Question: How can I stop my bunnies from consuming their poop?
My bunnies eat their poop whenever they will poop. How should I stop this?
-Mavis
Answer:
DearMavis,
Rabbits are herbivores, implying they eat fibrous plant product for the bulk of their calories. It’s incredible that they can keep their stunning fur and lightning-fast running speed on such a diet plan. So, how can a bunny do all this consuming primarily yard or hay? They have actually handled to end up being the fantastic animals they are by establishing some unique physical adjustments.
Rabbits’ gastrointestinal systems resemble human beings’, pet dogs’ and felines’ in some methods. They have an esophagus for swallowing, a stomach to break down chewed food and a little intestinal tract to soak up nutrients from the food.
But that’s where the resemblances end. A bunny’s big intestinal tract is more comparable to a horse’s than a human’s. Between the little intestinal tract and the big intestinal tract lies the cecum.
The cecum is an adjusted part of a bunny’s big intestinal tract that functions as a fermentation barrel for partially-digested plant product. The typical germs in the cecum deal with the plant product, breaking down the indigestible fiber and producing nutrients that can be utilized by the bunny’s body. But they do not soak up those nutrients straight through the cecum.
You see, rabbits produce 2 sort of feces. One kind remains in the kind of dry, round pellets the majority of people consider bunny poop. The 2nd type of bunny feces, are wetter and appear like a dark brown, small lot of grapes or a brown mulberry. These are called cecal pellets, or cecotropes, and are consumed straight from the rectum. You might keep in mind seeing your bunny leaning over as if to tidy himself, then staying up and chewing something. You’ll hardly ever see cecotropes left laying leftover if your bunny is healthy.
Cecotropes are filled with vitamins, fats and proteins produced by the germs in the cecum. By consuming cecal pellets, rabbits take advantage of nutrients they would not otherwise soak up from their food.
Some rabbits might produce extreme amounts of cecal pellets and even eat the dry kind of feces when they eat a low-grade diet plan with insufficient protein and a lot of carbs. Rabbits require to eat a great deal of fiber in the kind of hay. A pelleted diet plan is not perfect for lots of home rabbits. You can discover more about home bunny care and feeding at the House Rabbit Society site.
So, do not attempt to stop your bunnies from consuming poop! As gross as it appears to us human beings, cecotropes are a crucial source of nutrition to keep rabbits healthy. If your rabbits are consuming all their tough feces or producing extreme cecotropes, their diet plan might require enhancement.
Don’ t make any abrupt modifications in their diet plan or they might have problem adjusting. A progressive intro of yard hay and other safe plants can assist your bunnies remain pleased and healthy for several years.
Sincerely,
TB Thompson DVM
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Disclaimer: Content is for educational and instructional usage just and needs to not change expert veterinary suggestions.
