Lot's of cecals left behind

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 9sd replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 11 months ago by jerseygirl.

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- 04/07/2011 at 2:33 PM
  bunnyjames
  Participant
  252 posts
  Hi guys! Im a bit worried and knew I could get some answers here.For the past 3 weeks ive noticed that Chomper has been leaving alot of cecals behind, which I thought they ALWAYS ingested. The first week that i noticed this I asked my husband to take him to the vet since I felt there might be something wrong but my husband said the vet said everything was fine with him. It seems now he is leaving more cecals behind, his cage is all smeared from him stepping on them Chomper has always done “terretorial droppings” but lately instead of normal droppings coming out he leaves behind strings of cecals. Chomper is NOT overweight so its not like his not consuming his cecals because his unable to get to them and is actually acting normally, runs around to no end is eating and drinking just fine and being as playful as always. Am I worrying for nothing? is it normal for him to NOT be ingesting his cecals? Chomper is a really healthy bun, I have NEVER had any health problems with him, I’ve never even taken him to the vet unless its time for his wellness check-up. His diet is the same no change what so ever. Some reasurrance from you guys would really help me calm down a bit.
- 04/07/2011 at 2:48 PM
  Michelle&Lolli
  Participant
  2347 posts
  I have heard that if they are getting all the nutrients they need from their diet, then they don’t always need to eat their cecals. Lolli leaves hers sometimes. I’ll find them for a couple of days and then she’ll start eating them again. I think since the vet said he’s healthy, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
- 04/08/2011 at 4:06 AM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  I am going to alert the other Forum Leaders on this for their opinion. I think an overproduction of cecals is an indicator of a certain condition (Sarita has mentioned it) but I am not sure it applies in this case. I am optimistic since your vet already examined him. It may just mean you should be a bit more vigilant in cleaning his litter and cage for a few days so they don’t smear and spread.
  
  If they’re sticking together like a string of pearls with some thread bits showing between, that indicates ingested fur, and he might be shedding and need brushing. He would not want to eat fur clumps again, so be avoiding those.
  If it’s just a sticky pile, that’s different. Let me check it out with the others.
- 04/08/2011 at 11:06 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  Is he a big hay eater? Has he been shedding? Has he chewed on anything like carpet or some other material? Any new treats?
  The good thing is at least he is passing the string of poos, and the fact that he is still eating and pooing is a good.
  
  Do you know what the vet did to exam him to come to the conclusion he was fine? Did they do a fecal/cecal test? Did the vet speculate why there has been this change and suggest what to do about it?
- 04/09/2011 at 1:46 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Have you had any change of food lately? Pellets (even a new bag of the same brand), fresh hay, different cut of hay, new types of veg?
  
  Could he be helping himself to some feed or someone sneaking him some treats? Not that I’m naming anyone… Lol!
- 04/09/2011 at 1:47 PM
  Tate
  Participant
  734 posts
  My bun did this as well. The vet said he was probably getting too many pellets each day, so I cut him back to the recommended 2 tbsp per day. This helped, but he still left cecals behind. I’m now giving him about a tsp or maybe a little more in the morning and thats it. He has unlimited timothy hay which he is constantly eating now and his poops are completely normal. If the vet did a fecal test and ruled out more serious issues, your bun may just have a sensitive belly and this may be the way to go.
- 04/09/2011 at 1:50 PM
  Tate
  Participant
  734 posts
  Also, I’ve started supplementing with Bene-Bac daily (http://www.petco.com/product/106421/PetAg-Bene-Bac-Small-Animal-Powder.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch). It’s only been a few days, but I’ve heard it fairly common to supplement with this (we used to do it in the pet store I worked at for all small animals). It’s mostly just a lot of really good bacteria to help aid in digestion.
- 04/10/2011 at 6:02 PM
  bunnyjames
  Participant
  252 posts
  Thanks guys for the responses!! sorry havent posted any sooner but my computer was acting up. First of all no, Chomper isn’t a big hay eater and is in fact shedding. Chomper is not a destructive bunny at all so no, no carpet chewing or chewing of other stuff actually he has always been a VERY picky eater he wont even eat treats i give him apples, bananas, carrots and such he will just give a small nibble and the push them away. His not a big groomer either so maybe that is why he has never had a blockage or anything like that. The cecals are normal cecals, no fur in them just regular string of cecals. Also i’ve noticed his lost weight his tummy looks sunken in. and feels much lighter. But like I said there is no change in his behavior running around, chasing my daughter, and chasing our dog. No change what so ever in his diet same pellets same hay. His drinking water and eating just fine. This is what he eats in the morning he eats half cup of pellets, then through out the day I leave him on just timothy since if I do feed him pellets again in the afternoon he wont eat his hay. He gets a cup of veggies which include cilantro, parsley, and romaine lettuce. Same diet hasn’t changed at all. My husband said the vet just palpated chomper’s tummy and checked his teeth and actually fed him some dried strawberry treats and said he was fine. Should I take him again and ask for a fecal test?? Like I said Chomper has always been a very healthy bun never has been sick so the weight loss and cecals being left behind are kind of worrisome for me.
- 04/10/2011 at 6:06 PM
  bunnyjames
  Participant
  252 posts
  Oh by the way his droppings are also normal. No change in that, normal size, color and consistency. Its just his cecals. His cecals look normal just that his not eating them and there is a lot of them and when he does territorial dropping,s cecals come out instead of normal droppings.
- 04/10/2011 at 6:07 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  A agree, something is up. I would ask them to do another, thorough check of his molars also.
  (((Chomper!)))
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