Too much pellets = too much cecotropes?

[Gingerbun8]

Hi bunny parents!

My new 3 month old bun has been having a lot of excess cecotropes the past couple of days. Prior to this, I fed my Ginger unlimited orchard and Timothy hay, along with a handful of greens in the AM and PM. Poo was perfect. I took him to the vet for a wellness check since I just got him, and he is a very healthy boy! The Vet did tell me to add pellets to his diet, cut back on greens, and switch to alfalfa until he is 6mo. So I bought pellets at the Vet and ordered the new hay. Immediately cut back on greens and added pellets to his diet, and he ate about a handful of pellets in the AM and PM with unlimited hay. I noticed the next Saturday he had cecotropes on the floor, and I had never seen them so I was worried. Read up on what they were and felt ok, but then wondered why he wasn’t eating them. By the 3rd day of adding pellets, Ginger had so many excess cectropes in his litter box and floor (maybe 5-6 little bunches). He still was pooping regularly but I don’t know whether he needed to eat the rest or not. So I took away the pellets to force him to eat hay, and within the day he only dropped 1 little binch of cecotropes and everything else was pretty normal. He also ate about 1/3 of the excess ceco droppings. So now I’m hesitant to add the pellets back in, though the vet advised… if I do bring them back, how much should I give him? He weighs 1.3 lb. I think I’ll keep him off for at least one more day until there are no excess cecotropes, but after that I’m not sure about these pellets!!

Thanks!

[Wick & Fable]

It is correct for a younger rabbit to be on a more alfalfa-rich diet (both hay and pellets), but in a number of cases, this is ramped down earlier than 6mo because the alfalfa is too nutrient-rich, thus leading to the production of cecotropes that are not eaten. It’s most likely the double-combo of alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay that’s making this occur (check the ingredients on the pellets).

I’d recommend swapping the alfalfa hay back for what you had previously. Leaving veggies out is still good for his young stomach. Young rabbits need nutrient-dense diets to help them grow rapidly, but if you see those excess cecotropes, it means your rabbit is getting too much, so it’s okay to make the swaps as needed.

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.

[Harley&Thumper]

My baby bunny is also producing uneaten cecotropes, and is on alfalfa hay and pellets. Should I remove the hay and switch over to Timothy or Orchard?

[Deleted User]

Neither one of my boys were ever on alfalfa hay or pellets, and they never had a problem with producing excess cecals. Bombur did occasionally if I spoiled them with a little extra pellets or greens. I just gave them Timothy and Orchard from the start.

[Sirius&Luna]

Yeah, I’ve never given baby bunnies alfalfa hay either, I think regular hay gets them used to what they need to eat better, and baby bunny pellets provide all the nutrients they need

the vet isn’t wrong, it just isn’t necessary for all bunnies I don’t think

[Gingerbun8]

Thank you so much for your advice! I just got back from work and it’s been a full 24 hr since I pulled the pellets and no cecotropes in his pen! There was maybe 1 more this AM. Going to switch back to orchard and feed a very small amount of pellets tmrw and monitor what his limit is.

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