Getting a rabbit can be a child’s dream come true. But as they say, you should never meet your heroes because Bugs Bunny spends most of his time pooping.
But… what does pooping a lot tell us about the rabbit’s health? Is it good? Bad? Or, perhaps, it’s a normal thing.
We’ve got you covered. By the end of this article, you will have learned whether bunnies poop a lot and what that means for their health—you’ll know how to interpret your pet’s pooping habits.
But first, let’s address the main question.
Do Rabbits Pool a Lot? (And What Are Its Effects)
Rabbits poop more often than most pets, but they don’t excrete a lot if we look at the amount of excretion. Since rabbits poop out pellets instead of excreting a single dump, the number of ‘poop units’ of a rabbit can be 100 times higher than that of a cat and 200 times that of a dog.
But in volume comparisons, rabbits often poop less than larger pets.
The problem is with the number of sittings as well. Rabbits don’t empty their systems in a single sitting, which can add to the perception that they are doing nothing but pooping out pellets. As long as you know the ‘normal’ of a rabbit’s pooping frequency, you’ll avoid worrying too much.
Rabbits poop throughout the day, unlike most domesticated house pets. Dogs and cats should never be used as baselines to compare rabbits’ pooping schedules and frequency.
Rabbits can also make a mess, using their excrement to mark territory. But for the most part, rabbits relieve themselves in one specific area (usually in or around the cage).
A rabbit’s excrement can be used to judge its health. Solid pellets are often indicative of a well-functioning digestive tract. Runny poop is a cause for concern, and poor food choices can lead to diarrhea in rabbits.
But the most concerning indicator is the lack of pooping. When a rabbit stops pooping, he must be taken to the vet immediately.
Should You be Concerned About Excessive Pooping?
If you are a new pet owner, you don’t need to worry about your rabbit pooping a lot. That’s because your idea of normal, healthy pet pooping is off the mark. Rabbits poop more than most pets, so you have nothing to be worried about.
On the other hand, if you’ve had the rabbit for a while and are used to normal levels of rabbit waste, seeing a sudden spike in excrement makes room for a professional examination.
A rabbit could poop more because of:
- Puberty – Puberty goes hand in hand with sped-up metabolism. A sudden spike in bodily functions can translate to more pooping.
- Improvement in the diet – If a rabbit starts with a poor diet, it is understandable that better food will improve his digestive function.
- Comfort – A grown rabbit can be nervous when it is first adopted as a pet. When it gets familiar with the new environment, it can start pooping more.
In all of the above cases, you should do nothing to make your rabbit poop less as long as his waste is solid.
The health concerns are on the opposite end of the rabbit waste spectrum. Watch out for the following indicators of poor health:
- Runny poop – If your rabbit excretes soft waste that it eats, there’s nothing to be worried about. This is a healthy part of its digestive function. But if its stool is watery, then its stomach is upset, which can affect its health.
- No poop – A rabbit that’s not pooping might be seriously ill, and the earlier you take him to a professional, the better odds you have of saving his life.
Can You Make Rabbits Poop Less?
You cannot make your rabbits healthily poop less. You might want to reduce the amount of excrement just to keep your house clean.
For that, you need to train your rabbit to use the litter. And when you’re traveling, you might want to reduce the mess your rabbit makes.
But using a diaper is the easiest way to do this without changing your rabbit’s pooping habits. Diapers can be expensive (and harmful) in the long run, which is why it is crucial to start potty training your rabbit at an early age.
There is more on rabbit diapers towards the end of this article. For now, you must remember that rabbits can learn to use the litter box with relative ease at almost any age, and diapers or poop suppressants should not be used as an alternative.
What Food Makes Rabbits Poop More?
All food makes rabbits poop more simply because these pets are digestive machines wrapped in a fluffy exterior. However, there are a few foods that can upset a rabbit’s stomach and cause diarrhea.
Lettuce is the chief stomach-upsetting food item for rabbits, and it can cause life-threatening diarrhea for your pet. You need to be cautious even when feeding your rabbit any fruit or wet diet because rabbits mainly feed on dry hay (as boring as that sounds).
If your rabbit has diarrhea, you should feed him the following:
- Hay – This should constitute 90% of your rabbit’s diet.
- Grass – Around 10% of what your pet eats can be grass
- Pellets – This should make up 1% to 3% of your pet’s weekly diet. Pellets can be a source of vitamins but aren’t necessary for most pets.
Rabbit Poop and Health: How to Read Rabbit Poop
Rabbits hide signs of poor health because [poor health] can be attractive to lazy carnivores in the wild.
Fortunately, their digestive functions, including excrement, can indicate how healthy or unhealthy they are. Below are some signs that you should look out for when you own a rabbit.
Unhealthy – Your Rabbit’s Poop Pellets Have a String
The string is created as the pellets exit the rabbit’s anus and is shaped into it. This lack of hardness can be chalked up to a lack of fiber in your pet’s diet.
This isn’t a very serious health concern, but immediate action is required. Avoid feeding your rabbit a diet of pellets alone, as it needs plenty of hay to produce healthy poop.
Healthy – Your Rabbit Excretes Soft Waste and Eats It
This might be a strange sight if you’ve never owned a rabbit before. The romanticization of rabbits, from cartoon characters to toys, has airbrushed the reality of how rabbits function.
These animals’ digestive tracts are extremely sensitive and low-impact.
Sometimes, rabbits need to digest the same thing twice. They poop it out once in soft semi-turds, then eat it and poop the final excrement out in harder pellets.
This is a healthy behavior that you should actively look out for.
Unhealthy – Your Rabbit Has Runny, Almost Liquid Poop
While soft poop is natural, runny stools are not. A rabbit experiencing diarrhea might be at death’s door.
Not all diarrhea is deadly to rabbits, but prolonged periods of consistent water loss can kill most small rabbits.
In most cases, dry hay can reverse the effects of a diarrhea-causing food item. But prevention remains better than the cure, and rabbit owners are often urged to avoid feeding their pets anything they’re not sure is 100% rabbit-safe.
Healthy – Your Rabbit Poops Around 150 to 200 Pellets a Day
As mentioned earlier, this might seem like a huge number, but it is normal for rabbits to poop out this many pellets in a day.
You don’t have to count rabbit poop pellets to conclude whether he is healthy or not. Frequent pooping and grazing very obviously indicate that your rabbit is full of life.
Unhealthy – Your Rabbit Poops 50 Pellets or Less
When your rabbit litter is suspiciously empty, you might need to count rabbit poop pellets. 50 pellets or less is bad news for a pet owner.
If a rabbit poops less than half of what it should, its digestive tract is not functioning properly.
And for an animal that relies on a high digestive function to remain alive, this can be a serious cause for concern. The fewer the pellets, the closer the situation is to an emergency.
Do Rabbits Wear Diapers?
Rabbits wear diapers, but not all the time. Rabbits need to access their poop (especially soft poop/cecotropes) for proper digestion and nutrient extraction.
However, rabbits can wear diapers when they are away from their litter when traveling or are on an expensive carpet.
As long as the rabbit diaper isn’t used as a crutch to neutralize a lack of potty training, it is a good accessory for occasional use.
It is normal to see a rabbit wearing a diaper, so there is no shame in having your rabbit in a diaper when you are out in public or have guests over.
Can You Potty Train a Rabbit?
You can potty train a rabbit quite easily because rabbits eat one form of their poop (cecotropes). By placing their soft and hard droppings in a designated litter tray, you can compel your pet to poop in one spot.
The rabbit might need to be kept in the cage until it learns how to use it reliably. But once it understands where to relieve itself, it is 100% potty trained.
To get cecotropes, you might need to put your bunny in a diaper. But most rabbit owners find that simply collecting hard pellets can also work for potty training.
Conclusion
Rabbits are excellent pets, but not when they are poop-phobic. If you cannot stand the sight of mammal poop, a rabbit might not be the best pet for you, as rabbits poop a lot.
As a kind and considerate rabbit owner, you should be happy to see your rabbit pooping around 200 pellets a day.
