Caecotrophs
- Thread starter Bunbun19
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No. Not normal. How old is she? What is her diet? Cecotropes should be rarely if ever seen. A bunny should be eating them directly from her body. A too rich diet could be the culprit.
John Wick
Well-Known Member
I agree with Blue eyes. I also want to ensure that what you're seeing is actually cecotrophs, and not potentially unhealthy, regular poops. Is your rabbit having normal poops, in addition to these squishy ones?
I think they are her caecotrophs Because all her actual poos are the little tiny dropping and seem quite regular where as what I think are her caecotrophs are the size of maybe 5 of her dropping’s stuck together and also they’re very mushy
A healthy normal fecal pellet (not cecal pellet) is round and about the size of cocoa puffs cereal.
Could you be more specific about her diet? Hay type is important to know, as is the pellet type (brand). Also, what fresh veggies? How much of what kinds?
Could you be more specific about her diet? Hay type is important to know, as is the pellet type (brand). Also, what fresh veggies? How much of what kinds?
Lifewitharabbit
New Member
Is she eating normally? Every four hours or so.
We had this with our dwarf bun. Normal poop and then usually in morning soft poop, smelly poops. She wasn't a big hay eater either. My bun had dental problems as this was the cause of her soft poops
We had this with our dwarf bun. Normal poop and then usually in morning soft poop, smelly poops. She wasn't a big hay eater either. My bun had dental problems as this was the cause of her soft poops
I’m not sure of the hay type as I get it from our farm I think it’s a mixture of grasses but she seems to like it her veggies change from day to day but it’s usually some kale, curly parsley coriander, thyme and baby spinach and sometimes dandilion leaves and small bits of broccoli but she doesn’t get a lot and her pellets are the brand burgess excel nuggets with mint but only gets pellets when he dish is empty which is usually every 2nd day and when I do fill her bowl up it’s only enough to cover the bottom of her bowl ( usually 2 small hand fulls) and I also give her beaphar tummy care mixed into her water bowl 3-4 times a week, is there anything i should and shouldn’t give her to try and help her
I don’t really monitor her poops but this morning there was big mushy ones on the floor not sure if they were her caecotrophs or her actual poo but her teeth should be fine and she has nawing toys in her cage which she lives like other wise she seems fine and is eating regularly using morning when I give her her veggies and then the evening and then night
If you can post a photo of the suspected cecotropes, we can try to see if that is indeed what they are. You mentioned that her normal poos are "tiny" which is why I mentioned that they should be about the size of cocoa puffs cereal. Can you confirm this?
If she is indeed having excess cecals, her diet may be too rich -- this is why I asked about her diet. Normally a rabbit would switch off of any alfalfa hay at the age of 6 months. She's pretty close to that age so I wonder if she is getting alfalfa hay in that mix. The farm should be able to tell you what types of hay are in there.
The burgess brand is typically a good brand. However, again, if they are a juvenile version, they are likely alfalfa-based. Again, alfalfa is very rich. So if she is getting alfalfa hay and alfalfa pellets, that may be too rich for her and may cause excess cecals.
I don't see any reason to be giving her the beaphar. That could be a possible cause as well. It is made with carrot juice (which is high in sugar) and has added Vitamin C which rabbits do not need. They don't dispel excess C in their urine the way that humans do.
She is also at the age where pellets can begin to be limited. A 5-7 lb rabbit should get no more than 1/4 cup of pellets per day. I can't determine how much is a handful or how large your bowl is. So try using a measuring cup.
There is also the possibility that she reacts to specific greens. Have you tried to connect the feeding of certain greens with the appearance of the excess cecals (or mushier fecal pellets if they are not cecals)? For instance, she may not tolerate one green as well as some others. Every rabbit is different. To make that determination, you may need to feed just one type of green at a time for a few days. Just check to see if any of them cause a change in poos. It's difficult to determine the culprit if she is getting a constant variety.
Lifewitharabbit
New Member
That sounds just like what mine was like. It's was all mushy in the morning. She has lots of nawing toys, would and hay aswell. My bun was born with a crocked jaw. Check your buns bum as some of this soft poo can get stuck to them. Keep an eye out for your bun picking up veg and dropping it and also making a mess of their food bowl.
It’s my dads farm and even he doesn’t know what type of hay it is, but I know for sure it’s not alfalfa ... her normal poos are about the size of a cocoa puff so that’s normal , I’m not at home atm but when I get home I’ll try find some and upload it , and I will also cut out the tummy care and try one veggie a day
RWAF
Well-Known Member
For veggies only give green leafy veg, not root veg, no fruit. We have a list of recommended veg & herbs here https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-diet/recommended-vegetables-herbs/
Magicfolders
New Member
My rabbit (one and a half years old) also has the same problem.. I have tried changing his diet to hay (Oats, Timothy) when the problem first arised and it was all fine for sometime but again the problem has arised.. it's been some 7 to 8 months, still hasn't resolved yet. I have visited two or three vets (different times) and gave all meds they prescribed, but no respite. The mushy caecotrophs is not seen everyday.. but like once in every week.. there are no rabbit savvy vet in India (Bangalore).. But he is eating green leaves two or three times a day with oats hay, playing with me, no rapid weight loss or weight gain.. everything seems to be fine.. even he doesn't have dental problems.. Don't know what to do further. 
@Magicfolders , might I suggest you begin a new thread to get more views and more responses specifically to your rabbit's issue.
Blue eyes sorry it took so long to get back to you here is a photo of her caecotrophs
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Oh, those are clearly cecotropes (had to double check on that word again since I knew cecotropes was correct. Apparently caecotrophs is also correct - just another way to spell it )
How have any diet changes been going?
)How have any diet changes been going?
Still not noticing any changesOh, those are clearly cecotropes (had to double check on that word again since I knew cecotropes was correct. Apparently caecotrophs is also correct - just another way to spell it
How have any diet changes been going?
What diet changes have been made? What is her diet now?
