Excess Caecotrophs in Baby buns, help please

Thought I'd better start a new thread asking about this as it might not get spotted on my 'vet' thread and I'm more confused than ever now.

My baby bunnies (they'll be 9 weeks old on Friday) are producing excess caecotrophs, and I mean lots of them ....... and I'm not sure what to do about it.

All the advice I've read seems to say increase hay, decrease pellets ....... However, the vet last night told me to feed them unlimited pellets because they're only babies, but also to make sure they're eating plenty of hay .... but if I give unlimited pellets, they'd prefer to eat them so aren't eating as much hay.

I've stopped giving them veggies altogether until I get this sorted and then will re-introduce them very slowly at a later date.

So, what should I do?? Give them unlimited pellets or limit them?? (and if I need to limit them, what would you say is an acceptable amount per bun per day?)?

They're currently on Burgess excel (which is what they'd been on previously) but I do have some SS junior too (which I bought because I read that excell can produce excess caecotrophs in itself so thought about switching to the SS but haven't done yet).

Can anyone help? I don't want to get it wrong and make my bunnies ill or have them missing out on vital nutrients.

Really appreciate any advice anyone could give.

Jo x

Just been home at lunchtime and had to clean up their sticky bums again. Man that stuff stinks! :shock:

I've sprayed them with flyguard now but I'm still worried about them. :?

I've given them a big pile of fresh hay with a handful of pellets hidden in there and left them with a brick out of the freezer downstairs and a freezer glass (with hay stuffed inside so they don't stick their heads in and get stuck) upstairs to try and keep them cool - its bloomin boiling here!

As I said on the other thread I'd really be inclined to reduce the pellets. Most my baby buns have been content with a reasonable sized handful each a day and none of them have had any development problems. Now grown up they are super super hay eaters. You said they are eating a fair amount of hay anyway so maybe try cutting back a little on what you are currently feeding until you get the right balance, you should always change diets gradually.

Personally I would feed more hay and less pellets and also think of gradually changing to a less rich pellet. Which one are you on? Excell often has a name for causing problems like this - Any change must be gradual though.

I had a litter of buns with this problem and DID decrease the amount of pellets. I had to work at adjusting the amount continously as they grew and always gave the maximum amount of pellets that they could eat with no excess cecals. Are they healthy because of it? Well, tomorrow all 7 from the litter will turn 3, and the worst problem we have is a genetic dental issue from mum (unknown at the time of breeding). I say reduce the pellets and provide a wide variety of different hays to encourage as much eating as possible (nothing with bits in, just basic hay, but like timothy, oat, etc). Also give the hay fresh a few times a day to encourage more.

I never feed Smudge unlimited. I just gave him double what the others got and then gradually decreased it.

Thanks Amy, I did see your other reply but as I'm panicking and paranoid thought it would be a good idea to post again! lol

And thanks everyone else, glad you all agree about decreasing them ........ I really don't have any confidence in that vet at all!!

A handful each per day it is then ..... would you give them that in a morning or evening or half a handful twice a day?

Sorry for all the questions but I really don't want to upset their tummies or anything....... I'll cut back gradually and see how they get on.

I always used to give them the lot in the morning, now I feed half in the morning and half in the evening because they love them so much. I think it nicer they get two smaller lots. Plus in the evening I can handfeed.

Oh thanks, I like that idea, they do eat out of my hand now but if I got them into doing it regularly that would be great.

I'd like to get them onto a different pellet (I have a bag of SS junior) is it a good idea to change them onto it gradually at the same time as reducing the pellets gradually ........ or would it be better to reduce the pellets gradually first then start mixing the SS pellets in with the excell ....... or maybe give them the excell in the morning and the SS in the evening then gradually reduce and change to just SS??

Again, sorry for all the questions but as I'm totally responsible for them, I want to get it completely right.

Thanks, Jo x

Edit: Ignore me, I see what you mean now and I don't know.

I would say not doing both at once, so either reduce and then change, or change and then reduce.

I would suggest giving fresh hay at times when you don't feed pellets as well as times when you do.

I would feed more hay and less pellets, hope they are both ok Bless them

Thanks everyone, feel much less fraught about it all now.

Think I'll reduce then change the pellets.

Really appreciate all your help and advice.

Jo x

veggies?

Am i right in thinking your feeding them veggies? How old did you say they were?

It might be a good idea to cut out all veggies untill they are 12 weeks old and introduce one veggie at a time from then on.

I have been told that feeding veggies that young can make faeces softer. My baby rabbits both produced extra cecals when they were younger, especially when i started to introduce veggies.

Hope this helps

Soph. x

Hiya

Thanks for the reply Soph .....they'll be 10 weeks old tomorrow .... I was initially feeding them tiny amounts of veggies because they'd been eating them previously ....only like 1 rocket leaf each per day or half a dandelion leaf each .... but I stopped that the first week.

Since then I've changed them slowly over to SS Junior and they seem to be producing less excess now (probably about 2-3 a day in total).

I've also decreased their pellets to a handful n a half each per day (a handful between them at brekki, a handful between them at tea-time and half a handful each at bedtime) which I'll continue to cut back slowly to a handful each per day - a handful between them at brekki and a handful between them at tea-time ...unless its better to feed the pellets all in one go??.

They've been munching hay like its going out of fashion (they were good hay eaters before tho).

They're normal poops are a lovely golden colour and they seem healthy enough (and vet checked them over said they were in good health).

So, no sticky bums anymore and excess C's have reduced from 8 (between them) per day to 2-3 (between them) per day.

Looks like we're heading in the right direction thanks to all the fab advice on here.

Thanks again everyone.

x