. Yes, they have a smell, but it's not as rank as cat or dog poop, for example—another bunny bonus!
Abnormal Rabbit Poop
Now that you've gotten up close and personal with healthy rabbit excrement, let's talk a little bit about abnormal bunny berries.
There's a lot of reasons your bunny's berries might appear out of the ordinary. The good news is, however, that knowing the variances will help you understand your rabbit's health.
Super Small Rabbit Poop
If you notice your rabbit's poop looking a little on the small side, smaller than their normal poops, it could mean:
- Your rabbit is in pain - stress creates variations in stool size
- Intestinal parasites
- Intestinal impaction - blockages and build-up inside your rabbit’s digestive system
- Malnutrition - your bunny may need access to better quality hay or they could have dental issues
In truth, anything that causes your rabbit stress may cause upset to their bowels, resulting in smaller-than-normal poo.
Stringy Rabbit Poop
If you see a string of rabbit berries stuck together in your rabbit's den, don't worry...it's pretty common.
You see, bunnies love to be clean, so they groom themselves a lot which means they accidentally consume some of their fur from time to time.
As you can imagine, that fur's gotta go somewhere, so out it goes when your rabbit defecates...and in the process, it strings together with your rabbit's poop like a string of pearls.
Just not as pretty, of course.
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Rabbit Poop Color Changes
If you've recently changed what you're feeding your rabbit, you may notice a color change.
This is completely normal if you've made some changes to the hay and/or pellets you feed your rabbit. So nothing to worry about unless you haven't made any changes.
On the other hand, extremely dark rabbit poo might indicate that your rabbit is getting too much protein, which can adversely affect your bunny's health.
Clumpy Rabbit Poop
You've probably noticed that bunny berries doesn't typically come out in big clumps. But, if you do see rabbit poop that looks closer to human waste, for example, your rabbit could need its diet reassessed.
Frequently clumpy rabbit manure could mean that there isn't enough fiber in your bun's diet.
Did you know that 1st Cut Timothy is higher in fiber than other cuttings? Fresh hay should make up 70 - 80% of your rabbit's diet.
Rabbit Diarrhea
When an animal gets the "runs" it's usually a cause for concern.
Diarrhea causes dehydration...quickly.
So, the first step, when you see loose bunny stools, is to ensure they have plenty of water and provide electrolytes to them.
Diarrhea can be caused by infection, stress, parasites, or other underlying illnesses. So the next thing you need to do is figure out the cause of diarrhea.
As a side note, a sign of dehydration is dry rabbit pellets immediately after being excreted from your bun. If they crumble or are dryer than normal, your rabbit could be dehydrated.
Lack of Rabbit Poop
So what does it mean when your rabbit isn't going…at all?
Well, since rabbits normally go number two frequently, it's pretty easy to see when they’re no longer leaving berries behind.
If this happens, it could mean your rabbit needs some medical attention.
If your bunny isn't pooping, it could mean she is:
- Impacted - a build-up of stool inside your rabbit (caused by a blockage)
- Dehydrated
- Malnourished - perhaps more fiber is needed in your rabbit's diet
- Stressed out - just like humans, stress can cause both diarrhea and constipation.
If your bunny hasn't pooped within a few hours, it should be seen by its veterinarian to uncover the underlying issue and to help get things moving again.
My Rabbit is Eating its Poop!
While it's not easy to catch, rabbits will re-ingest a certain type of feces called cecotropes.
There's no need to be alarmed, either, because these tiny little clusters of feces are plant matter that hasn't been digested and, to put it bluntly, your bun is simply going to try to digest it a second time.
In other words, when your rabbit is eating its own poop (its cecotropes) it's actually recycling food matter than might still have valuable nutrition within it. And if you've never seen your bunny do this, that doesn't mean they aren't doing it.
In fact, rabbits consume their cecotropes as soon as they’re, um....laid? Pooped out?
Well, you know what we mean.
As you can see, there’s a LOT you can learn from observing your bun's butt berries. It may not be the most exciting thing you'll do with your rabbit, but it's certainly important to keep an eye on!
Make scooping your rabbit's waste a little easier with our wood pellet bedding. Each pellet absorbs up to four times its weight in liquid so you'll use less and change it less frequently. How's that for fresh?
