Bunny eating his poop

[Rain]

Rain started eating round regular poop. He eats it before it hardly touches the ground. Can anyone explain why this may be? And what it means?

[Rain]

Sorry I wasn’t specific before, finally have the time. Okay, he’s been VERY disobedient, and won’t eat anything except his own poop. It’s not the cecals. I’ve noted the past two days he’s been ducking down and chewing a lot. Turns out, it’s his own poop he’s eating. And now that’s all he’s eating. He was fine in the morning and then it started around 8:00. It’s 2:00 in the night and I’m chasing him around trying to put him in his cage. Ususually I use a treat, but since he’s full on his poo he won’t take them. This is abnormal which is concerning. Why is he eating nothing but his poop?

[sarahthegemini]

That’s really strange – not so much that he’s eating his poop but that he’s eating so much of it. Is he not eating anything else? He must be if he’s producing poop?

[Rain]

Yes, and I realized this is only when he’s outside of his cage. Inside, he eats like normal. The poop he eats is normal colored and sized. But it’s not like one or two little balls. It’s like every time he has to poop when he he’s outside of his cage, he eats it. Do you think it’s because he doesn’t want me to see it so he doens’t get in trouble? In the past, whenever he did have an accident he was put back in his cage for a little bit. But still, I don’t think he would go so far as to eat his own poop. This is the first I’ve seen of this type of behavior. 

Edit: Now he will not eat hay unless I hand feed it to him. He’ll occasionally eat it by himself. He will eat everything else willingly too. I noticed that he would eat any hay not in his litter box. I changed it in case it was to messy for him as I didn’t change it for a couple days, and that got him eating more than before, but he is still hesitant.

[LBJ10]

I would think it would be more of a trying to disguise or conceal his scent sort of thing. I mean, if he does it every time he’s out of his cage.

[Rain]

What would he be hiding from? He’s stopped doing it for the most part. But that doesn’t mean he won’t do it again. He was like stuffing himself with poop. Is he taking back missing nutrients or something? The only change in his diet lately has been missing veggies because I currently can’t go out and buy any. And less treats because I find out that he was having too many.

[Rain]

It stopped for a day and now hes doing it again. In his cage too. What could this possibly mean? I don’t want to take him to a vet just yet because everything vital is normal and I don’t see many changes in the amount of poop or it’s physical looks. He’s been energetic and hungry and everything like normal. But now he’s just eating his poop. And a lot.

[Wick & Fable]

Have you seen him eat regular cecotropes right from his bum, as usual, and at the same frequency as before?

Are you able to distract him and steal cecotrope to look at it?

My only thought is a cecum disorder, where maybe he senses something is wrong with his caecum and he needs to eat his regular poo in order to get the nutrients, which should happen through normal coprophagy in rabbits. Just as they know when a cecotrope is ready, perhaps your rabbit knows something is up and is trying to compensate.

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.

[Rain]

Yes I think so. I can’t really tell the difference between when he is eating the two, only that before he would duck down once or twice a day to eat something probably his cecals. I haven’t seen any cecals lying around. Now i don’t know if he’s eating his cecals or his normal poo. Today none of this happened. Yesterday, and the two days before that he did this. I went out and finally bought his veggies today so maybe that may help give him the nutrients he thought was missing? He isn’t eating the piles of poo lying around in his cage.
I will try to do that and snatch whatever he is chewing on.
Does this mean I should get him checked? I still haven’t really found a solid vet place yet and haven’t visited one before. I will try to of course if something is up. What do you suggest? Should I wait a day or two now that he has his veggies and track whether he ducks down a lot or not? Or should I tell my parents and get an appointment booked? The problem with that is that only my dad can drive and he is at work every day until late in the evening. And he has very bad allergies and wouldn’t have the energy at all to drive the bunny all the way for an hour long drive to the vet. The earliest I could go is on the weekend.

[Wick & Fable]

I think because this is such an odd behavior, getting it checked is good. I’d snatch and bag some poops that you see him about to go eat so it can be examined more carefully by the vet. If you’re able to nab a cecotrope, that’s help too. Sometimes if you distract your rabbit to go somewhere Midway/during downward eating, some cecotrope will be left behind.

Also, it’s good to figure out a cause before he gets full on poops rather than really food.

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.

[Rain]

Hmm you’re right. I will speak with my parents about it and try to appoint a vet checkup. I will try to get those poops if I catch him eating something downwards. Today he hasn’t done it. Yesterday it was only in the night. In fact, this whole issue has been occuring only at night. I have never heard of this. I will make sure to monitor this and get it checked out. Thank you Wick! As always you have great advice.

[joea64]

I haven’t ever seen either of my buns eating their own regular poops, though they do often sniff at them curiously (particularly Fernando). A vet checkup sounds like a good idea in this instance; I haven’t ever heard of bunnies eating regular poops either, particularly in large quantities. I wonder if Rain is trying to get extra nutrition (being that regular poop is essentially used hay)?

[Rain]

I’m not quite sure. The only thing that had been missing from those nights that he did eat his own poop was his veggies. Now for the past two days he hasn’t done it. He has been eating his hay but it seems only the stuff on top of his litter box which isn’t touched by the mess underneath. I ususally clean his cage once or twice a week. When it was time to clean his cage, a terrible cold front came to my area and I haven’t cleaned it for two whole weeks. His cage floor is literally a sea of poops and hay and pee puddles. He tries to sit in the farthest corner from all that mess. Do you think that he’s been avoiding eating his hay because of the terrible stench and mess? I know bunnies are extremely tidy creatures, well atleast mine is, so that probably bothers him. I’ve been looking at poos from every pile after he eats. I see the hay cleary in it, and they are all healthy looking. Do you think this might be a stress problem too? I have a horrible brother who grabs his rear end just because “it’s fluffy” and keeps petting him when he clearly doesn’t want him to . I’ve been keeping Rain as far away from him as possible. The poor baby. I hate that he is harrassed this way, and the worst part is that my parents don’t address the problem. I’ve also noticed that the days that he hasn’t been eating his poopoo he has been more active. He’s stopped. I don’t see him doing it anymore. Or maybe I should continue watching for a while. I don’t think it’s hay though. I guessed that at first as well, but I’m not quite sure it is after seeing them.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Rain on 1/04/2018 8:46 PM

I’m not quite sure. The only thing that had been missing from those nights that he did eat his own poop was his veggies. Now for the past two days he hasn’t done it. He has been eating his hay but it seems only the stuff on top of his litter box which isn’t touched by the mess underneath. I ususally clean his cage once or twice a week. When it was time to clean his cage, a terrible cold front came to my area and I haven’t cleaned it for two whole weeks. His cage floor is literally a sea of poops and hay and pee puddles. He tries to sit in the farthest corner from all that mess. Do you think that he’s been avoiding eating his hay because of the terrible stench and mess? I know bunnies are extremely tidy creatures, well atleast mine is, so that probably bothers him. I’ve been looking at poos from every pile after he eats. I see the hay cleary in it, and they are all healthy looking. Do you think this might be a stress problem too? I have a horrible brother who grabs his rear end just because “it’s fluffy” and keeps petting him when he clearly doesn’t want him to . I’ve been keeping Rain as far away from him as possible. The poor baby. I hate that he is harrassed this way, and the worst part is that my parents don’t address the problem. I’ve also noticed that the days that he hasn’t been eating his poopoo he has been more active. He’s stopped. I don’t see him doing it anymore. Or maybe I should continue watching for a while. I don’t think it’s hay though. I guessed that at first as well, but I’m not quite sure it is after seeing them.

He shouldn’t be living in filth. I’m confused why you’ve not cleaned his enclosure?

[Deleted User]

It’s possible that the hay is just too filthy for him. I know that it’s cold, but it’s really, really, really important that bunny is living in clean conditions. I live in Florida, and we are not used to cold weather AT ALL. But it has been in the 20s here lately! Still, you being cold and uncomfortable is only temporary for him to be in conditions like that can lead to him having long term issues. I’m sure he would clean up after himself if he could, but he can’t so he needs you to help him out

[joea64]

I agree – I clean Panda and Fernando’s condo every week, even if I have to push myself to do it even if I’m feeling lazy. I will need to run the Dust Buster in there tomorrow to clean up the upper (carpeted) level – not really looking forward to it, I know how much they hate that noise. I may have to see if I can get them into their carrier for a bit and take them down to the end of the hall so they’re as far away from said noise as possible.

[Wick & Fable]

It is a major problem if his hay source is not clean. Moldy hay or molding hay has a distinct smell, which makes me think he’s eating his poop to consume more fiber, since he’s not getting it from hay.

I agree with those above that cleaning the environment more regularly needs to be a priority right now.

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.

[Rain]

Yes I understood that so I gave him his hay outside as much as possible for the past two days. I think that helped it. I cleaned his cage today guys!! I’m very sorry. It was just absolutely freezing and my parents did not let me go out. It won’t happen again.I’m going to clean his cage twice a week now, like every two to three days. It definitely won’t happen again. I cleaned everything today as the weather was much better. I already wasn’t feeling quite well so I didn’t want to risk it getting worse. Where I live the cedar allergies outside are horrible. I normally wouldn’t make excuses but I have school and I just can’t risk being sick and taking days off. I don’t want it to happen again though. I’ll make sure that his cage is perfectly shining from now on. I think this was definitely the cause of the problem. Thank you guys!

[Wick & Fable]

Buying some face masks can help out, and having items right by the door to throw on (coat, gloves, etc) will help lessen the work effort to go out too!

I think everyone can understand that weather can deter us from going out.

I’m unsure of your layout, but did you make some modifications to make sure he’s warm enough? Like blankets over open spaces and for more insulation.

Also, daily maintenance cleaning which can take less than 5min can add up to less time outside than going every 2-3 days. Simply using your hands to remove some poops every day and wipe and clean small litter spots will help a lot.

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.

[Rain]

Hmm yes that seems like a good idea. I guess i could just do that every day and also clean the whole thing after a couple days.
For the cold weather, what should I be doing for him? I’m not entirely sure. His cage is downstairs in the corner of the kitchen. On tiled floor. It’s quite cold. Inside of his cage there is a memory foam mat covering it. Should I put a blanket over the top of his cage? The house itself is 64 degrees but like in a heater version. So it’s not normal sixty four. It’s sixty four that feels warm. I can’t explain it. I’ll check. What else can I do for him? Whenever I’m around( which is like seven hours on weekdays and eleven hours on weekends) he is allowed everywhere in the house. He spends most of the time in a loft kind of area upstairs where it is cozy and carpeted. Smart bunny. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable so I didn’t put anything over his cage. I feel horrible at how inexperienced I am. I a nice thick dog bed and I’m thinking about buying this fabric hides hole thing to put in his cage too. Do you guys have ideas?

[sarahthegemini]

I’m confused – is he indoors or outdoors?

[Wick & Fable]

It sounds like he’s indoors, but a part of the house that’s very cold. I originally misunderstood based off the weather comments.

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]

Either way, I think the suggestion of daily spot cleaning is a good one. Me or my partner sweep the bunny room every morning. If we let a few days go by, or even a week I imagine it’d take so much longer and be more of a chore. And if you keep on top of it, you probably won’t need to fully deep clean very often as it doesn’t have the chance to get that dirty

[Rain]

Ohh, I’m so sorry guys! Yes, he’s indoors. I should have mentioned that. I wouldn’t ever take him outside due to the many dogs, foxes and vultures circling the area. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Thank you sarahthegemini! I think I will go with the daily cleaning. It seems the best way to ensure he’s in a clean environment from now on. Thank you everyone for the help!

[Rain]

Hey guys, a week or two ago, the problem of Rain eating his poop was solved, or at least I thought it was. Now it’s starting back up again. I feel this happens every time after I invite someone to my house, or if there is a party. Someone said above it might have been to conceal his scent. Do you think that’s what it is? It goes away by the day after a guest has come to my home. Do you think the stress of new people coming near him all at once and all of a sudden is causing him to want to hide his scent from them by eating his poop? I snatched the poops literally from his mouth before he could chew all of them, and I saw that they were normal, round, and with hay strands. Does this mean that whenever guests come, I should keep them away from him to avoid him to feel stressed? I try to keep them away from his area as best as possible, but they come near him and go crazy over him anyways. And I try to take him upstairs and keep him in my room so that they don’t come and touch him and everything. But they manage to pet him whenever he runs by or something like that. I think today was extra bad because my aunt, uncle, and two young cousins came. I should have tried harder. I’m not sure why else this could be happening. Because this is the pattern I have been noting over the month. He only does it in the hours after seeing someone new.

[Wick & Fable]

It could be a stress response. Does he seem stressed, like hiding, wide eyed, or perturbed? If so, I think avoiding interaction and presence of guests for him is wise.

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.

[Rain]

Yes, most of those signs I have noted whenever someone new is around. One time, I just had one person over and I got the time to let him meet her slowly, so this didn’t happen. Most of time, I’m dealing with six or seven year olds who don’t really listen or understand anything. I think he is a much more shy and anxious bunny than from what I’ve seen, and to me, that’s okay, because I’m exactly like him. I will try to avoid letting new people come near him or touch him. I tell everyone that he bites (which isn’t entirely a lie , he did it to me once) if you come to close so that keeps them away for like twenty minutes until they can’t bear it anymore. I will definitely keep him in his cage the entire time guests are over.

[Author]

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