An overweight rabbit may produce normally formed cecotropes, but because she cannot properly reach down to grab them as they emerge from the chute, these soft pellets can becom squashed under the bunny as she flexes and bends around to get them. This is normal, especially when making a switch to different, lighter-colored grass hays. my rabbit has clumping poops, they are also a little lighter brown in color anything i should worry about? Still, smaller deer do have smaller poop. Weight reduction is the answer here, and this is as difficult for rabbits as it is for humans. and it is filled with a delicate balance of bacteria (both This practice allows a rabbit to pass food through its system twice, thereby extracting all the nutrients it can from its food. Not only does the blockage cause fecal matter to build up in the gut, but the bacterial colonies are also thrown into disarray. A complete and healthy diet is truly key to preventing intestinal problems such as cecal dysbiosis (and its associated mushy stool). Therefore, it’s wise to have your messy-bottomed bunny undergo a thorough wellness check, especially if his diet and weight are normal and healthy.Once an underlying source of pain/stress is treated, the runny stool often resolves on its own. Pebble poop bowel movements can be a signal that your stool is very dry and breaking apart in your intestine before coming out. If the poos are strung together like a necklace this can indicate your bunny is ingesting too much fur. Such issues can cause the cecotropes to have abnormal smells and textures, making them undesirable to eat. Bunnies like to eat while using their tray, so line their litterbox with a generous layer of hay. If you have an infant or juvenile rabbit suffering from runny stool, you should consider it a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate veterinary care. Not every time they go, but some times. https://www.rabbitcaretips.com/normal-and-abnormal-rabbit-poop-types A rabbit may suffer cecal dysbiosis and still pass hard pellet poops as normal. Bat Poop looks like big dark brown grains of rice, bigger than that of a mouse. Instead of being allowed to nurse for a full, normal eight weeks, they are taken away while they are still “cute” and marketable–often as young as four weeks. Rabbit pellets naturally dry out over time. Their droppings are black and around ½ inch in diameter, they can also be a lighter brown color in the winter. Dried cecotropes stuck to the rear end are not only smelly and uncomfortable, they also attract flies, and can result in life-threatening fly strike.To prevent this, be sure to learn how to give your bunny a butt bath—SAFELY. Often a caecotroph is black and shiny. In this case, it is important to determine why it isn’t eating. The scat of a deer is very similar to rabbits. Common antibiotics used to treat coccidia include Albon (sulfadimethoxine) and the potentiated sulfas, such as Trimethoprim Sulfa (TMZ) or Bactrim. For the last two days while doing my daily chores in the pasture with our two three & half month old little bucks, I noticed that one of them is having some "stools" that are more of a "clump" instead of the typical little goat pellets. Signs of the wool block will include smaller drier droppings, constipation, or poop clumped together by fur, loss of appetite or the bunny not eating at all. Severe bloating and fecal impactions can sometimes be seen or felt. The droppings can be mashed into the floor, or in your rabbit’s fur. They are fairly uniform in size. Normally a rabbit gets that kind of poop rarely, but my rabbit gets it everyday and at least 2 times a day. Arthritis can be treated by your veterinarian. A rabbit will only eat its own droppings, with the exception being rabbit kits when they begin to wean from their mother’s milk. Cecotrophes (also called caecotrophes, cecals or 'night faeces') Dark, mushy, smelly grape-like balls pressed together, thin film of mucus Did you know rabbits eat their own poo? Still, smaller deer do have smaller poop. What matters in rabbit poop color is consistency. It is almost black the colour of it when it is in its wet form but she does do poos that still have fibers in them from the hay. My rabbit is a 2 year old dutch rabbit and her name is Oreo. One of the earliest signs that your pet isn’t healthy is the sight, smell, shape, and consistency of rabbit droppings. Abnormal poops can be an indicator of everything from the rabbit having an upset stomach to intestinal impaction. This is because high-protein diets are full of matter that rabbit’s cannot easily process, and thus more cecotropes are created. Your bunny’s poop is one of the best indicators of their well-being and general health. These have a strong smell, especially if the mucus membrane coating them is punctured. My female rabbit needed once a week help to clean her privates, she was a bit too big to do herself (she was like that when we got her, lost some chub but could not lose more) I fed them Timothy or orchard hay in unlimited quantities and a bit of oxbow Timothy hay pellets (adult rabbit food). I have a rabbit and he has poop stuck to his. A rabbit may produce cecotropes at various times during the day, and this periodicity may vary from rabbit to rabbit. In rabbits, diarrhea appears as watery, unformed fecal matter. Clumped together and with tapered ends if the squirrel chewed on crunchy foods like nuts. If you see droppings, you should also inspect your property for any holes the rabbits may have dug up. Clumped droppings are where the droppings coalesce (come together) to form a ‘clumped’ mass. Perhaps the most common complaint regarding rabbit health is the problem of mushy or runny stool sticking to the bunny’s anal area and creating a nasty, stinky mess. While dark, moist poop may indicate a need for diet change, small dark poops may be a sign of the more serious GI stasis. Poop clumps can also be a sign of ageing. Rabbits can produce too many cecotropes. *Please note that it will be helpful to the understanding of this disease if you first read the Care of Rabbits handout in order to understand the normal diet of the house rabbit. There are many reasons why a rabbit will not eat cecotropes, and a few of them are signs of an underlying illness. Until a young rabbit is at least eight weeks old, she should not be taken from her mother, as mama’s milk affords protection against E. coli and other bacteria until the baby’s own immune system can handle them. All rabbits have very delicate internal systems, and are sensitive animals in general. The female has feces clumped on her bottom and I can't get it all off. Handling an unweaned infant rabbit without properly washing and disinfecting one’s hands is a good way to transmit these opportunistic pathogens. Delicate as a rabbit’s gastrointestinal tract is, it doesn’t take much to upset this bacterial colony. Let your vet deal with this problem. Nature states that cecotropes are typically nocturnal droppings, and that rabbits will eat these directly from the anus. There are a few other different cues to search for when determining normal rabbit poop from abnormal rabbit poop. I think that it may be the treat I gave him, which was a 'carrot crispy'. Intestinal impaction is also a possible cause for small pellets. 1. ), Ingestion of inorganic matter (carpet fibers, fur, clay litter). They will be scattered in little clusters, and should be hard to the touch and not at all sticky. Cecal dysbiosis means that the beneficial bacteria (e.g., Bacteroides spp. A small rabbit may have quite large pellet poops, and a large rabbit may have smaller pellets that you’d expect. If you see a pile of poop then it was a present … Rabbits do not ordinarily re-ingest fecal pellets, though a few bunnies seem to enjoy an occasional fecal pellet hors d’ouevre with no harm. This is a relatively common occurrence and you’re bound to notice it in your own rabbits poop on occasion. Even a loving kiss on a too-young baby rabbit’s lips can kill. Hi all, My bunny has a large clump of poo matted fur right by her bottom. Common remedies include various NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs), and glucosamine supplements such as Cetyl-M or myristol. One or two of these pellet clumps on occasion isn’t much of an issue. However, we have found a more recently developed drug, ponazuril to be far superior to the aforementioned sulfa antibiotics. A rabbit may choose not to eat its cecotropes if they have not formed correctly as a result of cecal dysbiosis, or other digestive issues. In order to solve the runny stool problem, the underlying cause must be addressed. Home » Elderly and Special Needs Rabbits » The Mystery of Rabbit Poop The Mystery of Rabbit Poop. It may even completely enclose the pellets. They are dark brown, almost black, in colour and a coating of mucus gives them a glossy appearance. In addition you may wish to read the handout Hairballs in Rabbits for a more complete description of gastrointestinal tract function in the rabbit. A couple of. Rabbits have two different types of poop: round, fibrous pellets and glossy clusters of dark cecotropes. However, if your rabbit experiences a lot of stress or an illness that causes their digestion to slow down, the extra fur can cause their system to … A rabbit may also show signs of being in pain depending on the level of bloating. How does the rabbit get those essential nutrients? Cecotropes are produced in the cecum, where a delicate balance of beneficial bacteria thrives. Pellets should crush under pressure (and not mush), revealing a grainy, sawdust-like interior. Chat with your vet about what dietary changes you can make to keep your older rabbit in tip top shape. Expect all bunnies that live together to be affected in short order. If your rabbit’s diet was high in protein beforehand, it will lighten in color as you provide it with a more balanced diet. Rabbits with dental issues or inner ear infections may struggle to eat. Submitted: 9 years ago. Specifically, rabbits will produce too many cecotropes when fed a diet high in protein. This causes gasses to build up as well, causing even more painful bloating and harmful bacteria to overthrow the beneficial bacteria. Rabbits in the same household and fed exactly the same diet may also have poop of vastly different colors. A rabbit should be fed unlimited grass hay, such as timothy, brome, wheat or oat. They are fairly uniform in size. They are a symptom of a disorder somewhere in the bunny’s system. At times, when matter is moving slowly through the intestine the pellets can smush and clump together. and a variety of others, including archaeans) are outcompeted and outnumbered by less desirable inhabitants such as yeast (a fungus, usually Saccharomycopsis sp.) Pay attention if the rabbit stops pooping entirely. Cecotropes Cecotropes are a group of soft squishy pellets that are stuck together in a way that resembles a blackberry. Your email address will not be published. Mountain Lions 1. Cause of Intermittent Soft Cecotropes (ISC) Any interruptions of food intake can cause pellet production to be odd, given the lack of matter to form the pellets. Watery diarrhea or leftover (uneaten) cecotropes are also indicative of something more serious. Rabbit Poop. A lack of fiber can cause the rabbit’s system to slow down. Normal cecotropes are small, dark, round, and shiny poops that stick to each other. The cecotrope has a rather pungent odor, as it contains a large mass of beneficial cecal bacteria. Opening up a healthy pellet should reveal an interior that is lighter in color than the exterior. One of the most common signs associated with sudden death in baby rabbits is diarrhea, which can appear very quickly and kill in a matter of hours. They're full of the nutrients that the rabbits need. At the end of your shower, put the oil on like lotion with firm strokes toward the heart. Stress can also cause poop clumps to form as the digestive system responds to the heightened anxiety levels. Pungent or notably odorous pellets are a sign that there is an underlying health issue. It is during this time that their intestines are at their most vulnerable: the babies need their mother’s milk, which changes pH and provides vital antibodies that help the baby gradually adjust to his changing intestinal environment, to protect them against newly introduced microorganisms. They eat their poop if the poop is wet. Knowing the differences between normal and abnormal rabbit poop is vital for quickly assessing health issues. Pebble poop is small, pellet-like stool, and it is usually a sign of constipation. This results in poop pellets connected by strings of fur. Pay attention if the rabbit stops pooping entirely. Can a Rabbit Die from Eating Too Much? Hi, my rabbit usually has little round turds. Abi Cushman is a veteran house rabbit owner and a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.. A secondary reason why rabbit poop remains firm deals with water. Sadly, many baby rabbits are weaned too young to be away from their mothers. Rabbits will naturally produce more poop when fed an improperly balanced diet. Luckily she has never had diarrhea. Just as important as it is to monitor rabbit’s droppings for any abnormalities, a sudden lack of poop is also cause for concern. Some produce cecotropes in the late morning, some in the late afternoon, and some at night. Maybe the poop clogged in the intestine of the goat. it looks like someone squished two of my lionheads stools together, and is this bad? Rabbit … Their scat can be clumped together in the summer and fall months when they eat berries. You should make a habit of checking your rabbit’s poop for changes every day to keep track of your rabbit’s health. It can’t hide its poop, though, so it is important to monitor its leavings. Separate lumps. In this article, learn about the possible causes, as well as treatments and home remedies. Being drier, even fresh droppings will crumble under pressure. A non-profit rabbit rescue and education organization. Experienced rabbit owners know that rabbits will pass two types of fecal matter naturally: pellets and cecotropes. A good bunny owner checks their rabbit’s poop every single day. Alfalfa hay is too rich in calories and protein for daily feeding. And, painful as it may be, exercise is one of the best ways to burn more calories than bunny takes in. Without mother’s milk, a baby starting to eat solid food is highly susceptible to bacterial enteritis (inflammation of the intestinal lining), which can cause fatal diarrhea. With the guide below, you can tell why your goat poop appears the way it is. I was able to remove it a couple of days ago but it has returned and it feels harder and smells horrible ... my rabbit has dry excrement and urine around her bottom and it has clumped the fur together. Cecotropes are not feces. An overweight rabbit may produce normally formed cecotropes, but because she cannot properly reach down to grab them as they emerge from the chute, these soft pellets can becom squashed under the bunny as she flexes and bends around to get them. If your rabbit stops producing any droppings, the gut may have completely stopped processing food; this should be treated as a potentially life threatening emergency and you should seek urgent veterinary attention. Is It Normal for Rabbits to Sneeze a Lot? This might be why some people refer to cecotropes as “night droppings,” though cecotropes are not always produced at night. we just got a lionhead bunny few days ago she’s 5 mos old up tell today her poop was normal now its tiny and stuck together she has a vet appointment next week for her check up .I tryed to get one today but the rabbit vet won’t be back tell next week.She is on […] They're usually a little bit more sticky and clumped together, and they're really nutrient rich.