Leesa
Warren Scout
Fudge has always had issues with excess cecotropes. Rabbits have suggested taking him off pellets (then gradually reducing foods), Fibreplex and probiotics etc. Nothing really seems to help other than taking him back to just hay and gradually adding things back in. Although he has arthritis (he's on painkillers twice per day), he's very active and doesn't seem to have any major limiting issues physically (maybe cleaning wax out of 1 ear in particular - he's had issues with needing it flushed since his partner Coco passed - she was very good at grooming him)- I see him eat his cecotropes. It happens in the night mostly - in the morning there is squished up cetropes all over the floor, when I pick him up to inspect him it's all over his belly, around his butt and on a bad day on his feet as well. It's not fully formed cecotopes, it's squished up so I can't tell what shape they are on the floor. The vet sometimes shaves him which helps a lot (he's quite fluffy) with keeping him clean.
There are no issues in the day generally unless it's whilst he is sleeping), it's like he just does them in his sleep and doesn't bother to move, just sleeps on them and squishes them all around. I'm googling this and not even sure if they are cetophrobes or cecal dysbiosis which I've only just heard of today.
But it's damn stressful cleaning him - for him and me. He tolerates it - I've found a quick rinse method or snip dried on tough poop on fur, off with scissors. But I hate it, obviously trying to stop the issue is preferable.
I have anxiety and depression, I try to battle them but at periods get very down. I get stressed out very easily since some workplace bullying basically sent me over the edge. I have been building my own business so I work from home now so am around Fudge a lot. My Mum suggested that maybe it happens when I get stressed out and I'm wondering if I could be the cause of it?
Take February for example, I was going away for a few weeks to try and get well and have a holiday (I have serious issues with depression in the winter), I was super stressed beforehand after a few things happened. He had been fine for a while and got poopy again. Now whilst I was away my partner looked after him and he got sorted out pretty fast. He then went ot my parents when my partner came to meet me on holiday, he was fine there.
I desperately want to leave the UK and so haven't felt it was possible to get him another rabbit. My dream is the get a visa for the USA and I can fly him there but trying to take 2 rabbits obviously gets a lot harder. He'll be 7 years old in December and if he passes before I manage to move I wouldn't want to get another bunny because I want to be free to travel. My current plan is get another older bunny for him once I get there. But let's just say anxiety and depression have held me back from building my business as fast as I like and instead of doing in 2018, I still am not at a place for applying for the visa yet.
The last few months he has been fine, he got a great clear run, I built his diet back up to 10 pellets a day (what one of the vets recommended) plus 4 types of vegetables/herbs per day, very limited amounts of fruit - I try and avoid sugar with him just in case. And then one day it's the messy cecotropes are back. This has been going on for longer than usual and I just can't seem to get his clear of it.
I'm stressed at the moment (issues with neighbours where I live), the depression and anxiety has risen in me again, I had done really well since the holiday. And I'm just wondering if it is me? Like is living with me just plain bad for him?
I've literally taken him down to hay and Pro-fibre pellets ( they are a probiotic pellet to encourage normal digestive function, containing soluble and insoluble fibre). It still wasn't helping so I felt so bad at him just having hay - he looked so upset. So when I did the purchase for timothy hay I ordered orchard grass as well (I had tried 3 different samples prior and he was fine with a little bit).
His regular timothy hay ran out, and started the new bag, but this was different - much softer (previously I had ordered soft timothy hay from the company - it's the one people recommend on here and that did seem to cause issues too, and well it seems like that).
I just don't know what to do, I don't know if not getting vegetables is stressing him out as he has such an appetite, he adores food - he literally does the honking and running around my feet in circles he gets so excited (he is neutered). Usually by now we've gone back to normal and started adding his regular food back in, but I just cannot get a handle on it.
He's such a lovely bunny and I really want him to have a happy life, but I'm starting to fell that my mental health issues are ruining his life and I just want him to be a happy healthy rabbit. Today he has darker torpedo shaped poop and reading up on it is worrying about megacolon, but he definitely doesn't have diarrhoea, no mucous and he hasn't lost weight, if anything he has gained it which I was surprised at. I read that the darker means too much protein, and orchard grass can do this so I will cut back on that or off completely for now. Then I read that cecal dysbiosis can be used by too much starch (maybe the Pro-Fibre has changed his poop). In himself he seems fine - healthy appetite, healthy weight, active etc. He has not been fed any commercial treats (or sugar/fruit etc).
I guess I'm just feeling out of options and wondering if I should try and find him a home with someone who has a female to bond him with.
There are no issues in the day generally unless it's whilst he is sleeping), it's like he just does them in his sleep and doesn't bother to move, just sleeps on them and squishes them all around. I'm googling this and not even sure if they are cetophrobes or cecal dysbiosis which I've only just heard of today.
But it's damn stressful cleaning him - for him and me. He tolerates it - I've found a quick rinse method or snip dried on tough poop on fur, off with scissors. But I hate it, obviously trying to stop the issue is preferable.
I have anxiety and depression, I try to battle them but at periods get very down. I get stressed out very easily since some workplace bullying basically sent me over the edge. I have been building my own business so I work from home now so am around Fudge a lot. My Mum suggested that maybe it happens when I get stressed out and I'm wondering if I could be the cause of it?
Take February for example, I was going away for a few weeks to try and get well and have a holiday (I have serious issues with depression in the winter), I was super stressed beforehand after a few things happened. He had been fine for a while and got poopy again. Now whilst I was away my partner looked after him and he got sorted out pretty fast. He then went ot my parents when my partner came to meet me on holiday, he was fine there.
I desperately want to leave the UK and so haven't felt it was possible to get him another rabbit. My dream is the get a visa for the USA and I can fly him there but trying to take 2 rabbits obviously gets a lot harder. He'll be 7 years old in December and if he passes before I manage to move I wouldn't want to get another bunny because I want to be free to travel. My current plan is get another older bunny for him once I get there. But let's just say anxiety and depression have held me back from building my business as fast as I like and instead of doing in 2018, I still am not at a place for applying for the visa yet.
The last few months he has been fine, he got a great clear run, I built his diet back up to 10 pellets a day (what one of the vets recommended) plus 4 types of vegetables/herbs per day, very limited amounts of fruit - I try and avoid sugar with him just in case. And then one day it's the messy cecotropes are back. This has been going on for longer than usual and I just can't seem to get his clear of it.
I'm stressed at the moment (issues with neighbours where I live), the depression and anxiety has risen in me again, I had done really well since the holiday. And I'm just wondering if it is me? Like is living with me just plain bad for him?
I've literally taken him down to hay and Pro-fibre pellets ( they are a probiotic pellet to encourage normal digestive function, containing soluble and insoluble fibre). It still wasn't helping so I felt so bad at him just having hay - he looked so upset. So when I did the purchase for timothy hay I ordered orchard grass as well (I had tried 3 different samples prior and he was fine with a little bit).
His regular timothy hay ran out, and started the new bag, but this was different - much softer (previously I had ordered soft timothy hay from the company - it's the one people recommend on here and that did seem to cause issues too, and well it seems like that).
I just don't know what to do, I don't know if not getting vegetables is stressing him out as he has such an appetite, he adores food - he literally does the honking and running around my feet in circles he gets so excited (he is neutered). Usually by now we've gone back to normal and started adding his regular food back in, but I just cannot get a handle on it.
He's such a lovely bunny and I really want him to have a happy life, but I'm starting to fell that my mental health issues are ruining his life and I just want him to be a happy healthy rabbit. Today he has darker torpedo shaped poop and reading up on it is worrying about megacolon, but he definitely doesn't have diarrhoea, no mucous and he hasn't lost weight, if anything he has gained it which I was surprised at. I read that the darker means too much protein, and orchard grass can do this so I will cut back on that or off completely for now. Then I read that cecal dysbiosis can be used by too much starch (maybe the Pro-Fibre has changed his poop). In himself he seems fine - healthy appetite, healthy weight, active etc. He has not been fed any commercial treats (or sugar/fruit etc).
I guess I'm just feeling out of options and wondering if I should try and find him a home with someone who has a female to bond him with.
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