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Silly question...

Glad I'm not the only one!

Xena has been eating lots and lots of cecals, and she has been a bit "off" lately. :? She is eating and pooing ok, although I've noticed she hasn't been drinking as much (I presume that's due to the weather change).
 
Shouldn't they be eating all of them straight from their bum anyway so you don't see it?

Now Doughnut's feeling better she's always ducking down and I don't see any around.
 
I always felt that one or two times a day was a massive underestimate with my lot. I catch them at it a fair bit, either that or the contented chewing afterwards. But I'm not sure if its a sign of something if its more than normal, although if you're worried for any reason and are watching them more you may notice it more, ditto if you have more time at home with them.
 
I find Doughnut does it about 4 hours after eating. So once she's eaten her muesli, four hours later there is lots of ducking. The more she eats the more ducking is involved. I think that's how it works!
 
cpayne said:
I find Doughnut does it about 4 hours after eating. So once she's eaten her muesli, four hours later there is lots of ducking. The more she eats the more ducking is involved. I think that's how it works!
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Well that makes sense. Thinking about it wild rabbits may only eat them once or twice a day if they're only released when the caecum is full. And we know they're food isn't very nutrient rich, so it'll take a while to fill.

Our lot get a lot of rich food so It makes sense that the caecum will fill more...hmm. But I still don't know about it happening more than normal, unless food has changed?
 
I just thought it was like us, eat more poop more! So maybe they have eaten at say 7am so you will notice them ducking about 11am but if you're not around you would miss it.

If there are uneaten cecal then that's something different but if they are eating it directly then I wouldn't think there is anything wrong, although I'm no expert by any means. I just thought that's how it worked.
 
biscandmatt1 said:
bisc eats some straight from his bottom, but alot he puts infront of him on the floor and then eats them :?
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Well if cecals smell off they don't eat them. Maybe some smell a bit funny when they're first on their way out, so he inspects them and decides it must just be his bum that smells funny?
 
She is taking them straight from herself. Her routine and food hasn't changed or increased. :? I watch them a lot on a night, mainly. I always see both Xena and Fiver eating cecals, but usually only 2/3 times in a row, then they settle down. Xena ate about 10 in a row, then she laid down and put her chin on the floor. She does this when she sleeps, but she was laid like this most of the time. :? She's been doing this more and more recently, as well as the increasing her cecal intake.
She almost seems a bit depressed tbh. :(

Perhaps it's the weather? I have no idea!
 
I usually thought it is to do with them having a diet that is too rich. Cecals are extra nutrients, which is why they eat them again. So if they are eating a lot they must have a lot of extra nutrients going through them
 
Yeh, that makes sense, but if a bun hasn't had anything rich, then could there be something going on internally? I thought maybe it was a sign that the guts are not taking as much goodness out as it should. Tbh, I'm not particularly worried about it, but would be useful to know if it could be a sign of something.
 
I think you need Thumps input as she's great on digestion. I thought if they were having too much protein then you would see them uneaten as there is too many to eat.

Doughnut now sleeps with her chin on the floor too, not always but just recently, but as you know she is well now so not sure what that's all about either!!
 
Cecals are made from the tiny particles of digestible fibre that are fermented in the ceacum then ingested so they pass through the small intestine again to absorb the nutrients. The amount of digestible fibre in food varies so I suppose that could effect the quantity. As long as her diet is good (lots of grass hay and not too much dry food) and she's eating them all I wouldn't be worried.

They are sometimes called 'night droppings' because on a wild schedule they'd arrive whilst they are back in the warren after feeding. It might be you're just observing her at the times she's most likely to be eating them?
 
Tamsin said:
Cecals are made from the tiny particles of digestible fibre that are fermented in the ceacum then ingested so they pass through the small intestine again to absorb the nutrients. The amount of digestible fibre in food varies so I suppose that could effect the quantity. As long as her diet is good (lots of grass hay and not too much dry food) and she's eating them all I wouldn't be worried.

They are sometimes called 'night droppings' because on a wild schedule they'd arrive whilst they are back in the warren after feeding. It might be you're just observing her at the times she's most likely to be eating them?
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Thanks for the info. :)

I go to bed at the same time every night and never seen her eat this amount. She is a great hay eater, and gets the pro biotic pellets so her guts *should* be good. It could be just that she was out on grass the other day...although I would have expected her to have excreted the cecals the following night..perhaps her guts are a little slower than normal buns. *Shrugs*

I'm going to get them both out in the front room in a min, so I will notice if she is still "off".


Cpayne (Sorry I have no idea how to multi-quote!) Xena has always slept like this, just not THIS often. She is also not moving when I get up out of bed. :shock: Normally she jumps up and runs under the bed, or follows me to see if I have anything tasty. :lol: Maybe she is feeling more comfortable around me.
Thumps, is definitely the one to ask! I may message her and see if she has anything to add on this. It is quite interesting that some buns do eat more cecals at different times.
 
RavenMoon said:
Well if cecals smell off they don't eat them. Maybe some smell a bit funny when they're first on their way out, so he inspects them and decides it must just be his bum that smells funny?
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yes, probably knowing bisc. inspects everything first. :roll::love:
 
Really wish I hadn't read this whilst eating my tea :lol: especially as I've "cooked" it and it's all burned :lol:

Excuse my even sillier question, but what's a cecal? (I initially misread it as cereal and wondering what you were all on about :oops::lol:) Is it the really runny stuff as opposed to the little raisens? Also please excuse my poor spelling of raisen but I have no idea how to spell it :oops: funny I used to be obsessed with dinosaurs as a child and can spell micropachycephalosaurus, but not raisen.
 
Yes it is, it is the poop full of nutrients which the rabbit eats directly from their bums, so ideally you should never see it. They look like bunches of grapes and they tend to be darker than the pills and they smell! If you are seeing any around it normally means the rabbits diet is too high in protein ie. maybe too many pellets so that needs reducing so the rabbit eats more hay. You can also see them if you are introducing something new into their diet and you've given them too much of it.
 
Vegan_Bunny said:
Xena has always slept like this, just not THIS often. She is also not moving when I get up out of bed. :shock: Normally she jumps up and runs under the bed, or follows me to see if I have anything tasty. :lol: Maybe she is feeling more comfortable around me.
Thumps, is definitely the one to ask! I may message her and see if she has anything to add on this. It is quite interesting that some buns do eat more cecals at different times.
Click to expand...

I've just noticed it with Doughnut but I sometimes wonder with her if it's comfortable for her throat since she has a scar there, maybe she's just found a more comfortable position though, it's easy to over analysis stuff when you've had a sick bunny and are looking for signs that they are still unwell or they are well!!

Doughnut definitely eats her caecal about 4 hours after eating or sometimes 3 hours. I think she is also ducking down more but this is because she used to have 10g of pellets now she has 50g of muesli!
 
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