Excessive cecotropes with strictly Timothy hay diet

[Jana Ko]

I have a rabbit, Bunny, who has been producing what I believe are excessive cecotropes. I occasionally find small clusters of them deposited randomly around her living quarters but what is more concerning is that there is a large, brown, contiguous, dried and crusted-over area in her igloo where she sleeps (photo attached for reference, warnings and apologies in advance for posting a photo of poo). This has been going on for a while and I read that the cause is typically an overly rich diet. She has always had unlimited access to Timothy hay but we used to also give her the rabbit-safe byproducts of vegetables we prepare for ourselves, ie cilantro stems, carrot tops, bok choy bottoms, cauliflower leaves, etc. We stopped giving her these a month or so ago and her diet has been strictly Timothy hay since, but she is still having this cecoptrope (or could it be diarrhea?) problem. What could be causing this? Is it time to visit the vet?

Bunny is a 5 to 7 year old (we aren't sure because she was a rescue), approximately 11 lb female, Rex-looking rabbit.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

That looks like diarrhea, not sure but I definitely don't see any cecotropes. I would say see the vet, with a rabbit being on all hay she should be having perfect bowel movements.

 

[zuppa]

Hi, it is hard to say from this photo can you take a closer one? They don't look like cecals at all to me.
also if i understood correctly she has unlimited hay and vegetables, no pellets? How much hay and vegetables she has every day?

 

[SableSteel]

Hay is not a complete diet for rabbits. It has a lot of fiber but not all of the vitamins and nutrients they need. This doesn't look like cecotropes to me either (at least not healthy ones). You should talk to a vet or animal nutritionist if you can't find a diet that works for your rabbit.

 

[Pippa and Buttercup]

I have a rabbit, Bunny, who has been producing what I believe are excessive cecotropes. I occasionally find small clusters of them deposited randomly around her living quarters but what is more concerning is that there is a large, brown, contiguous, dried and crusted-over area in her igloo where she sleeps (photo attached for reference, warnings and apologies in advance for posting a photo of poo). This has been going on for a while and I read that the cause is typically an overly rich diet. She has always had unlimited access to Timothy hay but we used to also give her the rabbit-safe byproducts of vegetables we prepare for ourselves, ie cilantro stems, carrot tops, bok choy bottoms, cauliflower leaves, etc. We stopped giving her these a month or so ago and her diet has been strictly Timothy hay since, but she is still having this cecoptrope (or could it be diarrhea?) problem. What could be causing this? Is it time to visit the vet?

Bunny is a 5 to 7 year old (we aren't sure because she was a rescue), approximately 11 lb female, Rex-looking rabbit.

Thanks for your advice!

Maybe just talk to the vet, also if you can feed pellets (not a huge amount) but make sure that you aren't feeding your rabbit just hay, as it isn't really something to feed a rabbit all by itself.
Hope this advice works, just see a vet to be sure!

 

[Imbrium]

Welcome to RO! Sorry, but LMAO @ "apologies in advance for posting a picture of poo"! Not only have I posted one or more photos of rabbit poop on these forums, I have personally *requested* said photos from a concerned bunny parent on numerous occasions! Hang around here for a little bit and you'll realize that we all realize just how much useful knowledge can be gleaned from 'pictures of poo' . Poo is the window to a rabbit's soul, or at least their overall health and condition.

The way the large stain looks, I can't rule out the possibility of it being urine. If you *CAN* then I would consider that an emergency and get to the vet ASAP. Even if it is urine, though, the variance in size for fecal pellets appears abnormal in the photograph (especially so if on a no-pellet/hay only diet as that should result in uniform, appropriately (and equally) sized and equally colored fecal poops). In other words, one way or another, I think that a vet check-up (or ER visit) is in order unless we're misunderstanding about the rabbit being on a 100% hay diet.

 

[JenGibs]

I also think this bunny needs to be seen and seen ASAP.
Not to be rude but we are honest in these forums so I am wondering, if this has been going on a while, why are you just now concerned enough to reach out?
It seems that you may also be an inexperienced bunny parent. That’s ok- we all were at one time. I would highly recommend seeing where your state chapter of House Rabbit Society is located. They do bunny 101 classes and things that go over food, housing, care, medical emergencies and so on. Your bun should not be on an all hay diet. They need a mix of hay (most of their diet), pellets and veggies.
Good luck and just always remember bunnies can go downhill FAST and even waiting a few hours to address a concern can be to too many.