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Excel causing dark poos?

giantbunnymummy

giantbunnymummy

Warren Veteran
I'm in the process of swapping Daisy from A&P to Excel (she's highly in favour and scoffs the excel straightaway before picking unenthusiastically at the A&P :lol:).

But, for the past few days, since I started with the excel, her normally golden poos have turned to a dark blacky brown colour.

Is that 'normal' with excel? Or should I stop giving them to her and return to A&P?

(I decided to change her over because her about to be husbun is on excel, and thought it would be much easier for them to have the same).
 
excel causing dark poos

hi dont worry about the dark colour of poos we have 2 buns who love excel pelets both of their poos are very dark nearly black both fit and healthy so i would continue to use excel instead of changing their diet again:)
 
Hi there.

I personally don't like Excel. It does help to make bunnies poo much darker. Of all of the bunnies that I have seen come into rescue, or boarding, the majority of them with bottom problems were on Excel. There are however loads of people who choose to use it.

Excel doesn't have as good a fibre content as A and P so that's one reason for them being slightly darker (it's only 19% and not the higher figure which they have started to put on their packaging -that's a red herring - the lower figure is the comparable one). So A and P is 23% I think.

If your bunny's poos are big, round, dry and break open easily then that's fine. If they are not, then I would stay with A and P. Excel do something to their pellets (I think it's something like spraying the outside in the final production process) to make them really palatable for bunnies. Bit like chocolate breakfast cereal! Makes the kids eat them.

Helen :D
 
We used to use Excel but changed them to A & P. We then found that a lot of our buns were losing weight so they are now on SS.

Our vet (who is very rabbit savvy) feeds her own rabbits on Excel and has no problems. In fact, she thinks it's great.

So, I have mixed feelings. Excel have improved their range, which is fab. I do like SS due to the larger size pellets and the buns go MAD for it!

I think it can sometimes be a bit of trial and error...some people on here will tell you that they don't like excel and other will rave over it.

Good luck whatever you decide. It's what's best for YOUR buns at the end of the day. x
 
i use ss and eric's poo's are quite dark. i'm not overly concerned tho (or should i be?) as he's happy and healthy.

x
 
I don't have rabbits (Edited to say: I don't have rabbits yet, lol) but thought I'd just mention this - it's worth double-checking ingredients on newer bags to check that you are still happy with them since they've been updated and 'improved'.

I've always bought Burgess Excel Guinea Pig pellets for my degus but on checking the ingredients on their *new version* of it - it now contains molasses (which degus can't have as they cannot have sugar in any form) and it definitely didn't used to. :?

Fortunately there was a really big bag of the old version with a very long date on it so I grabbed that.
 
Im in the process of introducing Fudge to the new range of excel mature and she is on A&P! She will be getting half and half when she is used to the M excel and her poo has gotten slightly darker but she has lost a little weight on A&P so thought i could used both :D
 
my two are on excel and have never had any problems with it and have big golden poops. :) they eat ALOT of hay though, and have very little of the pellets. :)
 
biscandmatt1 said:
my two are on excel and have never had any problems with it and have big golden poops. :) they eat ALOT of hay though, and have very little of the pellets. :)
Click to expand...

That's how to have a great bunny poo. Hay, hay and more hay. Any pellet is better than an mix in my opinion so if a bunny likes it, gets on well with Excel then that's great and there would be no reason to change.

It's the fibre that makes a great poo and it doesn't really matter what colour it is provided it's big, round, dry and breaks open easily! (sorry for repeating myself but I am passionate about rabbit poo):oops:
 
Both of mine are on Excel. Lola has been on it since she was 13 weeks old and we have had no problems from her. Her Poos are big and very dark.

Desmond was on a different food when we got him and very slowly changed him over. It took a while as if he had too much excel he got an upset tummy. now he is fine on it with ENORMOUS black poos!!
 
I think there is no rule concerning pellets in general as it depends on individuals and how they tolerate some ingredients.. since some have no problems and others do have problems, maybe it is best to find the correct pellets suitable for one's own rabbits... because I believe that permanent loose poo is not good in the long term...
 
Thanks for everyones replies :wave:

I'm really in two minds about the Excel :?

Daisy eats loads of hay luckily, so her poos her generally fine, but I have noticed a pattern now - a while after she has her pellets in the morning her poos are stickier and very dark, later in the day they're back to normal and golden again. Same pattern after evening pellets. At the moment she's on 60% A&P and 40% excel.

Hmmmmmmmm, may keep her on A&P and change her husbun over to them too when he arrives.

It's a tricky one :?
 
I thought about changing from Excel as people seem to slate it but my last Frenchie lived almost 7years[a good age for a french lop]on excel with no dental problems & no illnesses until she was 6[an abscess]so dont want to jinx my 2by changing brands & since the fibre has improved[only by 3% but thats better than nothing]I am even more happy with it.The herbage has also improved,much greener & the buns love it.
 
I'm in the progess to changing my two onto the 'new improved' excel. They have been on excel since there first vet cheak...about a year and they love it nice golden poos etc. However on this new excel their poos are very dark and definately softer. Is it just their tummies getting used to it? They are geting a 30% old to 70% new mix atm.

Only with animals do you become obsessed with poo :lol::lol:
 
Only with animals do you become obsessed with poo :lol::lol:[/QUOTE]

As a carer,I am obsessed with human poo too!:lol::lol:
 
my doe had sticky poo on excell, they are both on science selective now andstill have dark poo, but it falls apart easily so am pleased, but want to try a and p pellets cos of the price, am new to buns so am still learning.
 
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