A diet too high in carbohydrates, protein, or sugar can upset the balance of bacteria in the caecum causing the production of too many cecotropes. The rabbit ignores these extra dropping as they contain unneeded nutrients and they become stuck in the fur or squished on the floor instead.
Cecotropes. These poops are completely normal, usually bunnies eat them to ensure that they get enough protein and B vitamins in their diet. Sometimes bunnies will make more than normal when they're stressed or are getting too much sugar in their diet.
The most important part of the treatment of uncomplicated ISC is to feed grass hay to your pet. This should be the only food given until the stools return to normal. You must remove all other food items from the diet including pellets and treats.
Hard waste feces (what is found on the floor of the cage) which have a high fiber content, are produced for approximately the first four hours after the rabbit eats its food and the cecotropes are produced during the next four hours (therefore not only at night).
The high level of sugar and starch in table fruit makes them too rich for a bunny except as a very small, occasional treat. A diet too rich in digestible starch is one of the most common causes of runny cecotropes in companion rabbits. A rabbit should be fed unlimited grass hay, such as timothy, brome, wheat or oat.
If cecotropes are not ingested, the rabbit may experience dietary insufficiencies. Additionally, note that a rabbit may not eat cecotropes due to dental or other oral pain as well as obesity or restricted movement (e.g., spondylosis) that prevents the bunny from physically reaching the anus to eat the cecotropes.
Cecotropes are produced in the cecum, which is a part of the rabbit's digestive tract. The cecum contains a wild concoction of bacteria and fungi that are incredibly beneficial for the rabbit.
Healthy rabbits consume all their cecotropes. However, consumption can be influenced by the rabbit's diet. For example, a protein-rich diet (such as one high in alfalfa) may result in a rabbit ingesting fewer cecotropes; thus, you may find them in the litter box along with regular feces.
Baby rabbits can't produce cecotropes at first, but need them to jump-start their digestive system when they switch from milk to solid foods. Without cecotropes, they don't have the gut flora necessary to digest foods properly, and they die a painful death.
A rabbit suffering from cecal dysbiosis will produce cecotropes that are mushy, pasty or even liquid. They are usually quite foul-smelling, and often stick to the bunny's back end in great, nasty clumps. These unformed cecotropes are not a primary disease, however.
One of the most common causes of GI stasis in rabbits is a diet too high in carbohydrates and fat and too low in digestible fiber. Greens and grass hay contain digestible fiber, while commercially available rabbit pellets typically contain high amounts of carbohydrate, and seeds and nuts contain high levels of fat.
This is most effectively done by increasing the grass hay component of the diet (e.g. timothy hay, orchard grass, oat hay). Alfalfa is a legume hay that tends to have more carbohydrates and protein and should be avoided. Leafy greens (e.g. romaine, endive, dandelion greens, etc.)
This is completely normal if you've made some changes to the hay and/or pellets you feed your rabbit. So nothing to worry about unless you haven't made any changes. On the other hand, extremely dark rabbit poo might indicate that your rabbit is getting too much protein, which can adversely affect your bunny's health.
Small clusters of shiny droppings that look like a blackberry or a bunch of grapes are technically not considered poop. They are called cecotropes or cecal pellets. They are quite smelly and mushy, but they are common.
Essentially, rabbits produce two types of droppings: fecal pellets and cecotropes. The rabbit consumes the cecotropes as they exit the anus. The cecotropes are nutrient packed, dietary items that are essential for the rabbit's health. Normal cecotropes are dark, greenish-brown and resemble tightly bunched grapes.
Cause: stress, diet low in fiber, dehydration, excess lignified material, clay cat litter, dysautonomia, mucoid enteropathy. Signs: hunched posture, anorexia, reduced or absent fecal output, teeth grinding, reluctance to move, enlarged abdomen, doughy or firm cecum.
Fresh, clean drinking water and good quality hay and grass should make up the majority of your rabbits' diet. A rabbit's digestive system needs hay or grass to function properly so a healthy supply is extremely important. You can supplement with leafy greens and a small amount of pellets.
Dry Crumbly Rabbit Poop
Rabbit pellets naturally dry out over time. Pellets that are dry, misshaped, and crumbly immediately after being excreted are a sign of dehydration. Naturally, a body that isn't getting enough water is going to save what liquids it can, resulting in dry droppings.
You may have a megacolon rabbit if his typical fecal output is very large, misshapen, or varies in size. Sometimes fecals are overly dry, or conversely, they can be overly moist. (top row) Normal fecal output from a 4-5lb rabbit.
Rabbits typically produce between 200 and 300 pellets per day. It's a sign that their digestive system is working well. However, if your rabbit suddenly starts pooping more than usual, or if their poops change in size, shape, or consistency, a trip to the vet may be in order.
Soft poop is uneaten cecotropes. It's the result of an imbalance in the diet. Usually, the rabbit has consumed too many treats and/or pellets. Some rich vegetables, such as kale, dandelion greens, carrot tops and chard, may also cause excess cecotropes.
The body can sort out small bacterial imbalances on its own, but sometimes patients need help in resolving dysbiosis.
Rabbits with an intestinal obstruction present severe abdominal pain and as a result will become anorexic, unwilling to move and grind their teeth in pain (bruxism). They will also press their abdomen on the ground, have a bloated and distended abdomen, and cease production of faecal pellets.
"GI stasis is not typically caused by an actual physical obstruction, but by a change in GI bacteria." Veterinarians now know that rabbits that are not eating have developed gastrointestinal (GI) stasis.