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Mini Lop overproduction cecotropes

DotTheLop

New Kit
Hi hopefully I have done this all correctly as I have just joined this forum


My female mini lop Dot who is around 3 has been producing an excess of cecotropes for a few years now, I have personally run out of ideas so I am looking for some help

She has unlimited timothy hay and is fed a small amount of Excel Indoor Rabbit Nuggets.
She is currently not receiving any veg as this seems to make the issues worse

I have read up that some people have experienced issues with excess cecotropes from Excel food, so that might be the issue.

The main issue is that she always ends up sitting on them so I have to quite often clean her bottom which we both don't enjoy, even after the baths she still has matting

I don't believe that she is overweight or arthritic so overproduction is my guess

She has a clean bill of health from the vet including blood tests and lab results done on her faeces
 
Have you tried stopping pelleted feed for 48 hours to see if the problem improves ? You can only do this if you are certain she eats a lot of hay. People often say their Rabbits always have access to hay, but how much they actually eat is another matter.

Yes, some Rabbits do have excess cecotroph problems with Excel Pellets. I have not heard the same reported regarding Science Selective unless the Rabbit is fed too many of them.
 
Totally agree with Jane's post. I would look at cutting down / out the Excel pellets. Try gradually introducing Science Selective instead over a couple of weeks and see if it makes a difference. A couple of days with no pellets won't harm, either - and would show you if it was the Excel. Also look at how much you are actually feeding - it may be more than you think, so use a fixed measure like an egg cup to be consistent.

I had to recently cut out pellets completely for a pair of rabbits (well - for one, but it meant both were affected). It turns out they were getting a bigger portion than I thought, and the hay eating habits of one was not as good I thought, so it was a bit of a challenge and involved a lot of random handfuls of hay refils to keep him interested, even though there was a lot actually available all the time.
 
She's not really a hay fan, currently trying to get her more interested in the hay by adding a sprinkle of herb mix (although she spends most of her time digging though the hay looking for the herbs )

I will try to go a couple of days without pellets to see if that makes a difference (of course making sure she is eating enough hay)

Is science selective the brand you would recommend and if so which types as there seems to be a few


Is it alright if I let you know if it is working or not in this thread?
 
You could also look at the Fibafirst sticks as an alternative to pellets, they are based on longer strands of hay so can help with teeth and fibre intake.
 
Personally I wouldn't opt for Science Selective as they are heated to a very high temperature which destroys a certain amount of nutrients which they then try to add in a guesswork fashion. I use Pets at Home pellets and all mine are good on these. Have you had your Rabbit since a baby? Yes you can continue using this thread for any updates.
 
Is fibafirst a substitute for pellets

Yes I have had her since she was a baby
Yes it is, although a lot of buns aren't a huge fan of them, best to get a couple of sticks to try first tbh.

I think science selective pellets are fine, we use them here :)

Excel pellets are fine too, but do seem to cause excess cecos in some buns! So I'd try science selective and see if it improves

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Look in to science selective and fibafirst and I'm not sure what to think
Both have Alfalfa in.
Plus the brand that makes it (Supreme) is responsible for the Tiny Friends Farm range.

Any thoughts on this ? , I'm I looking to deep in to this ? 🤔

Also does anyone know about any trails for them both ?
 
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Got some ss to try out how much should I be feeding her once she has fully transitioned, do I follow the info on the back (45g which looking like way to much) or not. She is around 1.8 kg
Work out a egg cup is around 16g , have found a scoop that does 9g , so plan is to give one in morning and one on night , so a total of 18 g each day
Does this sound right ??
 
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Ditto problem

I have exactly the same problem , I have a Doe who often has squishy poos, I tried changing pellets, feeding just hay but she is very hit and miss, I darent try any greens , I darent try her with anything different but feel she needs something more than a few pellets and hay
 
Got some ss to try out how much should I be feeding her once she has fully transitioned, do I follow the info on the back (45g which looking like way to much) or not. She is around 1.8 kg
Work out a egg cup is around 16g , have found a scoop that does 9g , so plan is to give one in morning and one on night , so a total of 18 g each day
Does this sound right ??

Nah that sounds too many tbh. I'd give the 9g once a day, then hay always and maybe some forage /herbs or veggies at the other meal time personally! Or split the 9g in half for two feedings. The eggcup a day is a lot imo or the absolute max, pellets are meant to be such a small part of their diet.

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