Fiver’s cecal trouble – resolved? *crosses fingers*

[MimzMum]

So I’ve not posted this for a few weeks for fear of jinxing myself, but I think I’ve found the cause of Fiver’s cecal problems; it wasn’t just the Feline Pine he was ‘allergic’ to…it was the Carefresh bedding I added to it. I think he was ingesting both the pellets and the bedding and this was causing his cecals to be smushy, smelly and unpalatable. He kept getting them smashed onto his bottom and it was causing him some distress. Not to mention me and my daughter, who had to keep cleaning his poopy bum. (This jibes with the fact that I’ve never been able to let him chew cardboard tubes for play, as these would upset his tummy when he swallowed the pieces.)

As I mentioned in the other thread about the carefresh with woodchips…I wonder if they have changed their formula for production, as the bedding didn’t used to bother him. It’s only been in the last 6 months or so that he’s had this constant cecal dysbiosis. If they are adding more wood elements to their product, it might be a problem for buns sensitive to such things.

For now, he’s able to once again tolerate small amounts of veggies without having a messy bed in the morning. And for a few weeks now I haven’t had to change his mattress halfway through the day. But I’m not pushing it. He also does better eating the third cut timothy for now, but I’d like to get him back onto something a little more fibrous. This hay appears to be very dusty as well, which sets off Mimzy’s nose in spades. I’m curious to know if BB.com will be offering anything like bluegrass in the future?

At the moment, I’m seeing a much welcome change in Fiver’s habits and his attitude in general. He seems a much happier bunny. So far, his heels don’t appear to be suffering from the lack of cush in the potty either. Perhaps too much urine in the places he sat regularly had been making his heels more irritated

It’s just such a relief to have at least one problem knocked down. Provided I don’t find a bedful of cecals in his habitat come morning.

[jerseygirl]

That’s great Mimz! That should cut down on a lot of work for you. It’s nice to hear Fiver is happier for it. I’m curious as to what your using now for litter?

[Monkeybun]

Silly Fiver, doesn’t he know there are things much tastier than litter? hehe

[Dee]

Wow, I would never have thought of litter being the cause of cecal troubles- ever considered becoming a detective ? I’m glad that Fiver is happy with his calmer tummy- BunBun used to have awful cecal issues and I always wondered if it made him feel lousy too. I know we feel uncomfortable when our stomaches are “overproducing” (tried to find a polite term for it- lol). And the cleaning of the bedding, household items, and bunnies when they’re having poop problems is endless- it’s so nice when it stops! I had to make cloth chair covers for my kitchen chairs, cuz every morning BunBun would smear poop on every chair … his little ritual I guess. Lovely.
Oh yeah- I knew there was another reason for my posting besides to ramble on- there is a bedding by Kaytee, similar to Care Fresh. It usd to be called Total Comfort, but now the bag just says “soft fiber bedding”. It’s tan colored and slightly softer than Care Fresh, and a bit cheaper too. If you really like the absorbency and softeness of Care Fresh, you might want to try the Kaytee bedding. It may give Fiver the same pronlem, but maybe not… just a thought. Good luck- I hope Fiver remains mess-free!

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