Rabbits then excrete special pellets
called cecotropes, which they have to consume in order to absorb the nutrition released by the fermentation process.
Consult your veterinarian if you see a large number
of cecotropes in the cage because your rabbit may be missing vital nutrition.
If the
soft cecotropes return no matter what brand you feed, then you may have a rabbit that simply can not tolerate pellets.
If the soft
cecotropes return, remove the offending pellet and you may try a different brand of grass - based pellet.
You will see the normal round, dry waste droppings and only the occasional formed
cecotrope in the litter box or cage floor.
Pronounced as «see - cals» and also known
as cecotropes, cecals are often mistaken for bunny poop.
I have had a house rabbit for 2 years but the last 6 months she constantly
produces cecotropes throughout the morning till mid afternoon that she doesn't consume — she is consuming some but must be producing too many.
If you
see cecotropes on a frequent basis, you should evaluate your bunnies weight.
Vitamin supplementation should be short term and need not continue once the pet is on a healthy diet and is producing
normal cecotropes.
If a rabbit has a medical problem that prevents him from reaching the anus, then you may see
cecotropes on the cage floor.
Rabbits on a diet deficient in insoluble fiber produce
malformed cecotropes that stick to everything..
Because cecotropes are so effective at supplying rabbits with all the vitamins and minerals they need, pet rabbits do not need any additional supplements.
Grass hay should be available in your rabbit's cage at all times throughout the its life, because it provides much of the vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber rabbits need and is the building blocks for the micro-organisms that
create cecotropes.
So, if you see
cecotropes lying around, it's time to take a careful look at your bunnies» weight.
Owners should not try to prevent their rabbits from eating these feces and,
since cecotropes are only passed once a day, there is little chance that an excessive amount could be consumed.
Cecotropes look like melted chocolate and are usually resemble black berries.
The mucous in these soft or
liquid cecotropes causes them to adhere firmly to any surface, making it difficult to clean the pet and its environment.
Both rabbits and guinea pigs pass soft, mucus - covered fecal pellets
called cecotropes, which they proceed to eat.
This is one reason why we try to avoid the use of Elizabethan collars in these species — it can prevent the ingestion
of cecotropes, thereby altering the balance of gut flora and potentially resulting in gastrointestinal upsets.
In a normal rabbit, insoluble fiber is fermented in the cecum and eventually released
as cecotropes.
This would mean you are no longer seeing the
soft cecotropes in the environment or on the rabbit.
The treatment of ISC is based first on a serious diet restriction to grass hay, which acts to return the GI tract to normal, and secondly a gradual reintroduction of additional foods after
normal cecotropes are produced for at least a week.
The soft stools are actually
malformed cecotropes that should have been eaten directly from the anus by the rabbit.
In addition to the normal droppings produced (round and hard), which is waste material, their digestive system also
produces cecotropes.
Once fermented, it passes through the body in the form of
a cecotrope — which the rabbit then eats to properly absorb its nutrients.
Rabbits produce what are called
cecotropes, a special dropping made from the gastrointestinal system that extracts the most important nutrients from their food.
Within hours of eating, rabbits pass soft, mucus - coated stools called
cecotropes.
Cecotropes are dropped from the anus and then rabbits eat them.
Cecotropes are easy to distinguish from waste droppings.
This organ produces products called
cecotropes, which are actually another type of feces that the rabbit then eats.
Nonbreeding houserabbits do not need these extra calories and they produce most of their own vitamins through
their cecotropes when provided a diet high in hay and fresh foods.
The nutrient - rich material is then excreted in the form of
cecotropes (some people call these «night feces») which are eaten directly from the anus by the rabbit and redigested.
In addition, obese rabbits may have a hard time eating
their cecotropes, which can result in matted fur and nutritional deficiencies.
As
the cecotropes accumulate over a period of days to weeks, they build up along the rear of your rabbit and eventually become very smelly and unsanitary.
In all of these cases, there is nothing wrong with the digestive system and normal amounts of
cecotropes are being produced, it is just that the rabbits can not or will not turn around to ingest the cecotropes.
Cecotropes are a critical source of vitamins, minerals and nutrients — and ensure that the gut is repopulated with healthy flora.
Pet Rabbit Digestion 101 Learn how rabbits eat food, digest it and how rabbit pellets called
cecotropes are made.
Cecotropes are soft, gel - like droppings, frequently clustered together.
The result are
cecotropes - small, glossy and smelly «droppings».
Unlike the normal droppings,
cecotropes are not waste material.
Rabbits that are too heavy can have problems reaching their anus in order to collect
the cecotropes.
While owners are often disturbed when they see their pets eating their own feces, realize
that cecotrope ingestion is a normal and important part of rabbit behavior that will help keep your pet healthy.
During the night,
the cecotropes are eaten by the rabbit directly from the anus.
In a nutshell, the problem is not the production of soft stool (the waste material that makes up the round, dry droppings) but that
the cecotropes, the nutrient - rich droppings produced by the cecum, are abnormally liquid and can not be eaten.
One of the keys to their success is the production of
cecotropes, which are a type of dropping that is eaten by the rabbit directly from the anus and then digested.
Vitamin C should also be discontinued once
the cecotropes return to normal.
If your pet becomes ill, particularly if he / she is unable to eat
the cecotropes, then your veterinarian may prescribe vitamin therapy.
Cecotropes (first pass / night feces) contain vital nutrients that the rabbit must reingest.