Uneaten Cecals?

[hoops&yoyo]

Hi – newbie here again.

I have had my two 9 week old harlequins home since monday.  I’ve noticed that in their litterbox there have been a few uneaten cecals.  Also on the cardboard on their shelves there seems to be squished cecal residue.  I’ve checked their bottoms and they don’t have poopy butt.

I’ve been feeding alfalfa pellets, timothy and alfalfa hay.  I’ve also been giving them a salad of cilantro and parsley which they are loving!

So I have questions about the cecals specifically:  Do they have to eat all of the cecals they produce?  How many cecals do they produce – one or two or several? 

Having 2 buns it is hard to tell which bun the cecals they belong to….it seems the smaller one (the runt of the litter) is much more food motivated – if he is not eating his cecals would that result in him being hungry all the time or not absorbing his food correctly?  It could be that now that there are only 2 buns (there were 7 living with the mom up until Monday) there is less competition for the food.

Ideas?

[hooty22]

I’ve had Felony since he was 4 weeks old. I recall finding the occasional squishy cecal. I just attributed it to him being new to that whole thing, and missing a few from time to time. Ideally there shouldn’t be any extra cecals. Usually, with older buns, its due to their diet being too rich. Although with 2 month old bunnies, I don’t know what could be the cause because they are suppose to have a super rich diet… When you say a few cecal is it really just 2 or 3 in a day? Perhaps they are just missing a few of them.

[Sarita]

I think it’s just an adjustment in diet at this point – it can take really quite a while for their digestive systems to adjust so I wouldn’t be too concerned (at this point) while they are adjusting. I could take up to 4 weeks (maybe even months) on a new diet to adjust.

[Beka27]

I agree, it sounds like you’re doing everything fine so far. Bunny poop is a continuous thing that all bunny slaves are concerned about it. Either too little, too few, too many cecals left… there’s always something ;o)

This is a great article to keep on hand about bunny poop and how it relates to health… http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

I think at this point just keep doing what you’re doing but maybe eliminate any treats (you didn’t mention if they were getting any), just keep with the pellets, hay, and basic veggies.

If it continues to happen, mention it to your vet when you take them in for their exams this month.

[Sarita]

Another possibility in a rabbit this young is coccidia which would require a fecal test from the vet which may not be a bad idea for you to do actually.

[hoops&yoyo]

Posted By Sarita on 04/03/2009 07:45 AM
Another possibility in a rabbit this young is coccidia which would require a fecal test from the vet which may not be a bad idea for you to do actually.

I am actually preparing to make a vet appt in the next week – I’ve read that it is difficult to tell what sex they are especially this young so I figured closer to 3 months is better.  I’ve done a lot of research on rabbit vets before I brought them home and found that the vet that the NJ House Rabbit Society recommends also participates in a spay/neuter certificate program (*YAY*) – but the amounts are different for based on the sex – so I can’t really purchase the certificate until I take them in for an initial visit so I buy the right certificates – lol.

My regular vet who I take my dogs to quoted $250-$350 to for males and $500 to $700 from females!  The vet the NJHRS Society recommends and participates in this certificate program is $115 initial visit + $115 – $150 for bloodwork then males $72 for neuter / females $92 with the certificate.

I am glad to hear that the concensus is that I am feeding the right things – *whew* of all the the sites and info I’ve read – this seems to be the most knowledgeable and closest to my “gut feeling” about what is right and how I want to treat my babies – I mean bunnies.  There is one site out there that I found which actually suggested feeding meat tenderizer to the bunnies!
 

Endless binkies to everyone for your prompt and caring responses!

[Beka27]

OH That’s RIGHT! We’ve had at least one or two other members use that NJ spay/neuter prgram. Bloodwork is not always necessary for every bunny, so you may be able to get away without doing that.

[jerseygirl]

There is one site out there that I found which actually suggested feeding meat tenderizer to the bunnies!

I have read of this too. It’s not totally outrageous as it’s derived from papaya or pineapple & contains the enzymes said to help pass ingested hair. So not so different from papaya tablets really. Though I do not know what else is in meat tenderiser… The site I read said bromelain was from papya which is wrong I think. That’s from pineapple, papain is from papaya. Anyway, ,doesn’t make much diff to me as I don’t give meat tenderiser or papaya tablets . But definately, if you have doubts about what you read for bunny care, run it past your vet or use this site as a sound board!

[MooBunnay]

Meat tenderizer? I just wouldn’t feel right feeding that to an animal….weird…

Anyways- good job on doing your research! One of the great things about getting advice from these forums is you get to hear a lot of first hand experiences.

[jerseygirl]

I know what you mean moobunnay!

On reading about these enzymes in the past and just recently again, I found out the papain is in the latex (milky substance) of the plant (and some in the fruits flesh I think). That triggered a memory about dandelions and latex. So I did a search and dandelion also has these enzymes that help break down proteins. I knew dandelions had digestive properties but didn’t know exactly what. I just find that super interesting (Nerd!) as bunnies naturally go for dandelions. Smart! I’ve always had mixed feelings about all these enzymes, believeing fibre is best, but I’m coming around.

[MimzMum]

Oh thank you Jerz! I had no idea that dandelions had such properties! No wonder Mimzy adores them. (Can’t wait until they start growing en masse in my yard)
Ugh..meat tenderizer…I can remember my folks using that liberally when I was a child on any meat we brought home…we stopped using it when we began to think that maybe it didn’t break down as well as one would think during cooking and it could be tenderizing the insides of our stomachs! >_<

[Sarita]

Well I think they just eat the leaves not the stems or milky parts. I’m not even sure if those parts are safe or not for rabbits…

[MimzMum]

Really? I give my buns the flowers and their stems…they seem to do just fine with them. And the sound it makes as they are crunching them down is so cute….looks like a big old piece of green spaghetti being swallowed. ^_^
Although, now that you mention it Sarita, I order dried dandelion for my bunnies during the off season, and I notice the company who makes them includes leaves and root, but not flowers. I never thought to wonder why. ~_~
I’ll ask my vet what she thinks when I take Fiver and Mimzy in on Thursday next.

[BinkyBunny]

I never even thought about the stems! I mean when I thought of the stems, I was just thinking of the stems of the greens, not the stems of the flowers.  I’ve actually never come across the flower stem for sale. (and around here, i wouldn’t pick anything to feed) so, this is something I’d like to know more about!

It seems as many sites say it’s okay, and I don’t see where it’s toxic as you think that  would be clarified for sure when greens and flowers are recommended as well as I don’t see it on the toxic list. 

Mimz – the dried dandelion I’m not sure if i’d want give because greens like dandelions are higher in nutrients including  calcium which is great when they are fresh and full of water, but as dried,  this would make it concentrated – not sure if that would be so good in my opinioooon.

[jerseygirl]

Yeah, dandelions seem to be a favorite but should be given in moderation I think. MM – don’t take my word for it on the enzyme thing. It was just what I was deciphering from all the chem-speak! However, dandies are know to have digestive properties (for humans) so I think enzymes do come into it at some point. I just found it interesting that rabbits naturally navigate toward something good for them for a change.

I remember thinking it really odd when 1st reading about latex and dandelions, thistles etc…then in papaya and pinapple stems too. Wonder what those plants do to those with latex allergies?

[MimzMum]

Oh the dried dandelion is ONLY for treat time…it’s not a daily thing that I feed them. They have to have done EXTREMELY good with a brushing or nail trim or something like that.

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