Poop monitoring with bonded bunnies

[tonyshuman]

Welcome to tonight's edition of Poop Talk on RabbitsOnline, a member of the BunnyTurd network.

So, I have been thinking, and how do those of you with bonded pairs/trios etc know who is making the soft poos/who isn't pooing? I know I sometimes find a cecal or fur-string of poos in there (5 poos strung together once! Tony has a tummy of steel!), or Tony will eat something he shouldn't have (he currently has a taste for leather and remote buttons) and I watch his litterbox like a hawk to make sure it's moving through. However, if more than one bun uses the box, how do you know which one is passing lots of fur/hasn't pooped since yesterday/left that cecal? If you see one of these things, do you take them both into the vet? If one is pooping and the other is not, how can you tell? Do your bonded buns have their own litterboxes that they use exclusively?

Sorry for the gross questions, but it's a concern when you're thinking about whether or not you're able to monitor the health of your lovely mute companions.

 

[rabb1tmad]

I worried about this when I first had my two lops BUT I have been really lucky. They share the same litter box but they wee and poop in different places!! So I can always tell who has done what. Another clue is the colour and size of the poop. I know it sounds bad but if you watch your buns poop you can get to know the colour and size it - there are subtle differences but you should be able to tell.

As for runny poops it is quite hard to tell who has done what as they don't generally do this in the litter tray. However, if a bun has a runny poop you can normally tell who it is by checking their butts. There is normally a residue left over.

I love talking about poop

 

[iluvmybuns]

Usually if something is wrong you can tell behaviorally if you know your buns well. When Ozzy got sick I knew one wasn't well because there was significantly less poops in the box. But it was obvious which bunny it was considering his behavior.

I guess if they were both acting normal and one had weird poops you could just seperate them for a bit til someone poops again

Ahh yes, good old poop talk

 

[HoneyPot]

I can usually also tell by quantity. I know how much my guys SHOULD output in a day, so if I see whay less, I seperate for the evening and monitor individually.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Another thing is you can't monitor how much one bunny will eat or over eat when you place food for two in a dish.

I am trying to bond my two, but a the moment they have not accepted each other.
So they are still getting their own food and litter boxes in their own cages.

 

[naturestee]

Easy!

Step 1: Get another rabbit that will not be bonded to the other buns.
Step 2: Let the bonded bunnies out and watch them as they poop by the other rabbit's cage.

Voila!

Seriously though. It was hard for me with Fey and Sprite, since they had the same wonky poops, sensitive stomachs, and the same favorite spots in the litter boxes. As for the other pair, Loki poops in the box, Mocha poops outside of it, LOL! And Loki's poops are a little bigger. And when Oberon was living with Fey, his poops are like 3x as big.

 

[tonyshuman]

naturestee wrote:

Easy!

Step 1: Get another rabbit that will not be bonded to the other buns.
Step 2: Let the bonded bunnies out and watch them as they poop by the other rabbit's cage.

Voila!

LOL


I don't think I can get 2 more bunnies... just trying to figure out if i can keep an eye on a girlie for Tony, like the good bunny slave i am.


Thanks for your advice guys--it sounds useful and makes me think that keeping an eye on the digestion can be done, even if occasional separation is required.