Subscribe to the Bunny Lady e-Newsletter and receive a FREE pdf guidebook going over all the basics of rabbit care. They've all been eating haylage for the last two weeks, and Annabel has been nursing from her mama still (Bridgit, the mama, gets a bucket of soaked beet pulp, some alfalfa pellets and grain each evening, as does our other mama, Sheila, although Bridgit's is richer in … I think my rabbit might be sick, she is not eating her pellets, and her poop is small and dry. This rabbit poop is smaller than usual. The numbers shared above, are based upon a standard diet of pellets and hay. Rabbits do not ordinarily re-ingest fecal pellets, though a few bunnies seem to enjoy an occasional fecal pellet hors d’ouevre with no harm. The vet says that he looks healthy, he is not overweight, his diet is excellent, plenty of hay, a measured amount of daily pellets, fresh veg and water always available. If there are small, soft, sticky poops stuck to your rabbit's fur, then your rabbit isn't eating its cecotropes. If there aren't any of these soft poops, then your rabbit is consuming them as it should be. Because of the way their digestion works, rabbits produce two different types of fecal pellets. Pellets should also be a part of your rabbits diet, but they should only be given in small amounts. A rabbit that is eating exclusively grass, will produce about half the volume of manure. If all of the poops that are present appear round and normal, then your rabbit is probably eating its cecotropes. The color or rabbit poop can vary from a light to dark brown. If the rabbit is fed every morning, it’s natural that they wouldn’t show up in large numbers until evening. In addition to the regular fecal pellets that rabbits produce during the day, a special type of poop is also excreted in the night. Cecotropes, also referred to as night feces, are a specific kind of poop that is different than regular rabbit stools. Some animals such as flies and other insects will eat feces as a means of sustenance, but it is not as common a practice in vertebrates. My first piece of advice is always to go to an animal shelter... Caring For a Rabbit Before and After Neuter or Spay Surgery. While this may sound like quite the opposite of a good hygiene practice, there is actually a good reason why rabbits do this. If you see it cleaning its hind end and spending more time licking below its tail, then it is eating its cecotropes. Rabbit waste is similar to white-tailed deer scat despite the pests’ size difference. That’s why, you usually won’t see any cecotropes in your rabbits litter box, but they’re still producing them every day. 174-187. To prevent this, you want to make sure your rabbit has a healthy and balanced diet. Rabbits and hares beat this problem with a special kind of digestion called hindgut fermentation. No! This is how I use most of the rabbit waste that we have and it is part of making the rich soil. She helps out on a farm and the neighbouring farm had some rabbits and Guineapigs all shaked up together in filthy conditions. Rabbits produce two types of pellets: fecal pellets (left in the litterbox) and cecotropes (soft, pungent, normally shaped like a cluster of grapes and reingested by … Several conditions can cause a physical impediment to eating cecotropes, including arthritis, an injury, or obesity. It’s a sickening situation for humans, so it’s time to learn how to stop your dog… Third, watch your rabbit late at night or early in the morning. Rabbits produce a special type of dropping called a cecotrope, which is greenish, made up of several little balls and covered in mucus. These together can lead to illnesses in rabbits, such as GI Stasis. A good bunny owner checks their rabbit’s poop every single day. If you find that your rabbit is forgoing their healthy food and eating their poop instead then make a habit of scooping out their litter box frequently throughout the day. Also known as fecal pellets, these normal rabbit poops should look very much like cocoa puffs. For more information on a healthy rabbit diet, visit my article on Rabbit Diet 101. Small rabbit poop. Fecal matter is produced throughout the day as a rabbit is hopping around or visiting the litter box, but these constantly produced fecal pellets are not what a rabbit consumes. The latter are produced in a region of the rabbit’s digestive tract called the cecum, a blind-end pouch situated at the junction of the small and big intestines. Why dogs like rabbit poop. Rabbits poop pellets because the excess waste they do not need must be removed, which takes the form of a pellet. Unlike most other mammals, lagomorphs (including domestic rabbits) produce two types of droppings, fecal pellets (the round, dry ones you usually see in the litterbox) and cecotropes. After all, rabbits defecate both dry fecal pellets and cecotropes. It’s important to make the differentiation between the two types of poop your rabbit produces. My dog eat rabbit pellets, is this harmful to him? Identifying and Treating Rabbit Ileus, a Common GI Disorder. Rabbits, much like cats, are fastidious groomers and practice very good hygiene. 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. Chickens eat their own feces so I don't see a problem. Most rabbits don’t eat their own fecal pellets, though it’s normal for them to have a nibble on them once in a while. These are the normal ‘cocoa puff’ rabbit poops that you will see in your rabbit’s litter box and scattered around. These special kind of poop allows rabbits to absorb nutrient out of their normal daily diet. Check your rabbit’s poop-Your rabbit’s poop can tell you a lot about your rabbit’s health. Pellets work great in these situations, however, when you want your pet to live a long, healthy life, a diet heavy in pellets is less than ideal. The Spruce Pets uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. A rabbit may eat its droppings if it does not have access to enough fiber from other sources. Poop Watching Rabbits should be fed and provided with fresh water daily; hay should be available at all times. If you are sure that your rabbit his eating poop (not cecotropes), it’s time to assess its diet. Ferrets, Rabbits, And Rodents, 2020, pp. Since they won’t be getting any nutrients from these poops, you don’t want them to replace the foods that are actually healthy. “Rabbits Eat Their Own Poop.”. Wild rabbits who were the ancestors of our pets, evolved to have this unique type of digestive system so that they could survive on a rough diet of foliage and bark. If your rabbit steps on a cluster, they will squish together into a smear. Ash Tree Veterinary Centre, 2020, Why Do Rabbits Eat Their Feces?. They will naturally be softer when they are first dropped by the rabbit, but the fecal pellets should harden with time. Some mammals will eat feces on rare occasions, such as dogs. In fact, it's a normal and healthy rabbit behavior. that we use to grow our vegetable garden. A rabbit’s digestive system is complex, and instead of eating a few meals a day, they ideally will snack all day long, but not pellets or treats but on hay. Both animals leave pellets of the same size in mounds, although rabbit droppings usually only pile up when they are eating or hiding from a threat. This bunny poop is not round and soft, but very lean and hard as a rock. Getting your rabbit spayed (female) or neutered (male) is a responsible decision. This is known to cause dietary insufficiencies and it can be due to giving your bunny diets rich in proteins such as alfalfa. If your rabbit isn't eating its cecotropes, then there is most likely an underlying reason why. It is composed of small, soft, shiny pellets, each coated with a layer of rubbery mucus, and pressed into an elongate mass. Eating a small amount of rabbit poop is generally not harmful to dogs. The amount of poop is relative. They are often seen licking their paws, smoothing the fur on their ears, and even cleaning their bottoms. Rabbits do not ordinarily re-ingest fecal pellets, though a few bunnies seem to enjoy an occasional fecal pellet hors d’ouevre with no harm. Different Types of Rabbit Poop. If you aren't sure if your rabbit eats its poop, there are a few key indicators you can look for. While it’s healthy and normal for rabbits to eat their cecotropes, most rabbits will not eat their own fecal pellets. Rabbits need to re-ingest one of these, called cecotropes, to gain the maximum amount of nutrients from their diet and keep their digestive system healthy. Do not mistake normal pellets with cecotropes though, which do have a stronger odor but are a healthy bowel movement. They absorb the nutrients from these foods, then get rid of what their body does not need in the form of a pellet. Dogs have a peculiar attraction to eating rabbit poop and a great finesse at discovering the tiny, dark, pebble-like droppings. The lack of fiber in your rabbit’s diet forces their gut to slow down since the indigestible fiber is essential for keeping their digestion moving. Rabbits are herbivores and are considered grazers. my rabbit is not eating his cecotropes We have taken our lop eared castrated male rabbit, mischief, to the vet for a check up, as he doesn't eat his cecotropes. She helps to socialize the rabbits and educate volunteers on the care and behavior of these small mammals. No smell. It's what they do. Each rabbit is different and knowing what is normal behavior for your rabbit could save his life. - Answered by a verified Dog Specialist ... My small dog was at the dog park eating rabbit droppings. A rabbit produces two types of excrement: regular fecal pellets and cecotropes. Your vet can guide you to get your rabbit onto a healthy diet or give you medication to manage the symptoms of arthritis. Choose pellets such as: Timothy pellets for adults This can happen when your dog eats rabbit poop, as well as if your dog eats rabbit meat. Should You Prevent Your Rabbit From Eating Its Poop? The only real issue is whether or not the rabbit is eating the right type of poop. Rabbits produce two kinds of digestive substances: small brown waste pellets and cecotropes, which are soft, shiny droppings that the rabbit eats to obtain essential nutrients. This way they won’t have any more poop to chew on, and they’ll go for healthy food instead. Adrienne Kruzer, RVT, has worked with a variety of animals for over 15 years, including birds of prey, reptiles, and small mammals. Hay is the most important part of a rabbit's daily intake. Wild rabbit would not have been able to extract the nutrients they need from the available food in their surroundings. A rabbit's pellets are similar to a cow's cud, except that they pass through before they are eaten again; they are essentially undigested pellets of food, and differentiated from feces. Both animals leave pellets of the same size in mounds, although rabbit droppings usually only pile up when they are eating or hiding from a threat. 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