Critical Care causing smaller poops instead

[kurottabun]

Been a while since I posted a topic! 

So Kurotta had two bouts of weight loss last year. We fed him loads of Critical Care for a short period after to get his weight back up, and managed to hit about 760g before life got in the way and we went back to his normal diet minus the extra CC feeding.

He’s been maintaining this weight for many months now and his spine is nicely hidden so I know he’s not underweight, but I sometimes think that it’s better to get him to a kilo-ish because that seems to be a more “normal” weight for a Netherland Dwarf.

So I’ve started feeding him CC again recently, but realised that instead of his poops getting larger due to the extra fibre, they became smaller!? He still produces normal sized poops, but amongst those I would find a number of small ones. The portion of CC I feed is about two teaspoons of powder, which he normally manages to finish in one sitting (but hops away looking REALLY stuffed).

He still eats hay and pellets. I’m not sure if I should be concerned that the extra CC in his diet is causing some small poops? Should I feed him less of it? If so, I’m not sure cutting back on the portion would then make it useless for the weight gain.

Has anyone ever seen their bunny produce smaller poops because of CC?

[Sirius&Luna]

I can’t really advise on the critical care issue because I’ve only used it during stasis, where there’s always going to be small poops! Does he get stressed by the process?

Have you tried other weight gaining foods, like a sprinkle of oats?

I also wonder if it’s just that he’s naturally tiny and it’s nothing to worry about – 750 is normal for him.Nimbus weighs 1kg, which I know is your dream, but actually that’s around half the weight of most lionheads. He’s just a tiny bun, but he’s healthy so I’ve left him be.

[Dface]

Cant answer your CC question, thw only thought is its stressing him out or the mixture isnt wet enough?
I use oats and sunflower seeds to add weight to scrawny bunnies tbh, most of them hated CC and I dont think it adds as much weight as the other things do.

750 does seem small, but like S&L says, as long as he is eating healthy and being a regular active bun I wouldnt be overly concerned, that might just be the way he is

[Bunny House]

If you think about it, cc has a lot of fiber but also alotnpf digestible nutrients and comparing to regular food that has a lot of indigestible fiber, that’s why their poop is so large coming out since so much of it is a waste. Cc has so much that isn’t waste that often times the poop is small because not a lot is left over. It seems like it would be the opposite. You could try to wean him off of it and see if that helps improve. Because if his gi system wasn’t working, then you’d get huge poops as everything kinda clumps together. My Dutch has small poops but he’s been like that forever. Have you thought of maybe supplementing alfalfa a tiny bit for help with weight gain?

[Wick & Fable]

Ah, I’d forgotten just how small Kurotta is! Wick is 1,202g, so pretty much smack at the ideal top range for a nethie. I think you’re familiar with when I had to do CC supplement when he was younger because he was underweight for a spell.

It’s great that you’re feeling the “comfort” layer above the spine — especially because you’re now accustomed to how Kurotta’s fat may distribute itself.

I agree with BH, in that when I think of larger poop sizes, I actually think about indigestible fibers. Hay has large, indigestible fibers, while pellets and CC have crushed fibers. To an extent, it makes sense that poops may be smaller because Kurotta is releasing that CC and/or not eating as much hay as before as a result of the supplement.

I also want to echo S&L, in that if you find his current weight is healthy for his body size, that’s fine. He could be on the smaller version of a dwarf, while Wick is on the large end. What’s most important is how you perceive him. If you think he could put on some more grams in order to feel a bit healthier, than that’s fine.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[graysonbun]

All the advice you’ve received is great so far! I just wanted to pop in and say that my Nethie Ollie weighs in at right around 2.5 pounds (1.13 kilos??) and I’ve always noticed that his poop is smaller than my other rabbit Leo who is just over 5 pounds. I think it’s quite possible for that to be the norm for a smaller breed!

[kurottabun]

Thanks everyone for the help!

@S&L: Absolutely the opposite of stressed lol! He runs around the room like crazy when he smells me making the paste and devours it the moment I put it down. I haven’t tried oats because hubs and I don’t fancy eating them ourselves and their smallest bag is still too big for K to finish them alone. Also I used CC because I felt it’s a “healthier” option since it’s meant to be a meal substitute for sick bunnies. Hmm, he looks a little lean from certain angles, but overall yeah he’s pretty healthy

@Dface: I’ve tried different powder to water ratios, but it seems to produce the same results regardless. He loves CC though so I’m sure it’s not stressing him out. I haven’t tried oats because of reasons mentioned to S&L above, but I’ve tried sunflower seeds and CC seemed to work better. Also the sunflower seeds expired/had bugs in them because K is too tiny to finish everything in time T_T

@BH: That’s an interesting thought! His poops are normal sized when he’s off CC, but even after eating CC he still produces about 80% of normal sized/shaped poops vs 20% small poops. Haven’t tried alfalfa as I’m a bit apprehensive of him picking it over his usual hay, but I might give it a go!

@Wick: Yes I’m actually using your method haha. It seems like he eats hay normally even after each CC feeding though, so it makes sense if he’s pooping both normal and small poops out at the same time.

@LindseyBuns: Thanks for chiming in! Yes K’s poops are definitely smaller if compared to other breeds or larger Nethies, but since I’m comparing among his own poops, the smaller ones were starting to concern me haha.

[FlemishDad]

CC has more fiber than greens but I think a lot less than hay so it makes sense that his poops get smaller on it. It might process differently too from not having pieces.

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