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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum DIET & CARE Young rabbit leaving cecals behind

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    • Jazzable
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        I have a new rabbit – an 11-week male french lop – which I got a breeder about two weeks ago. I’ve never had a rabbit before so I’m working on book-learning alone! I’ve also just registered for a vet so will probably be going for a first check-up soon, but I wanted to ask the experts here too.

        He seems to leave cecals behind a lot. Most mornings there are some in the litter tray and/or scattered around his enclosure, and sometimes a few more appear during the day. They look pretty normal in consistency from comparing to pictures – sometimes they look a bit smeared or flattened but I’m pretty sure that’s from being stepped on, because they aren’t actually runny. They do smell pretty awful but I’ve read that’s normal, it’s just that they aren’t usually around for long enough to be noticeable. His regular droppings also seem completely normal, firm dry little raisins.

        Currently his diet is just unlimited meadow hay and pretty much unlimited pellets (I add another handful of pellets a couple of times a day and it’s often been emptied). I’ve given him a few nibbles of greens but I stopped that last week to see if it made a difference to the cecals situation (it didn’t). Everything I read about leaving behind cecals says that it’s probably from having too much veg or pellets and not enough hay in the diet. But everything I read about young rabbits says that it’s important to allow unlimited pellets while they’re growing! So I’m not sure what I should prioritise. Should I start restricting pellets until the cecals disappear? Or should I keep giving as many pellets as he wants until he’s full grown, and just put up with the cecals until then? (I’d selfishly really prefer they stopped, because they smell bad and are much more hassle to clean up because they’re sticky… but of course his health is more important and I don’t want to starve him while he’s growing!)


      • Wick & Fable
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          Excess cecals are a mark of a too-nutrient-rich diet, as you’ve learned. Limiting pellets may help. The fact that he has excess cecals shows he’s eating a bit much than he needs. Keeping it going at unlimited may cause issues because it’s possible he may be getting excess calcium (white or cloudy pee), which if too frequent will build a stone in his body.

          Don’t feel bad about limiting pellets because in reality, when people say unlimited pellets for young rabbits, it’s actually more like a kind of large amount, fixed. Actually giving access to constant pellets may cause the rabbit to become overweight, because rabbits will over eat!

          I’m glad to hear you’re reading up. As a general rule, make sure the books are relatively recent. About 10 yrs ago I owned a rabbit and based care off a book I had. The rabbit had a poor life because the book recommended items like salt licks, wire bottom cages, and a vegetable diet, rather than a hay diet. Check online if possible as well!

          The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


        • Jazzable
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            Thanks for the advice! If I should start limiting pellets, how do I know what’s the right amount? Should I just gradually tweak it and keep track of when cecals stop appearing? He’s growing all the time too, so I guess the right amount will be constantly changing, argh!


          • Jazzable
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              The last couple of days, I reduced the amount of pellets a lot – just a small handful twice a day. It’s resulted in the bowl being empty most of the time, and him desperately following me into the kitchen when I go get something to eat myself. Just now I was eating and he climbed onto my lap and when I refused to give him anything, he peed on me in annoyance.

              But, it has also stopped cecals appearing, which is good. So I guess I’ll try to gradually increase the amount of pellets again, until they start appearing, and then reduce it to the highest limit..? But can anyone advise more specifically about the amount of pellets I should be aiming for? Your comment above is the first place I’ve seen any advice other than ‘unlimited pellets for <6 months' (and the generic '25-50g per kg' for adults), so I have no idea what else to go on. He really seems hungry at the moment, but clearly his appetite was not a reliable way to judge what he needed to be eating, so I'm now pretty lost!


            • Wick & Fable
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                Rabbits will always seem quite starving, despite their diet. I cannot give specific advice because Wick was on limited pellets since 9wo, due to excess calcium intake (frequent cloudy pees = not good). He was on about 1/8c to 1/4c of ADULT pellets per day. He did become underweight, but following 1 week of scrumptious Critical Care feedings, he reached healthy weight and has maintained it every since.

                The rule of thumb for limited pellets is 1/4c per 2lb rabbit (I believe; whatever it says on the back of Oxbow pellets!). Considering your lop is probably pretty small, maybe try a 1/2c per day? This above the recommended “limiting” amount, but less than unlimited.

                Peeing in annoyance is common. Thankfully, Wick grew out of it. Phew.

                The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


              • Jazzable
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                  Oh I’m glad that my interpretation was right and he actually was peeing in annoyance! I’d be more worried if he’d suddenly forgotten what the litter box is for.

                  He’s a french lop which are actually a really large breed. I haven’t been able to weigh him yet but he already seems about the size of a medium adult rabbit. So do you think I should just give him standard adult rations (assuming that doesn’t cause excess cecals) and leave it at that? My instinct is that I want to give him as many pellets as he can possibly have without getting unwell, because he’s young and growing, but maybe that doesn’t matter as much as I think.


                • Wick & Fable
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                    Oh, I’m sorry! I always hear people talking about mini-lops. Wick is so small, so I always assume everyone’s rabbits are tiny as well.

                    I think standard adult rations, plus a sprinkle more since he’s young, would be a good start.

                    The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                  • sarahthegemini
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                      Just popping in to say I never gave mine unlimited pellets – they only had a couple of teaspoons a day because they didn’t eat enough hay – and mine grew just fine


                    • Jazzable
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                        Thanks for the reassurance! That makes me feel better too.


                      • Jazzable
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                          Thanks for the reassurance! That makes me feel better too.


                        • LBJ10
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                            Yes, unlimited doesn’t necessarily mean truly unlimited. Babies need more to help them grow, but there are some who simply cannot handle having too much. FWIW though, extra cecals are not uncommon in young bunnies. If there are a few extras here and there, I wouldn’t be overly concerned. It happens. If there are tons of them, then some adjustments are probably needed. Once they have transitioned into an adult diet, the cecal problem tends to correct itself anyway.

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                        Forum DIET & CARE Young rabbit leaving cecals behind