Exclusively hay eating rabbit producing excessive cecotropes

[mika.bambi]

Hi everyone,

My mini lop Bambi is five months old, and he's just been desexed. Ever since we took him home at 8 weeks, he's made an excessive amount of cecotropes. For this reason, we've had him exclusively on oaten hay which he loves and eats plenty of. He's been dewormed, and had anti parasite medication. These didn't stop his issue.

We're at a loss, and have tried everything we could think of. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated, thankyou.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

Is he overweight? Can he reach to eat them from the anus?

@JBun will probably be able to help properly

 

[mika.bambi]

Is he overweight? Can he reach to eat them from the anus?

@JBun will probably be able to help properly

He is a healthy weight for his size, and can physically bend down that far (I've seen him do it!). He might eat one or two, but never more than that.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

Ah that’s interesting! I’m honestly not too sure but someone else should be able to help!

 

[mika.bambi]

Ah that’s interesting! I’m honestly not too sure but someone else should be able to help!

I really hope so!

 

[JBun]

The oat hay, what type of growth cut is it? A green soft early growth, medium growth that's a mix of soft leaf and hard stems, a mature growth with seed heads, or a mature growth with no seeds(straw)? Does he get any other foods? What's his personality type like: calm/laid back, somewhat active, very active and full of energy? Is he pretty settled and act happy and relaxed in your home, or is he a more nervous rabbit and inclined to run and hide? Any distractions in the home like other pets or kids?

 

[mika.bambi]

• This is the specific product we feed him. We have a female desexed minilop who eats the same hay that he does. We haven't been able to bond them yet, as he's only just been desexed.
• He does not get any other foods. Sometimes we cave and give him 1/8th cup of pellets, or a small handful of leafy greens. However, this almost always creates so much more cecotropes.
• When he was a baby, he was kept on a diet of just pellets and grass by the breeder. We put out the oaten hay for him on his first day, and he's loved it since. He eats no grass anymore as we live in an apartment. The vet approved us doing this, and he grew extremely fast in the time we have had him. The vet mentioned that when we first brought him in (after only having him a week), they did not have high hopes for him as he was so small and frail.
• Because of this, he also has teeth spurs. However, the vet has said that they have improved by 50% since the first time he was brought in, likely due to the hay.
• We've brought up the issue of the cecotropes with the vet, who has basically just told us to monitor it to see if it improves.
• He is very calm and laid back, however he does like stretching his legs every now and then. He has a small run attached to his enclosure. However, because of his cecotropes getting all over the run we are constantly washing the area so some days he has to stay inside his enclosure. On the odd occasion we let him free roam, he poops everywhere despite using his litter box properly for his hard poops.
• He loves human attention. He does not get sick of being handled and actively seeks it out (our doe is the exact opposite and wants you to pat her on her terms only). He loves strangers and has never shied away from a human.
• Apart from the other rabbit (who is in an X-pen one metre away from his housing), it is just my partner and myself. We both work from home so check up on them often during the day.

I hope this provides more context. Happy to elaborate further if needed.