Rabbit eating waste droppings associated with Ileus

Anyone experienced this before? I haven't, until now! Mini has been a bit quiet the last day or two and the night before last we discovered that overnight he had produced just one solitary dropping He was bright enough but sitting in his tray doing not very much. He devoured some profibre pellets, ate a plate of wet greens (albeit without much gusto) and then ate a little hay, ears still a bit chilly and quite static sitting around. We had planned a day out (don't you always when this happens!) but couldn't go until we had seen some droppings - he then produced 4 or 5 whilst sat on the armchair and then ate them ALL. He has pretty much eaten all of his droppings all day yesterday and overnight again and is doing the same today :? :?

He has been moulting, eating more grass than normal (as the weather has warmed) and showing signs of ileus but I have never before had a rabbit eating nearly ALL their waste droppings - they are definitely waste droppings - watched him do it, and it explains the absence of any in the tray overnight... he has never done this before.

Thoughts or experiences? Thinking he is trying to gleam more fibre from his waste droppings to compensate for his ileus?

Since having them in my bedroom I can keep a closer eye and I've seen Smudge eat fecals once. I've also seen Nutmeg eat them once too (pretty sure she was trying to make a point though as she did it on my bed...ie. ’want food Mummy'). I'm not sure if Smudge's is related to his stasis because since being in the trio I haven't had that problem with him, instead I've had it twice with Mini.

Yes, unfortunately. I don't know whether is the cause of the effect.

Elijah has had frequent stasis episodes, and less severe bouts of abdominal discomfort that go fairly quickly, throughout the 3 years he's been here. I had noted that he rarely produces any droppings through the day and then does a big pile at around 9 pm. Having discussed his digestion with FHB quite extensively to try and work out what is happening and why, she thought it likely that he was eating his droppings rather than not producing them. Having closely monitored him this is indeed the case - don't know to what extent, whether it's just a few or quite a lot that get "recycled". FHB also told me that she believed a lot of rabbits with blockages have caused them by eating their faecal pellets.... Elijah had blockage surgery in September last year and I was told it was indeed a faecal pellet that caused the blockage.

As for "why" - he had a good supply of both timothy and meadow hay when he chose to eat his own poop:roll: FHB thinks it just habit ... but obviously if such as eating carpet puts them at risk of getting ileus or even a blockage you can remove the risk.. there's not a darn thing you can do to stop them eating poop.

It was also noted during his surgery that there is nothing wrong with his intestines to cause him to have ileus regularly so it was just put down to his habit of eating poop

Thank you to you both for your responses :wave:

Bunny Buddy, I am wondering how a reconsumed waste dropping can cause a blockage? Did Elijah swallow it whole or not chew it up well do you think? I never even entertained the idea that it could be a risk! Gosh :shock: Not much to be done about it as you say, also a very sudden change for him, two days ago masses of droppings everywhere as there have been since we adopted him in Jan... but he is moulting so perhaps the ileus is triggering the behaviour because he is 'not' to my knowledge a bun prone to stasis (if there is such a thing!) Wierd huh?

Good to know we are not alone but... Hmm.. how odd?! I wonder if that old book, the Private Life of the Rabbit is it? I don't have it mentions this anywhere as an observed behaviour?

prettylupin said:

I am wondering how a reconsumed waste dropping can cause a blockage?

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That's something I can't understand either as good quality poops, which Elijah's are, are very crumbly so you would think they would disintegrate rather than cause problems. I will see if I can remember to ask as I have wondered this too. I have seen Erin eat her droppings as well and she is another with frequent stasis episodes. I've never seen her have a significant moult though unlike Elijah who has several really bad moults a year.

Charlie eats some of his - but does not seem to get any side effects at all . . .