Home; Store; Rabbit Info; Blog; Photos; Videos; Resources; Forum; Search; Home; Store; Rabbit Info; Blog; Photos; Videos; Resources; Forum ; Search; Forum Please Read – IMPORTANT FORUM INFORMATION OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS. Cecotropes are produced in the cecum where billions of bacteria have fermented all of the digestible plant material into a tidy bundle packed full of nutrients. Typically, the owner rarely sees cecotropes unless the rabbit produces more than they can consume. Why do rabbits eat caecotrophs The blue arrow shows a normal sized poop. A rabbit's poop can tell you a great deal about the health of that rabbit. Speak to your vet about how best to re-balance your bunny's digestive system. They are smelly and will squish rather than crumble. Since rabbits usually consume cecotropes as soon as they exit the body, it’s much more likely that your dog has eaten the small pellets that rabbits leave behind as a final waste product. This unique poop, called cecotropes, is produced as the rabbit’s food ferments in his digestive tract. Then fruit and treats will also cause this problem. They need to eat lots of fresh grass hay. Rabbits don’t need to examine their poop to distinguish which pellets are cecotropes and which aren’t. These have a strong smell, especially if the mucus … Normal cecotropes are small, dark, round, and shiny poops that stick to each other. Rabbits do eat their poops because they need to. Related posts: While there are many types of rabbit poop out there, in this article we will be exploring the most common types of poop, and what they are telling you about your rabbit’s health condition. The mucus coat allows rabbits … It is the most common cause. Either method is a great way to feed your garden. If your bunny constantly has a dirty butt, look at the diet. Over the summer my Other bunny died (he was about 10 years old) anyways the new bunny I have now (Pete) has been having weird poop. However, a single rabbit can excrete over 100 pellets in a single day, which can make a flowerbed or backyard unpleasant. This typically causes other non-rabbit people to look at us very strangely. This sounds similar to coprophagy, but it is not the same process. Rabbits who eat their poop (not cecotropes) While it’s healthy and normal for rabbits to eat their cecotropes, most rabbits will not eat their own fecal pellets. Do you know what to do? Some produce cecotropes in the late morning, some in the late afternoon, and some at night. Can a human get sick from rabbit poop? The rabbit will eat them as they are leaving their body. Rabbits eat their own poop, but it's not as gross as it sounds. Around 11:30pm…. Other types of manure, such as steer, need to be watered in very well or composted before use. Rabbits, are unique in the sense that they practice cecotrophy. However, if you are interested in exploring the topic further, check out this informative guide by Christie Taylor, Ph.D. Dr. Taylor's Ph.D is in biochemistry and molecular biology and she is a long time House Rabbit Society educator and contributor to various journals. If your rabbit doesn’t eat his cecotropes, most of the nutrients get lost into his regular feces. Rabbits produce two kinds of poop. It's very common for bunnies when they come out of GI stasis or for older rabbits with chronic dental issues. Also, pellets are the most common reason for this problem. For more information on how to compost, click here. However, certain parasites can be passed on to dogs from rabbits. Rabbits also produce something called cecotropes. It's large, oval and not as dry. It is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, but also gentle on plant roots. Rabbits possess a cecum, which is involved in digestion. It should be dry, break apart easily and you should be able to see bits of hay. Apparently, no one has told the weather that it's January and it should be rainy. Rabbit fecal pellets, the cocoa puff poops, are basically just condensed balls of fiber that have had the nutrients stripped away. The yellow arrow shows a megacolon poop. It is estimated that B12is synthesized 100x the daily requirement. Within a day or two, his poop will return to normal. She consumes the cecotropes as they leave the rectum. He is kept in house we feed him bunny brunch. A thorough review of the provided diet is essential to get these rabbits back on track. Some rabbits produce cecotropes in the late morning or afternoon, other rabbits produce them at night. Those are cecotropes and are from eating too rich of food, food that he is allergic to, or too many calories. |. All Rights Reserved. Megacolon poops are large oval or oblong in shape and have much more water content than poops from a normal healthy rabbit. This may happen if the rabbit is fed too many pellets, treats or rich greens in his diet or if the rabbit is unable to reach down and consume them (ex. If you find yourself with a bunny who constantly produces soft poop, you need to eliminate rich vegetables, treats and/or pellets from his diet to help get his gut back into balance. Normal poop (left) and abnormal poop (right). | Privacy Policy. These poops are completely normal, usually bunnies eat them to ensure that they get enough protein and B vitamins in their diet. It has less to do with raiding the garbage can and more to do with a bacterial or parasitic infection. It's the result of an imbalance in the diet. SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. It could be because he is sick, but most likely it is because he is being fed things that he should not eat. Different Types of Rabbit Poop. The poops will still retain their shape, but if you squeeze one, water will come out. The bunnies joyous expression when she’s participating in cecotrophy (the intake of cecotropes) will inform you that she finds this anything however disgusting. https://rabbitowner.com/poopy-butts-in-rabbits-causes-treatments-and-cleaning 3 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. So a couple days before Halloween I got a new bunny. After the rabbit eats his cecotropes, all the nutrients get reabsorbed into his small intestine. Poop/Cecotropes. The diet needs to be tailored specifically to this bunny to ensure proper gut function. The bunny may need to be on daily medication for pain relief, prokinetic (gut motility) and fluids (can be oral or via subcutaneous). ANSWER: Is Rabbit Poop Harmful? One kind of rabbit poop is made from partially digested foods which the rabbit reingests. Changing pellet brands or amounts can do this, too. This is okay as long as the bunny doesn't get a messy bottom (by sitting on the cecos) and it doesn't happen all the time. Abnormal rabbit poop gives you a clue as to what the problem is and how it can be handled. This is how rabbits get all the nutrients they can from their diets. It is not capable of extracting the entire nutrients from food when they initially digest it. Rabbits have two different types of poop: round, fibrous pellets and glossy clusters of dark cecotropes. Usually, the rabbit has consumed too many treats and/or pellets. Of course, if you are a fan of composting, rabbit poop makes a good addition. Rabbits also produce something called cecotropes. Reasons why rabbits eat their own poop The term for eating feces is known as coprophagia or coprophagy. Some produce cecotropes in the late morning, some in the late afternoon, and some at night. Hi I have a male rabbit about 6 years old and his poop look,s like this and is really smelly. I wouldn't even call my vet unless I suspected one of his five million medications was the culprit. I hope you all are well and safe this lovely January day. I hope you and your bunnies had fun ringing in the New Year. I recommend getting some books about rabbits and reading about how to properly feed them. They are high in vitamin B, which bunnies cannot produce on their own. It used to be thought that rabbits would only produce cecotropes at night, but it turns out the timing of cecotrope production is largely dependent on the rabbit. Most rabbits do not need very many pellets and too many cause this. Mucus can be seen on both the poop and paper towel. A healthy rabbit will produce on average 200-300 hard pellets a day. Too many pellets can cause this every time. Some produce cecotropes in the late morning, some in … In any case, they usually do this when you’re not watching (quite polite of them). Cecotropes are not feces. Unfortunately, most rabbit health issues happen at the most inconvenient times. Of course, the weather here is almost hot. That is why owners obsess over the size, quantity and quality of their rabbits' poop. Unlike other animals, rabbit poop is not so unpleasant. Cecotropes are full of nutrients that a rabbit needs. My Rabbit First Aid Guide will guide you through the most common health issues and provide step-by-step instructions on how best to help your pet. It's actually a substance called cecotropes and it's perfectly normal. Rabbit health basics can be narrowed down to good diet, housing and interaction from the owner. However, it’s not unhealthy for rabbits to behave this way. When your bunny has diarrhea, what does it look like? It is believed that the cecotropes can protect the rabbit from harmful pathogens. When I had to deal with my dog Baci's diarrhea, I would give him plain white rice and dry chicken breast for dinner for a few days. 1  Cecotropes, also referred to as night feces, are a specific kind of poop that is different than regular rabbit stools. Applying pressure to a pellet should cause it to split apart and reveal a grainy, sawdust-like interior. When a rabbit  comes out of stasis, the first poops will be small and misshapen. How to give oral medication and liquid food. … You see it more often in young rabbits, particularly those transitioning from weaning. Immediate attention is pungent ( a kind of poop that is why owners over... Versus cecotropes rabbit poop pellets should crumble easily with some pressure from your fingers or all fruit less to with. Are cecotropes and are from eating cecotropes rabbit poop rich of food, food that should... Will squish rather than crumble months or even years and tarry, in contrast with `` ''. 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