Why is my bunny producing so many cecotropes?
Cecotropes. A diet too high in carbohydrates, protein, or sugar can upset the balance of bacteria in the caecum causing the production of too many cecotropes. The rabbit ignores these extra dropping as they contain unneeded nutrients and they become stuck in the fur or squished on the floor instead.
What is rabbit cecal pellets or cecotropes?
Cecal pellets (aka cecotropes) are a special food made by bunny, just for bunny. They are partially digested foods that are passed from the bunny and then reingested. You may not see bunny do this, but when she appears to be bathing her belly and she comes up chewing, she’s probably just taken up a cecal pellet.
Why do rabbits eat cecal droppings?
Why Do Rabbits Eat Poop? Cecotropes are full of nutrients that a rabbit needs. These special feces contain more protein and vitamins than normal poops have, so by consuming its cecotropes (and a healthy diet), a rabbit is getting all of the important nutrients that it needs to stay healthy.
Do pellets make rabbits poop more?
Instead, rabbits will usually poop a number of hours after they have eaten. Studies have shown that larger particles of food, such as chewed up hay, will pass through their digestive tract much faster than smaller particles, such as chewed up pellets.
How do you fix cecal dysbiosis?
Leafy greens (e.g. romaine, endive, dandelion greens, etc.) can be offered at 2 cups per five pounds of rabbit per day. Hay and greens alone can provide all of the essential components of a healthy rabbit diet. Pellets can eventually be reintroduced (1/8 cup per 5lbs of rabbit) once the soft cecotropes have subsided.
Are cecotropes normal?
It is normal for cecotropes to be quite pungent. Cecotropes are a normal and healthy bowel movement for all rabbits. The reason why you may never have seen these droppings is because rabbits are coprophagous.
Why does my rabbits poop look like blackberries?
Cecotropes are formed in a special part of the rabbit’s digestive tract called the cecum. After passing through the small intestine, food that is done digesting is sent to the large intestine to be processed as fecal pellets. Cecotropes are soft, shiny & dark in color; clustered together like blackberries.
Do rabbits always eat their cecotropes?
Rabbits should always be allowed to eat their cecotropes. These food capsules are not fecal waste; they are a critical part of the diet. Healthy rabbits consume all their cecotropes. However, consumption can be influenced by the rabbit’s diet.
Is it OK for rabbits to eat their poop?
You shouldn’t be too concerned if your rabbit eats his poop. In fact, it’s a normal and healthy rabbit behavior. These special feces are called cecotropes, or “night feces.” They are produced through fermentation of food in the part of the rabbit’s digestive tract called the cecum.
How much is rabbit poop worth?
Rabbit manure can be sold as premium garden fertilizer for anywhere between $5 and $15 a pound. It can be sold on Facebook, eBay, Craigslist, at a local farmers market, or garden supply store.
Why is my rabbit doing big poops?
These poops are completely normal, usually bunnies eat them to ensure that they get enough protein and B vitamins in their diet. Sometimes bunnies will make more than normal when they’re stressed or are getting too much sugar in their diet.
Is it normal for a rabbit to poop pellets?
Do not mistake normal pellets with cecotropes though, which do have a stronger odor but are a healthy bowel movement. Pellet size isn’t always relative to the size of the rabbit itself. A small rabbit may have quite large pellet poops, and a large rabbit may have smaller pellets that you’d expect.
What’s the difference between normal rabbit pellets and cecotropes?
Healthy rabbit pellets will have a very mild smell. Pungent or notably odorous pellets are a sign that there is an underlying health issue. Do not mistake normal pellets with cecotropes though, which do have a stronger odor but are a healthy bowel movement.
What kind of stool does a rabbit produce?
Recall that rabbits normally produce two types of stool, and cecotropes are the small amount of soft pellets defecated first that stick together like a cluster of grapes. The second type of stool is the fecal pellet, which is what owners are more used to seeing – the firm dry balls that end up in the litter box or scattered around the cage.
What to feed a rabbit with cecal dysbiosis?
Depending on the severity of the shift in cecal flora, it may take days to weeks before the cecotropes achieve normal consistency. If the affected rabbit does not eat hay on a regular basis, then providing a high fiber timothy pellet should be substituted for any commercial pellet/seed/dried fruit treat mixes while hay is introduced.