pooh problems!!!!

My bun is fine eating and drinking well and seems happy. However he daily poohs like little grape clustered that are wet. He does still pooh his normal hard currents. Can anyone help with whats wrong??

What you're seeing is excess caecotrophs. A bunny will produce these daily but should re-ingest them immediately and seeing them lying around is indicative of a problem.

The first thing I would do is get your bun to the vets just to rule out any joint problems, arthritis or pain can cause them to stop reaching down and ingesting their cecotrophs.

After that's ruled out, I would look very carefully at his diet. Too many rich foods can cause excess cecotrophs, such as pellets and vegetables or too many 'treats'.

I have one bunny that has a real problem with this, over the years we've tried all sorts including pain relief, a hay only diet, experimenting with foods and now it's just a case of managing the symptoms with careful diet and daily pro-biotic pellets (Protexin pro-fibre). He still has flare ups, but we know how to manage these now with the pro-biotic pellets and, if need be, the powder (Bio-Lapis).

Good luck!

jrichards said:

My bun is fine eating and drinking well and seems happy. However he daily poohs like little grape clustered that are wet. He does still pooh his normal hard currents. Can anyone help with whats wrong??

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Sound as though he is not eating all of his cecotrophs. Cecotrophs are a normal part of a Rabbit's digestive process and the Rabbit should eat them directly from their anus. If the Rabbit is leaving some cecotrophs uneaten this is usually because he/she is being fed a diet lacking in long fibre (hay) and too much carbohydrate and protein (pellet feed/muesli type feed). Or sometimes it can be due to a mobility problem/Dental problem in that the Rabbit has difficulty reaching his/her rear end due to discomfort/pain. Obesity can also prevent a Rabbit from being able to get to his/her cecotrophs.

I'm not an expert but what you're describing sounds totally normal. Rabbits produce two kinds of droppings and actually eat some of the grape like wet ones. I'm sure someone else will explain it better to you but I shouldn't worry, your bunny sounds totally normal.

Having read the other replies perhaps you sound ignore my post. I knew someone else would be able to advise you and it just goes to prove I'm still learning myself. I feel bad that I'd given you incorrect information and advice. To be honest my rabbit sometimes leaves the odd one not eaten but I know he eats the majority of them so I've not worried. I shall keep a closer eye on him now. Good luck with your bunny.

HelenSB said:

I'm not an expert but what you're describing sounds totally normal. Rabbits produce two kinds of droppings and actually eat some of the grape like wet ones. I'm sure someone else will explain it better to you but I shouldn't worry, your bunny sounds totally normal.

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You're right, it is perfectly normal for a rabbit to produce those 'soft poos'. However, to prevent this happening, it's a good idea to cut back on foods that are particularly high in protein such as pellets and some vegetables.

If a rabbit has so many good things to eat, he won't be interested in re-ingesting his caecatrophs, and this means long term he will be deficient in the vitamins he will get by so doing.