the title is pretty straightforward. my rabbit’s poops are suddenly a bit softer and wetter than usual.
i’ve looked this up a few times, and i get the basic idea, but i need help pinpointing what’s causing it. Sienna is, of course, still eating and pooping like normal. the only difference is that some of her poop is softer while the rest is a bit tough like it should be. apparently this is called ISC, or Intermittent Soft Cecotropes. so i guess that’s why some of the poop is still normal – only the cecotropes are mushier, but they’re a little too mushy.
it appears that this is usually caused by something wrong in the diet, so i’ll talk about what i feed Sienna on a regular basis. she has access to timothy hay at all times, and i’ve never tried to introduce any new kinds of hay, but i’d like to. i have to refill her rack about two or three times a day. she’s a Netherland Dwarf, so i only offer her about a cup of greens daily. i’m not 100% sure that it’s enough (or not too much), but it’s what i’ve read. she gets spring mix and i try to offer a few other kinds of greens, but i’ve yet to come up with one or two other extra things for my dad to buy on a regular basis. currently i have a box of romaine lettuce, and i’ve been adding about one huge leaf (broken into a few pieces) on top of her spring mix since we’ve had it. i usually have access to baby carrots and the occasional fruit, which i sometimes offer as treats. this next part sounds like it could definitely be a possible cause – she receives no pellets. i know they don’t necessarily have to be something that a rabbit has to have, but (i think) they add some extra nutrients that a rabbit could use. the reason Sienna currently doesn’t have any is because i used to feed her some really unhealthy rabbit food mix from Walmart, which i quickly found out to be bad and ceased feeding them. the mix was full of seeds and dry fruits, and when i looked at the ingredients the very first one was alfalfa, which i’m assuming means that the hay pellets in there weren’t even good for her. i’m not even sure if these pellets were beneficial in any way – otherwise i’d assume that would be the issue and would hurry to convince my parents to grab me a 5 pound bag of Oxbow off of the internet and get into the introduction process.
here are what i think could be the possible issues:
1) not enough hay variety – i don’t think this is it because from what i’ve heard, offering two types of hay is optional but recommended. i could be wrong, of course.
2) not enough or too many greens – spring mix seems to include a good number of different greens alone, but i remember reading a post somewhere before i joined this forum that confirmed that spring mix was safe for rabbits but should be supplemented with some extra greens for more variety. i’m also, for some strange reason, in some sort of doubt that she’s receiving enough greens despite that fact that i’ve looked it up several times.
3) she’s not getting any pellets – like i said, this sounds like the most reasonable explanation. she didn’t start getting soft poops until a decent amount of time after i stopped feeding her old pellets, but i don’t think that means much.
4) some other underlying health issue – i suppose i should consider this as well even if i’ve read that ISC is usually caused by something wrong in the diet. i’ve never really seen smeared poop on walls or on my bunny’s rugs. i’ve tried looking at her bum, but she’s a dark rabbit and obviously she doesn’t sit with her butt in the air. i tried wiping at her rear end with a warm and damp washcloth just a few minutes ago, but she got grouchy, and because i can’t see the soft poops anywhere but on the ground (and not coating her or the places she sits), i’m assuming it’s not that bad of an issue. then again, i didn’t get a very good look, and she might just be very careful at not getting it anywhere..?