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Please help me with Cookie's poo- Warning: UNPLEASANT PICS INCLUDED

marchi1990

Mama Doe
Please help me :?

This problem has been going on for around a month now and only seems to be getting worse.

Every morning when I feed Cookie I find this in her house:



(Sorry I realise that is unpleasant).

Other than this she produces lovely large golden poos because she is an excellent hay eater.

Here is her exact diet:
1. SS pellets (no more than egg cup) every morning. She has been eating these since I adopted her in July.
2. Unlimited hay all day.
3. Evening veg usually consists of: Broccoli top, cauliflower top, few green beans, some cabbage.

Now, this is obviously happening in the night because it is not there when I see her in the evening. I am guessing it is just squished cecotropes which she is sitting on because this is the exact location where she rests. The problem is, where she is resting on it at night it has now dried on her back feet and I cannot get it off :( Her fur is already quite thin on her back feet and I do not know how to get it off without hurting her :(

She is quite a round bunny; I wouldn't say fat - in August the vet said she was ideal weight - but I never see her reaching down to 'that area' so perhaps she is just UNABLE to eat them?

Any advice would be so appreciated.

Here she is:

 
Have you tried splitting the food types through the day more, so perhaps a bit of veg and pellets in the morning then the same in the evening?

I'd be inclined to drop some of the veg and try more natural forage type greens.
 
I'd cut out veg completely for now and just give more hay, perhaps a different kind of hay for the evening just to keep her interested. We had a simular problem a while ago and the culprit was cabbage. Since we've cut this out all's fine. best keep an eye on her as a trip to the vet may be in order if she shows no improvement.

Keep us updated, hope her tummy settles down soon :wave:
 
Have you tried splitting the food types through the day more, so perhaps a bit of veg and pellets in the morning then the same in the evening?

I'd be inclined to drop some of the veg and try more natural forage type greens.

Yes perhaps that is a good idea; I will probably give that a go tomorrow.

I'd cut out veg completely for now and just give more hay, perhaps a different kind of hay for the evening just to keep her interested. We had a simular problem a while ago and the culprit was cabbage. Since we've cut this out all's fine. best keep an eye on her as a trip to the vet may be in order if she shows no improvement.

Keep us updated, hope her tummy settles down soon :wave:

Yes, I think more than likely I am going to have to slow down on the veg and eventually give it up. I might, as Herperus has said, try giving a mix of food in the morning then evening and gradually work this down to zero veg. Perhaps the cabbage isn't doing her much good; I might try cutting-out certain veg and whether or not this makes a difference :thumb:
 
Poppy does similar to this. We've been to vets loads of times. Tried antibotics incase it was an infection, panacur incase it was parasitic, metacam incase it was a pain issue stopping her eating her cecals. Nothing worked. We've finally got it to a good stage but her diet is very limited. She gets absolutely no veg. She can have a little bit of herbs, Dill and Mint are usually my choice as they are good for the digestive system. She also gets very few pellets. She's had it since a baby and was very slow to grow because she was getting so few caloies, but she's now a healthy size. Protein is definately a problem for her - she cannot eat plaintain. She's a stress head, gets upset easily which has an effect aswell, but when she's really bad fibreplex sorts it out.
 
That looks to me like a mix of both faecal and caecal output (especially the lower part of the image).

thumps_ or Jacks-Jane would be best to comment, but to me, i'd agree and cut out veg and get back to basics.

Has ANYTHING as insignificant as it may seem changed in buns environment, diet, surroundings, routine etc?

You may need to consult a vet, as could be something going on inside you aren't aware of.

What pellets do you use?
 
First I would get her Vet checked. She may have either some Dental issues or some mobility issues (eg arthritis) making it hard for her to eat her cecotrophs,

Is she bonded with another Rabbit ?

To get the dried poo off her back feet you will need to soak her feet in warm water to soften the poo and then wash it off. Do not trim it away with scissors as that will lead to her developing sore hocks.

I would try her on a hay/water only diet for 48 hours as long as you are 100% certain she eats lots of hay. I'd give her Fibreplex during those 48 hours too.
 
Archie was loose last night so he isn't getting any fresh veg today, I would cut out the veg and see if it still happens, than you would be able to rule that out and if it is still there you can rule it out
 
I would go to the vets too.

When Doughnut had mixed poops they didn't look like that, yours look to be more cecotropes to me but quite runny. I would cut out the veg entirely and give half an egg cup of pellets in the morning and half in the evening. That's all Doughnut used to have before she got unwell and her poops were really big due to all of the hay and she still maintained her weight. If they return to normal you can maybe introduce herbs which are kinder on the stomach.
 
Agree with Jane take her for a vet check just to rule out other issues but Evan my poorly boy produced poops like this and I fed him only hay and dried herbs.
 
Hi and thanks everyone :thumb:

I think you're right - I think this calls for a vet visit so she can have a thorough check over.

She isn't bonded with another rabbit to answer your question Jane.

I am going to cut out the veg also - think that's probably a good place to start at this stage - I am also going to space out her pellets so that it's morning and evening.
 
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Hi and thanks everyone :thumb:

I think you're right - I think this calls for a vet visit so she can have a thorough check over.

She isn't bonded with another rabbit to answer your question Jane.

I am going to cut out the veg also - think that's probably a good place to start at this stage - I am also going to space out her pellets so that it's morning and evening.

Mmmm, you will need a lovely, friendly receptionist to book her in;););)
 
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