Too many cecotropes

[Ros]

Hi there!

I currently have 2 bonded bunnies. One is a Havana female and the other a male Lionhead.
it seems that my Lionhead has a very sensitive stomach and does not do well with fresh greens or any type of treats.  He gets so many Cecotropes and this happens about 3 weeks after being given to him.  He’s only been getting one Oxbow Timothy treat per day, and is causing the issue.  Fresh greens do the same which I haven’t been giving them to him for a long time now.  His Cecotropes end up in clusters and are left on their pen floor in a glob.  My female bunny does not have any issue with greens or treats.  Please advise on what I should do at this point.  Having two bunnies , it’s so hard to give to one and not the other.  They only get the limited amount of pellets but have UNLIMITED hay available at all times.

[Susanne]

Hi, same thing happened with my girl. I had been giving a couple types of treats and once I switched to natural treats like fruit and oats, it stopped. I also cut back on the pellets. I did have to switch treats for the other bun in the pair, but at least I can give them something. She doesn’t like greens.

[Bam]

Rabbits can live excellently on hay and pellets. Greens are more an enrichment. So if treats and greens don’t agree with one of your buns, you could safely cut out greens and treats for both buns. Maybe use part of the daily pellet ration as treats?

I agree its very difficult to limit food for one bun but not the other.

[LBJ10]

I agree. Veggies are not essential. They can do fine on hay and pellets. So if one bunny cannot handle them, then it’s OK to just not feed them at all.

[Ros]

Thank you so much for your information!
I’ve tried so many different healthy treats with my Lionhead and it seems after a 2-3 week course, he gets clumps of Cecotropes for about 4 days.  Even fresh or freeze dried fruit.  However, that may be something I can only give him once a week instead of 1 little piece everyday.  He so loves to come running for his special treat but it saddens me to see him have those shiny clumps of Cecotropes.  It’s bum wash time at that stage.

[DanaNM]

You could try using some dried herbs as treats? Anything fragrant would be exciting for a bun, and I know dried dandelion is usually very popular.  I know some members have had buns that couldn’t handle fresh greens but did well with dried greens and herbs.

. . . 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.  

[the.beanie.bunnies]

Jellybean had the same issue months ago! It also seemed to align to GI stasis episodes. I found that adjusting his diet slowly has done the trick – finding no more ceco “berries” anymore.

I stopped Oxbow treats altogether and instead get treats from an Etsy shop called Made by Mokes. They make treats with zero filler ingredients (like oat flour) – we recently got treats made just of pumpkin and timothy hay! Love the simple ingredients and my bean loves the flavor/crönch. I give 2-3 a week though. Daily treats would most definitely upset him.

Maybe increasing hay could help balance your baby’s gut health. I’ve found the timothy cubes from Small Pet Selects are a great addition to hay. Speaking of, we switched Jellybean to 1st Cut Timothy Hay as it has higher fiber content than other cuts.

Keep us posted! Hoping the cecos reduce as your baby’s belly stabilizes <3

[LBJ10]

Yes, dried herbs or flowers make good treats.

[Ros]

Hi there!

My Lionhead bunny is still getting clumps of Cecotropes that are wet and shiny.  He is a 5 3/4 lb bunny. I’ve given him only 3 Oxbow Timothy treats in the past week or so. These are tiny round ones that look like a cheerio but made from hay. Between both of my bunnies they get 1/4 – 1/2 cup of Oxbow Timothy pellets per day and unlimited amounts of Oxbow Timothy Hay.  He’s eating and drinking and binkies, also comes out to run around.  I’m really at a loss on what else to do to stop this issue for him.  I’ve even tried 1st cutting of hay and still the same thing.
They seem to periscope lots too as if they haven’t had anything!!

please help!!!

Rosalyn

[DanaNM]

1/2 cup per pair is a pretty large amount of pellets. I would cut that amount in half to start and stop all treats and see how he does.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

I agree, you may need to cut back on the pellets. Also, if fed together, it’s possible one bunny is eating more pellets than the other. Translation – He could be getting a lot more pellets than you realize.

[Author]

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