STILL producing cecotropes...

.. I posted a while back about my buns producing cecotropes, and they're still having the same problems with them.

They're only ever their on a morning, say between 9am and 12pm - it really varies. It's the same with both bunnies, and here's what I give them a day:-

In the morning
============

Small handful of Science Select
Small handful of Excel Pellets
Bottle of fresh water
About 4/5 small batons of carrot
About 3/4 small baby spinach leaves
Big handfulls of - Orchard Grass, Meadow Hay and Oxbow Timothy Hay


They usually sleep/laze around after they've eaten til around 6pm/7pm and then I feed them:-

Small handful of Science Select
Small handful of Excel Pellets
Replace the hay which was fed earlier on in the day

I have to give them both the SS and the Excel pellets because they're really fussy bunnies - one day one will want SS, and one will want Excel .. and vice versa.

Lately, and I'm not sure if it's because of a weather change, but both my bunnies aren't eating as much hay as they usually do - and I'm wasting an awful lot when I replace it with fresh... even before this they will still producing cecotropes.

Does anyone have any insight on this? I can't see what I'm doing wrong, and the vets happy with them saying they're healthy little bunnies.

Thanks,

Lou xx

I would just say cut out the excel - if they don't like it then tough

Cheers Elve, I'll give that a go over the next few days

Roughly how many SS should I give them? Bare in mind they're seperate at the moment (until both have been neutered on Wednesday)...

Any thoughts on them ignoring hay at the moment, it's quite out of character, but they eat everything else - and the selection of hay is really good, and they totally love Orchard Grass.

I would ditch the Excel too. My lot were the same until I changed them back to their old food.

Mine (average size adult bunnies) are getting about 40 ss pellets each in the morning, and about 20 at night. I give them more in winter but they seem to eat less in summer as they don't need the calories I guess.

are you undegoing any stress problems right now? or are they? as its not only obesity and diet that makes this such a terrible problem...its also stress too..my bif bless her wil never improve ( weve tried everything but no luck) in fact it got so bad it gave her stasis several times..and the vet says she wont make old bones with a stress disorder like shes got..shes never recovered from her husbunny dying..neither have we and its been almost a year now

the other thing is that when they get nutered..make sure you ask the vet to check their molars properly under GA to see if theyre any tooth spurs..and ask them if there is to remove them at the same time. bif had a dental over xmas last year and by january she was very ill diagnosed cancer..the works..second opinin showed it was stress disorder over nflamming gut etc..and se went off for xrays blod tests and one side had dental spurs.within 2 weeks of the most recent one at the other vets!! whist she was uder they saw spurs big enuff to cause her discomfort but not big enuff by standards to be done. the other side had weeny spurs all along the teeth and they filed them down at the same time...and touch wood no dentals since then!!

i found excel and ss caused soft stool probs and ss caused major weight gain!
i switched to allen and page..they dont eat anywhere near the amount they did of ss..they seem to fill up quicker..ive stopped fruit and veg for a while esp inthis heat with flies even tho theyre house buns. berties losing the weight e gained on ss and bif isnt losing any..but shes not gained any either!!

i guess we people get severe ibs made worse by stress and diet.why not buns?
wish the vets would invent chill pilss for bunnies like bif!

Yep, cut out the Excel. My vet say's an egg cup full which I guess is about 30g.. I haven't counted pellets but Elve sounds about right.

It might be a case of trial and error for a few days each to see what works. e.g.

Cut down to one feed a day - feed in the morning as they may be eating pellets instead of poops at night

Cut out veg and see if that help - or switch to different types

Cut out pellets altogether for a few days.

Put pellets in a treat ball to stop them pigging them.

Tam