not eating cecotrope

[inspiring]

I’ve had my bunny for about 3 weeks. I’m a college student and before getting him I did like 6 months of research. I’ve noticed in the morning time I see a lot of cecotropes and he’s not eating them all but not only that he usually poops in the liter box but with these cecotropes he poops outside leaving a big mess on my carpet. I tried changing his diet which is pellets and timothy hay unlimited because he is only 9 weeks or 10 weeks old. I checked the ingredients in the pellets to make sure there is enough fiber and I want to take him to the vet soon but there are not a lot of bunny certified around my town. I don’t think it’s stress because he seems very relaxed during the day as I give him attention and also treats but not too many. He gets plenty of excercise because he gets full roam of my room as he is doing great potty training. He only does this at night and I notice it in the morning so that’s why I think is cecotropes! I don’t put a top on his cage so they send up next to his cage on my carpet in the morning sometimes smushed! I am trying to give him less pellets but i’m not sure how much to give since I read it’s suppose to be unlimited

 

Thanks for your help!

[Tate]

What brand of pellets are you giving him?

[inspiring]

well i’ve even switched pellets when i noticed he was doing this… I don’t know the other one but this one is called wild harvest timothy essentials

[Tate]

You are definitely going to want to switch that asap. I haven’t looked at the ingredients, but the first link that pops up on google is for walmart. Anything sold at walmart is completely toxic, save for Kaytee timothy hay. Hahaha
You will want to try Oxbow… they have three kinds- Adult rabbit food, which is timothy based, young rabbit food, which is alfalfa based, and organic adult food, which is neither of those and probably a mix of orchard, timothy, and/or meadow hay.
I feed the organic food to my two rabbits that are both under 1 year. I have tried about 5 different kinds of pellets and this has been the best. My youngest rabbit, Fievel, had a similar issue where he was either not eating his cecals or just producing too many. Once I switched to the organic food, it completely cleared up. The only issue is that it’s hard to find and therefore, quite expensive… about $10 for a 3 lb bag.
As for the other two kinds of Oxbow pellets, well it’s kind of up to you which to choose. Personally, I would do the young rabbit formula that has alfalfa (but continue to feed him his regular timothy hay!). The “issue” with this is that you will need to change it eventually, around 7-8 months of age. Changes in diet can be stressful for your rabbit and it could take about a month to completely switch over. However, I think that giving young rabbits that extra bit of fat and calories is useful.
You can do the adult food, which is lower fat. Eventually, you want him on this food so putting him on it now completely eliminates the need to do another switch later on.
Hope that helps/doesn’t confuse you! Hehe
Also, BinkyBunny sells a full line of Oxbow, including the Organic one. Their shipping can seem pricey, but it’s worth it if you stock up on things. I live in a small town, so I literally have everything shipped to me- food, hay, toys, etc. At the BB store, it costs about $10 in shipping to get one bale of hay. If I get two, it costs about $12-13. It’s possible that Oxbow isn’t available where you are, so keep that in mind when ordering.

[inspiring]

Ok thanks so much for your help! I’m going to try and get the organic!

[inspiring]

Do you think if I just switch to the young oxbow he will be fine? Or does it have to be organic?

[Monkeybun]

the Oxbow pellets for young buns is perfectly fine, its what my young boy bun is on. Switch the food slowly, you don’t want to shock his little digestive system. Do it over a few weeks, do 3/4 old food, 1/4 new the first week, then 50/50 the next week, 1/4 old 3/4 new the next, til he’s on the new stuff on week 4.

[jerseygirl]

Welcome : )

Are you seeing these poops as formed cecotrophes? i.e. like a bunch or grapes or is it more a goopy mess? He probably is eating what he needs & you’re seeing the excess. This can usually be remedied by adjusting the diet. Some baby rabbits do fine on unlimited timothy based pellets instead of alfalfa.

Do keep up the search for a vet because if the diet changes don’t sort it out then you’ll need to get him checked out. It was great to read how much research you did before you got your bunny. He sounds like he is in good hands.

[inspiring]

it looks like a bunch of grapes.. they are formed i also googled pictures and they look exactly the same

[Elrohwen]

It could be something he’ll grow out of – many very young buns that age over produce or don’t eat all of their cecotropes. I would keep pushing the hay, but it sounds like he’s on a good diet. If it doesn’t clear up in a week or two, I’d definitely take him to the vet. Wellness exams for new bunnies are a great idea anyway, so you can take him and use it as an opportunity to get his poo issue checked out.

[Beka27]

I don’t really have anything to add, just wanted to welcome you and say what a cutie he is!

[inspiring]

i’ve been reading these forums for a while now and I’m glad I posted! Thanks so much for everyone’s help! And I’ll take him to the vet asap

[Tate]

When you go to the vet for the first time, bring in a sample of his normal poop and cecals.

[jerseygirl]

Tate, I love that you said that with a smiley face.

 

[Tate]

 Well, poop is funny. 

[inspiring]

**update! the problem still continued after i switched foods… so I called the vet which did not have appointments till next week (vacation) He told me to only feed ponyo water and hay.. and then slowly bring in pellets… I did this and it went away! Imagine waking up to no mushy poop everywhere on your carpet.. it was great! I guess his body doesn’t handle unlimited pellets like the other baby bunnies do and its a common problem… I’m bringing him for a check up next week though

[Beka27]

Oh good! Keep us posted on how his vet visit goes. Some people don’t feed any pellets at all, other people feed a tiny amount (like a tablespoon a day).

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