Why bunnies eat their poop

If there are small, soft, sticky poops stuck to your rabbit's fur, then your rabbit isn't eating its cecotropes. If there aren't any of these soft poops, then your rabbit is consuming them as it should be. Second, check the litter box and cage floor where your rabbit sleeps. If all of the poops that are present appear round and normal, then your rabbit is probably eating its cecotropes.

Third, watch your rabbit late at night or early in the morning. If you see it cleaning its hind end and spending more time licking below its tail, then it is eating its cecotropes. If a rabbit does not get to eat its cecotropes, then it may be lacking some nutrients necessary for its special digestive tract to work properly. If you see your rabbit cleaning its hind end, do not disturb it. If your rabbit isn't eating its cecotropes, then there is most likely an underlying reason why.

This could be as simple as your rabbit is too obese or arthritic to reach its cecotropes, or as serious as a digestive or other medical concern.

Some rabbits that have not received appropriate nutrients from its cecotropes may benefit from transfaunation. This is when cecotropes from a healthy rabbit are fed to a sick rabbit in order to reestablish a healthy intestinal tract.

Health Problems In Rabbits. VCA Hospitals. Noninfectious Diseases of Rabbits. Merck Veterinary Manual. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Rabbits have a way of putting food through their system twice, so that they can maximize their nutrients.

They eat their own poop so they can digest their food the second time and remain healthy. These special kind of poop allows rabbits to absorb nutrient out of their normal daily diet. The way a rabbit digestion works is essentially by splitting everything they eat into digestible and indigestible categories.

Your rabbit needs to eat these droppings in order to get all of the nutrients they can from their diet. Without this ability to process and digest food twice, rabbits would not have been able to survive on their natural high fiber, plant based diet.

Wild rabbit would not have been able to extract the nutrients they need from the available food in their surroundings. Usually rabbits will not eat these poops but they might occasionally. Fecal pellets are made up of tiny indigestible particles, looking like sawdust inside.

The appearance of this type of poop will vary a little bit depending on your rabbit. To know if they are healthy you just need to look for consistency among the little poop balls.

You want to see:. However you may notice a cluster of cecotropes that your rabbit has missed on occasion. People used to think that cecotropes were only produced in the evenings, rather than all day long like normal rabbit poops. Most of the time rabbits will eat their cecotropes directly from their anus. Occasionally, however, you might notice a bundle of cecotropes that your rabbit has missed. Usually if you offer it to your rabbit as a treat, they will gladly eat it.

Similar to the way probiotics help humans restore good gut bacteria , cecal pellets have a large mass of cecal bacteria and fungi that are beneficial for your rabbit — so much so that they can't live without it! In addition to their own VIP food, make sure your bunny is eating the right stuff.

Hall said. A diet consisting of only commercial pellets will often lead to overeating, diarrhea and obesity, added Dr. No matter what bunnies do, their behavior is endlessly fascinating, full of surprises, and always catalyst for a good laugh.

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