eating poop

[shlbysmom]

shelby eats her poop anybody else have that trouble and is it bad ? should i make her stop or is it just one of those things they do?

i would love to know if she is just weird or if anbody elses bunny dose it and if anybody knows if its bad for her she hasnt gotten sick before so idk

[jerseygirl]

Do you mean her regular poop, the little round ones? Mine does this a bit and she doesn’t eat enough hay. I think it’s related a bit. Some rabbits do this and it’s not really known why but not harmful either.

It is normal and essential that they eat their cecals though. It’s not technically poop and often you don’t see them. Rabbits reingest them direct from the body usually. It’s the way they get vital vitamins and nutrients. Sorry if you already knew this…

[shlbysmom]

no i didnt know this and what is cecals? i have never herd of that but she always has hay in her cage to eat but as long as its not harmful thank you for the reply !

[MooBunnay]

Cecals look very different from bunny poop, they almost look like a cluster of little teeny poops and are squishier and stinkier.

Here is a good link to an explanation of cecals: http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/diet/cecals.html

Cecals are made in the “cecum” which is part of the bunny’s digestive tract, and they are kind of a mix of essential nutrients to a bunny’s health. You will usually never see these because your bunny will eat them, but if a bunny is overweight and can’t reach them, or if their diet is too high in calories, they may not eat all their cecals and you will see them on the floor of the cage (usually squished).

[shlbysmom]

o yes i have seen those but she eats her regular poop to is that ok too? i will c her poop and eat it right then and  its her normal poop

[jerseygirl]

 Some do this.  As long as it’s not an excessive amount.  Does she eat much of her hay?

[shlbysmom]

yes she LOVES her hey when she sees me bringing her more she runs back and forth and around in circles she is almost constently esting it

[FluffyBunny]

Yes, as other people have said – bunnies have a special kind of poop called cecals that they eat. Cecals look a little like gooey brown elderberries, and you usually don’t see them much because bunnies generally eat them as soon as they’re made.

As for eating regular poop, some bunnies like to do that sometimes, especially if there’s cecal stuck to them or they’re wanting fiber. As long as your bunny’s not eating an excess amount, she’ll be fine.

[Monkeybun]

Monkey will sometimes eat one of her regular poo if she’s bored. Saw her earlier rolling one of hers around on the floor with her nose, then she looked at me like I was the weird one as she picked it up and ate it.

[RabbitPam]

LOL She’s a monkey alright.

If you see her go to do that, and you’re sure it’s not a well formed cecal, you could distract her with a pet or a willow stick to munch on instead. Sounds like she’s saying “bored now. Naughty next.”

[RachelB]

Hahaha I thought my two crazy bunnies were the only strange ones that did this!!! When I was first bonding Samson and Ivy they used to rub their chins on eachother poops. It was funny to watch them running around the bonding area leaving little poos and then the other one running behind rubbing their chin on it…. around and around and around. You think this poo is yours… oh no its mine… I claim this poo… and this one… and this one…. and this one… hey i thought I already claimed this one… and this one…Hours of entertainment I tell you!! Anyways the next day it progressed from there and I caught them eating a few of the other’s poo that they had just chin rubbed. Not sure what that means in bunny language. I thought it was pretty yucky but since its just hay and veggies I figure its okay. I havent caught them doing that anymore so I think it was a territorial thing!?!

[shlbysmom]

haha thats funny rolling around the poop and lookin at you like that they sure can give some funny looks lol thank you all for the help !

[Author]

Messages