Bunnies pooping more

[sarahthegemini]

Hey guys, As you know both my bunnies are on a hay only diet at the moment (aside from a little dried dandelion and plantain) due to Buttercup’s recent stasis episode. No veggies for a month, and no pellets possibly long term. Both buns are now eating an extraordinary amount of hay which is great! I have noticed tho that they both seem to be pooping SO much more. I mean they normally poop a significant amount and every so often they’ll have a day where they seem to poop more but every day over the last 7 days there has been a big increase in the quantity. Any thoughts on this?

[jerseygirl]

It’s probably due to the hay consumption. The larger fibre particles move through the GI tract quicker, so they’re emptying out faster and having to refill themselves with more food (hay!) more often.

[sarahthegemini]

That makes a lot of sense, thanks Jersey!

[jerseygirl]

This goes into more detail, if you’re interested. 

Particle Sizes and Transit Times

Indigestible fiber is indigestible whether it’s pulled off the bark of a tree or blended into a feed, yet the size and type of the fiber can affect the length of time it takes to pass through the GI (gastro-intestinal) tract.

Contrary to what you might expect, the large particles don’t get stuck inside the rabbit while the small ones exit easily. It’s the other way around.

Transit times of particles moving through the GI tract have been measured, in several scientific studies, by placing markers in the feed. High-fiber alfalfa meal, pelleted into large particles (up to 3mm) moved through the digestive system in 14.1 hours in one study. When same high-fiber feed was ground to a finer size (1mm), it took 15.9 hours to pass through the digestive tract.

Markers in a pelleted low-fiber high-starch feed passed in 20.1 hours (Gidenne 1992). Why are smaller fibers and high-starch feeds slower in getting through? Because small particles and excess starch are sent to the cecum for fermentation, and this takes extra time. Fluids and small particles are separated in the colon and moved backwards into the cecum (Cheeke 1987), while large particles are passed quickly through the colon.

One study used particles up to 5mm in marked feed, which passed in 5 hours (Sakaguchi 1992). This may closely approximate the size of chewed hay. I can say with strong certainty–from caring for disabled, diapered rabbits on a monitored diet with strictly scheduled feeding times–that the oat hay I give my rabbits in the morning is passed by the afternoon (4-5 hours).  

      Source: http://rabbit.org/digestibility-in-the-rabbit-diet/

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So your guys are probably churning out poop every 5 hours at the moment. 

[sarahthegemini]

That’s actually really interesting, it’s fascinating how complex their tummies are!

[BanditCamp]

My god the science. I love it.

[Author]

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