New Bun Q

[HorseAholic]

I have a new holland lop boy, about 8 weeks, that I got on Sunday. The breeder was giving himBlue Sealpellets. Its either 17 or 18% (red bag) His poo is sometimes normal size, nice round. Then is will be tiny and all stuck together. What will cause this?? He is still on the same pellets.

 

[Runestonez]

When you say tiny and stuck together do you mean in a line with fur stringing them together or in a cluster like grapes?

Danielle

 

[elrohwen]

Are the ones stuck together soft and mushy? If they are, those are cecals. Bunnies eat their cecals as part of their digestive process, but it's normal for young buns to not eat all of them and leave some around.

There's also a possibiltiy that he has a parasite causing the extra cecals. A vet can do a quick fecal test (on the regular poos) and tell you if this is the problem.

 

[HorseAholic]

There area bunch of them all together. They are about half the size of the normal poo and soft. I dont see any hair

 

[HorseAholic]

elrohwen wrote:

Are the ones stuck together soft and mushy? If they are, those are cecals. Bunnies eat their cecals as part of their digestive process, but it's normal for young buns to not eat all of them and leave some around.

There's also a possibiltiy that he has a parasite causing the extra cecals. A vet can do a quick fecal test (on the regular poos) and tell you if this is the problem.

can a bad living environment cause a parasite? This guy didnt come from the cleanest place.

I have another bun that is about the same age that came from a petstore and she is fine. I have never seen any cecals with her. She is on Nutrena pellets

 

[jcottonl02]

This sounds like caecotrophs to me. Bunnys do two types of poop- normal, round poops that you have described, and caecotrophs, which are like a small cluster of tiny grapes, which are quite mushy.
Rabbits should generally eat these caecals straight from their anus.

Put very briefly, rabbits need to redigest again, the food they have eaten, so the first time they pass a 'poop', they will eat it, and digest it again, to get all the goodness out of it that they weren't able to get before (plant material is hard to digest for many animals).

If your bun isn't eating these caecals then either they could be overweight (so can't reach round to eat them, and they may get stuck to their butt fur), or they have a diet that is too good, and too nutritious. Cutting back the pellets, and really pushig the hay is the solution to this- bunny's diet should be 75-80% hay, and the rest pellets and a variety of veggies.



Jen

 

[jcottonl02]

HorseAholic wrote:

There area bunch of them all together. They are about half the size of the normal poo and soft. I dont see any hair

This is a caecal

Can you describe her diet to us? How much hay/pellets and veggies does she get a day?

Jen

 

[Runestonez]

Those sound like cecals alright!
They usually have a strong and not very pleasent smell to them too!
They are a normal part of a bunns diet and digestive cycle!

He will eat them for nutrients/bacteria they provide!

Check out this library link for more info!
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12076&forum_id=17

Danielle

 

[elrohwen]

Bunnies can pass parasites to each other, so if he comes from a less than stellar environment it could be the case. There's a good chance it's normal or easily fixed through diet, but I like to get a fecal done on every new bun just to be sure.

 

[HorseAholic]

I just got him on Sunday. He got about 1/4 cup pellets this morning and hasnt finished them. He has fresh hay all day. No vegis yet..

 

[jcottonl02]

Runestonez wrote:

They usually have a strong and not very pleasent smell to them too!

Tell me about it :yuck

lol

Jen

 

[HorseAholic]

Runestonez wrote:

Those sound like cecals alright!
They usually have a strong and not very pleasent smell to them too!
They are a normal part of a bunns diet and digestive cycle!

He will eat them for nutrients/bacteria they provide!

Check out this library link for more info!
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12076&forum_id=17

Danielle

He doesnt seem to be eating the cecals or he is passing alot of them. They are all over his cage.

 

[Runestonez]

Sometimes with bunns extra protien in their pellets can cause them to have excess cecals as well...we usually aim for 14-15%...if your other bunn is on a different type of food you could slowly start to switch him over to the same food!

Danielle

 

[jcottonl02]

HorseAholic wrote:

I just got him on Sunday. He got about 1/4 cup pellets this morning and hasnt finished them. He has fresh hay all day. No vegis yet..

Hmm well that sounds okay to me- shouldn't be giving him excess caecals. Although....he is a lionhead, so I would imagine he was quite a small bun. You could try slightly reducing the number of pellets and seeing if that works.

What kind of pellets? Are they high-fibre, low protein pellets? Oxbow and Burgess pellets are very good and vet-recommended. Mine are on Burgess Excel and they really are great.

Jen

 

[tonyshuman]

It's normal for young bunnies to have some uneaten cecals.