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Poop stains

I have noticed recently that Mischief is leaving poop stains around everywhere a lot. Is this normal?

We have recently changed him over to Excel. Could this be the problem? He also leaves a stain where he has been sitting sometimes? I'm worried his bowels are ok.

He is pooping normally and not leaving wet cecals about or anything. Just wondered if Excel is causing this perhaps?

On the note of Excel we have seen the new 'house rabbit' Excel...is that just added dandelion or are there other benefits at all please?

He is a bit overweight again. Just a bit of a tummy. We have stopped feeding him alfafa and Readigrass hay and cut down his pellets but he is constantly hungry!! He is demanding food constantly and nipping my jumper for attention.

Is there other foods/hay types we could feed him to help with his constant piggy behaviour! Struggling to find the balance between feeding him enough and helping him lose this tummy fat.

He is eating hay well and has a cage and litter box full of hay plus his cardboard box he loves to sit in has plenty of hay in aswell.

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I have noticed recently that Mischief is leaving poop stains around everywhere a lot. Is this normal?

We have recently changed him over to Excel. Could this be the problem? He also leaves a stain where he has been sitting sometimes? I'm worried his bowels are ok.

He is pooping normally and not leaving wet cecals about or anything. Just wondered if Excel is causing this perhaps?

On the note of Excel we have seen the new 'house rabbit' Excel...is that just added dandelion or are there other benefits at all please?

He is a bit overweight again. Just a bit of a tummy. We have stopped feeding him alfafa and Readigrass hay and cut down his pellets but he is constantly hungry!! He is demanding food constantly and nipping my jumper for attention.

Is there other foods/hay types we could feed him to help with his constant piggy behaviour! Struggling to find the balance between feeding him enough and helping him lose this tummy fat.

He is eating hay well and has a cage and litter box full of hay plus his cardboard box he loves to sit in has plenty of hay in aswell.

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It could be the Excel that is causing this. Some people have previously reported that Excel has resulted in a mucky bum for their bunny.

Compare the nutritional information for the new House rabbit Excel with their normal one. I think sometimes pellets marketed for indoor bunnies have added Vit D.
 
I think its easier to end up with chubby house rabbits because we believe them when they pronounce they are starving (like a hundred times a day):lol: Don't believe them. I think thats hurdle one. I think Excel upset Mouseys tum as she's got more sensitive in her older age. She also eats a far higher proportion of pellets on vets advice as she is skinny.
Nowadays we're on Science Selective. Their house rabbit version contains timothy hay rather than alfalfa but I don't know about Excel
 
Yes I was wondering if it was the Excel as he has been changed to it more recently. I was considering Science Selective as seems like a good alternative for him.

When I say he eats hay he tends to look for veggies and then pellets first. I wonder if he would just constantly hound us if he was on no pellet diet? As we are in same room as him we can't escape and it gets frantic sometimes [emoji23]

I think I need to look at better diet generally with more choice and foraging to prevent boredom now warmer weather is here. Perhaps gradually phase out pellets or maybe an alternative is the answer then.

Thank you everyone this has helped loads [emoji4]

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Just wanted to echo what others have said. Our rabbits used to be on Excel, and we had the same problem- lots of cecotropes and dark poo stains on our rug. We’ve switched to grain free science selective which has sorted things out :love:

I’ve started getting my forage from nature’s grub, it’s great!
 
We have a huge sack of alfafa here which we bought when he was losing weight from local pet shop in a hurry as smallest size available.

Would it be an alternative to feeding him pellets? Could I give him a small handful of it mixed in with hay? Or is it too fattening if he needs to lose weight?

I'm just wondering as it will go stale eventually even though we seal bag shut. I just hate waste especially as we are on a budget!

I saw a book on foraging that was recommended on a thread recently. It only cost a fiver which I thought was great value! Thought we could start learning what to pick as spring now plus get me outside more for some fresh air regularly. We have a woods near us [emoji6]

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I second the opinion that it’s the Excel Pellets . The House Rabbit one is just a marketing ploy. If he is a good hay eater then you could transition him to a pellet free diet. None of my Rabbits have a pellet feed


https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ar...heets/recommended-diet-for-adult-rabbits/view
The link is a great list thank you!

Would I just give him dried stuff mixed with hay as much as he wants to eat? And then fresh herbs/plants as part of his daily veggies?

Just wanted to check quantities if he is not having pellets. He is such a big eater that don't want to over feed him! [emoji23] Should he have a little extra fresh food if not having any pellets?

Also other than probiotics would he need any other supplements to make sure he has all his nutrients?

Thanks Jane x

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The link is a great list thank you!

Would I just give him dried stuff mixed with hay as much as he wants to eat? And then fresh herbs/plants as part of his daily veggies?

Just wanted to check quantities if he is not having pellets. He is such a big eater that don't want to over feed him! [emoji23] Should he have a little extra fresh food if not having any pellets?

Also other than probiotics would he need any other supplements to make sure he has all his nutrients?

Thanks Jane x

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I judge quantities on the individual Rabbit’s nutritional requirements. I don’t feed extra fresh veg, just a variety. I am less able to access fresh herbs in the quantities I need now I am housebound. I buy so many varieties of fresh forages, dried herbs and dried veg from here now :)

https://www.naturesgrub.co.uk/collections/rabbits
 
I'd keep him off the alfalfa whilst you are trying to keep his weight down. When I feed dried forage I think of it as concentrated nutrition as my experience of drying fresh is it reduces to at least a fifth of the size. You can mix in hay, feed on the side or offer morsels as treats.

I've got that RWAF foraging book, the cover looks quite grubby but I don't use it anymore so if you've not ordered & can make use of mine PM me your address
Foraging is such good fun, I'm pleased your going to give it a go. We have our longstanding My Foraging Diary thread which is a fab place to ask questions & IME show off :lol:
We work Omi hard
 
I judge quantities on the individual Rabbit’s nutritional requirements. I don’t feed extra fresh veg, just a variety. I am less able to access fresh herbs in the quantities I need now I am housebound. I buy so many varieties of fresh forages, dried herbs and dried veg from here now :)

https://www.naturesgrub.co.uk/collections/rabbits
I thought you probably don't feed extra veggies but just checking [emoji6]

I've gradually been cutting his pellets down and extra protein in his alfafa/Readigrass as thought he would maybe gain extra weight with that.

We get fresh parsley and coriander from a local greengrocer which is lovely huge bunches and he loves it.

We get cauliflower leaves fresh from a field which farmer was ok about as long as we didn't take too much in one go. We get shop bought kale/spinach/brocolli but will try this link online aswell thanks! [emoji3]

I have issues with going out regularly aswell and my OH won't go foraging on his own. He already bike rides to field for cauliflower leaves. So online site would be great back up xx

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I'd keep him off the alfalfa whilst you are trying to keep his weight down. When I feed dried forage I think of it as concentrated nutrition as my experience of drying fresh is it reduces to at least a fifth of the size. You can mix in hay, feed on the side or offer morsels as treats.

I've got that RWAF foraging book, the cover looks quite grubby but I don't use it anymore so if you've not ordered & can make use of mine PM me your address
Foraging is such good fun, I'm pleased your going to give it a go. We have our longstanding My Foraging Diary thread which is a fab place to ask questions & IME show off [emoji38]
We work Omi hard
I thought the alfafa was fattening. That is probably why his tummy got so big! It was brilliant when he was sick and lost weight but he is like a hoover now! He is constantly eating hay now and has his nose stick in the hay pile and growls if we touch it [emoji23]

Thank you for your offer of book. I will pm you [emoji6]

I do struggle with pain at the moment so can't always go out but the weather is warming up so sun will warm my bones. I'm looking forward to going foraging but have no idea what is what so I will definitely use the forum and the book!

The more I read on R.U. the more I am realising that rabbit's diet is the same as ours...commercial is full of added things they don't need and natural is best!

But at the same time I want to make sure the fresh stuff is good quality and we are on a tight budget so I'm hoping we can make affordable changes for his health.

He has got so lazy recently and I think his breathing will improve with losing weight and a change to his diet. Thanks for your help x

Ps Does Omi help run R.U then? Are there a few of you that do it? I often wonder as you all seem to be on here so regularly [emoji4]

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The book on foraging:
https://shop.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/product/foraging-for-rabbits-by-twigs-way/

As long as there is access to hay, he has something to eat. Rabbits continually graze anyway. Pellets and fancy hays are really treats for a rabbit with no health issues. He has you well trained [emoji38].
Ah!! Lightbulb! [emoji23]

It all makes sense now. He is spoilt and we feel like his minions pandering to his wishes. There needs to be some tough love.

We are all on a diet now due to weight gain from lockdown so I'm in the right frame of mind to make these changes [emoji6]

I bought my OH an indoor herb garden for his birthday this week as he wanted one. We only have a yard outside but he wants to grow herbs and veggies out there for us and Mr Chief [emoji3]

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Wanting to grow things for buns has started my new gardening hobby with my concrete jungle garden.

Tis expensive to start but I must admit last summer I really loved seeing the buns devour my home grown basil and mint.

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Wanting to grow things for buns has started my new gardening hobby with my concrete jungle garden.

Tis expensive to start but I must admit last summer I really loved seeing the buns devour my home grown basil and mint.

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Yes I guess setting it up isn't cheap. We need to get a little greenhouse area and pots and everything.

Firstly we need to ask landlord (once again!) to put spikes on the windows first as yard is below roosting pidgeons!

But even a few pots is a start I thought. We don't expect to feed Mr Chief this year much but even a few tasty treats would be lovely for him [emoji3]

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I thought the alfafa was fattening. That is probably why his tummy got so big! It was brilliant when he was sick and lost weight but he is like a hoover now! He is constantly eating hay now and has his nose stick in the hay pile and growls if we touch it [emoji23]

Thank you for your offer of book. I will pm you [emoji6]

I do struggle with pain at the moment so can't always go out but the weather is warming up so sun will warm my bones. I'm looking forward to going foraging but have no idea what is what so I will definitely use the forum and the book!

The more I read on R.U. the more I am realising that rabbit's diet is the same as ours...commercial is full of added things they don't need and natural is best!

But at the same time I want to make sure the fresh stuff is good quality and we are on a tight budget so I'm hoping we can make affordable changes for his health.

He has got so lazy recently and I think his breathing will improve with losing weight and a change to his diet. Thanks for your help x

Ps Does Omi help run R.U then? Are there a few of you that do it? I often wonder as you all seem to be on here so regularly [emoji4]

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Omi is just a really helpful member. I nicknamed her OGAFAL (omi's Gardening & Foraging Advice Line) but shes really good at all kinds of advice. The mods run the show (Karen, Graicee, Chul, Zoobec etc) & there are forum supporters too. I just like being an ever present pest with no responsibilities :lol:
 
I have only just seen this post! Sorry I have been ill and not on R.U. much recently.

Everyone seems to add their part on here and it runs so well with all the input from different people. I bet there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes at times though. There is so much advice and great reading on here. I love R.U. I wish I had joined years ago! x

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