Don't give anything sugary to a rabbit with a blockage because it can only make the problem worse-ie. The problem with a solid blockage is that once you have one, they can be really hard to get rid of and, at worst, fatal. Maybe try and provide lots of other things for him, that are safer to chew on. Flooring is hard for rabbits cause the need something non slip, but then with chewers, you also need something chew resistant. Not sure what you could use to replace the fleece with. I use the Probios gel, but there are several other brands that you could use as well. So now when I first start to give it to a rabbit, I start with a very small amount, smaller than the size of a pea, and gradually increase the amount, as long as it doesn't seem to cause or worsen the digestive problems. I use them with my rabbits at times, but once when first using it with one of my rabbits, it actually upset his stomach and caused a gut slowdown and small poops, which he hadn't had before. You may want to be caustious with the probiotics as well. You may not need simethicone yet, if he isn't showing any signs of discomfort or pain, doesn't have a bloated belly at all, and he is still eating normally. With you cutting back on the pellets he should eat lots more hay, which is what you want, and it should help the digestion move better and hopefully clear up this problem. Green leafy veggies are ok, but avoid cruciferous veggies, including the ones that are leafy. I would cut way back on pellets, don't feed any treats, sugars, carbs, grains, or starches. As long as he's still eating and pooping, you may be ok for now, but you will want to make some diet changes to see if there is some improvement. So this is something that must be addressed as soon as it is discovered.If he's molting right now, that could be the cause of the gut slowdown and the small fecals. If after making changes to the rabbit’s diet you can still see excess cecotrophs, then you should seek veterinary assistance to discover what is wrong with your bunny.Ī bunny who is producing too many cecotrophs is at severe risk of Flystrike, as flies are attracted to wet or dirty fur. It could also be a medical problem, like the inability to bend down due to back pain. It may be as simple as them being overfed pellets or vegetables the end result is them not being hungry enough to want to eat their cecotrophs. If you are seeing any of these ‘grape- like’ poos then there is something going wrong. You would not normally see them do this as they take the dropppings directly from their anus and eat them again. Rabbits re- eat their cecotroph poos in order to process fully the nutrients available in their diet. If you are seeing tiny very wet dark poos, possibly in clusters like a bunch of grapes, then these are probably cecotrophs. The ideal diet to produce a good healthy poo will be 80- 85% hay, with additional vegetables in small amounts and a top up of a good quality pelleted food. It may involve nothing more than modifying the diet or lifestyle (exercise/grooming) but if a change is made and no improvement is seen, then a possible medical reason for the poor quality should be considered. This reflects a high fibre diet, good gut movement and the fact that your bunnies probably have good teeth.Ī poo that is dark, hard, small, wet, runny or has fur in it is not ideal, and the causes should be investigated. A good bunny poo should be a good size (in other words big), round, golden and it should be lightweight dry and break open very easily. What should a good bunny fecal poo look like? Why is it important to know this?Ĭhecking your bunnies’ litter tray daily is one excellent way to check on their health. However there is a lot more we can learn from what a rabbit leaves behind. As we have stated previously, not eating or pooing is a medical emergency. One of the easiest ways of keeping tabs on your bunny’s health is to keep check not only on what goes in, but also what comes out. Fecal pellets are intestinal bi- products whereas cecotrophs are produced in a region of the digestive tract called the caecum and are not waste products but highly nutritious pellets which the rabbit should eat. Rabbits have a unique digestive system and produce two types of droppings - fecal pellets and cecotrophs (cecal pellets).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |