Bunny cleans her own litter box...

[EdieRabbit]

Okay...why does my bunny eat her....um....poo pellets? It is soooooo gross. It isn't like she doesn't have bunny food and hay right in front of her all the time. Any reasoning for this? Is she normal? Is it bad for her? :vomit:

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Actually, buns are supposed to eat their cecal pellets, but not their regular poos. Check to see if that's what she's eating. They'll look like raspberries. They actually have nutrients in them that the buns need. Strange, I know.

 

[EdieRabbit]

Hmmm....I guess I never looked at her poop that up close and personal. I never noticed a difference. She is like a poop eating vaccum, so maybe she is eating these too fast for me to see! :? Do you think they can tell the difference?

 

[Bo B Bunny]

She shouldn't be eating the separate little round balls. Cecals usually aren't even seen - they are little groups of gooey grapes looking things. They usually eat them directly from their bottom.

NOW..... there are some issues that can cause this and due to her situation it could be a result.

I am trying to find that information and I know if some of the others on the board check in, they could tell you.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

She shouldn't be eating the separate little round balls. Cecals usually aren't even seen - they are little groups of gooey grapes looking things. They usually eat them directly from their bottom.

:yeahthat:

And BBB? I think you're referring to too many cecals? This means that the diet is too high in protein. I was looking through my House Rabbit Handbook, and this is what it said, which I remember seeing/reading before.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Yeah, I knew that but then there is another thing where they eat the other poo for some reason - I think it's a boredom or stress related issue.

I do think that food was bad - wasn't it her that was on the stuff with "goodies" in it?

I get lost sometimes - don't feel bad if I forget LOL!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I have to share this eventhough it a normal now and then thing - I love how it's said here!

Anyone who lives with a bunny has seen a FECAL PELLET. These are the small, brown "cocoa puffs" that we all hope end up mostly in the litterbox. They are round, relatively dry and friable, and composed mostly of undigested fiber. Rabbits do not ordinarily re-ingest fecal pellets, though a few bunnies seem to enjoy an occasional fecal pellet hors d'ouevre.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

 

[ec]

Dana Krempels loves buns so much, and has a terrific sense of humor. That quote is a favorite of mine.

Have seen Nibbles treat the occasional poop or two as a yummy snack, too. She doesn't do this often, but seems to really enjoy chowing down on them now and again.

This kind of thing makes me wish I could get between those ears for just a few seconds, even...

 

[EdieRabbit]

LOL...bunny appetizers...yick! Now I am concerned though...Edie eats quite a few of them. Sometimes she gets on a roll and will clean the entire floor of her pen.

I have tried to make her home more activity oriented. Boxes, cat tubes, balls, things to chew on. Plus I play with her constantly. If she is bored, I don't know why. And I don't think she seems stressed...too many dead bunny flops for that!

Sometimes, she acts like she is starving to death, but I can assure you, that is NOT the case. To quote my hubby on this issue, "That bunny eats better than I do around here!" He He....he is jealous of bun bun. Not really...he thinks it is funny and tells everyone this.

When I think about it, though, it is sort of true. She gets fresh veggies twice a day, bunny pellets, hay. I only cook three times a week for hubby, and most of the time it is something that can be microwaved in a pouch, :cooking:so I guess he is right about that. I HATE cooking. I worked in the food industry for 9 years and now food just really doesn't interest me...unless it is dessert. I still like that! LOL!

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

In all the years I've had buns, just like two weeks ago, I looked over and saw her take a nibble out of her litterbox and kinda wondered what the heck was she eating? She doesn't normally leave cecals there:huh Maybe she takes on an occasional fecal appetizer too, bleh.

 

[tundrakatiebean]

If Wash is running around downstairs he'll poo on the carpet and scurry off, then come back, sniff the 'coco puffs', pop them in his mouth for a chew and then spit the back out before binking away :craziness

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Lovely.

Has Edie been checked for parasites? Like worms?

I thinka lot of bunnies THINK they are starving because they are naturally grazing animals. So, I keep lots of hay out. Of course Bo acts as if he's starving with a full hay rack and pellets in his dish......

 

[EdieRabbit]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

I thinka lot of bunnies THINK they are starving because they are naturally grazing animals. So, I keep lots of hay out. Of course Bo acts as if he's starving with a full hay rack and pellets in his dish......

Exactly! She always has hay and 90% of the time she has pellets, butwhen she sees me coming, she darts over like someone lit a fire under her. I only give her a 1/2 cup ofthe pelletsa day, so when its gone, its gone...she is "healthy" enough...she doesn't need any extra meat on her bones. No, I don't think the vet checked for worms or parasites, but when I have her spayed in a week and a half, I'll ask them to do that too. It is just strange...leave it to me to end up with a poop eater.

 

[EdieRabbit]

tundrakatiebean wrote:

If Wash is running around downstairs he'll poo on the carpet and scurry off, then come back, sniff the 'coco puffs', pop them in his mouth for a chew and then spit the back out before binking away :craziness

EEEEWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I bet that is fun to clean up! :sweep

 

[SnowyShiloh]

To add to the Wash story... last week I watched Rory approach a poo on the kitchen floor. He picked it up and started to munch a way. Then I picked him up to ask him what he was doing, and he proceeded to get poo crumbles on my shoulder! He even had poo crumbles in the fur around his mouth. You know you love your bunny when you even think THAT is kind of cute :disgust:... Good luck with Edie!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

EdieRabbit wrote:

Bo B Bunny wrote:

I thinka lot of bunnies THINK they are starving because they are naturally grazing animals. So, I keep lots of hay out. Of course Bo acts as if he's starving with a full hay rack and pellets in his dish......

Exactly! She always has hay and 90% of the time she has pellets, butwhen she sees me coming, she darts over like someone lit a fire under her. I only give her a 1/2 cup ofthe pelletsa day, so when its gone, its gone...she is "healthy" enough...she doesn't need any extra meat on her bones. No, I don't think the vet checked for worms or parasites, but when I have her spayed in a week and a half, I'll ask them to do that too. It is just strange...leave it to me to end up with a poop eater.

How much does she weigh? I give Bo 1/4 cup per day. Clover gets unlimited cause she's really good about not eating a ton - she prefers her hay. Tony eats everything in site - but he's still a baby so he's allowed.

I love how pathetic they are about food LOL! When my sister babysat Bo - she said "I gave him some craisens!" and I said "Well, that's fine - I told you he could have one or two" and she said "what about like 10? He was so pathetic and it was so cute watching him eat them!" Smart little brats aren't they?

 

[EdieRabbit]

Oh, yes, indeed they are smart! I learned my lesson about feeding Edie raisins last weekend. Like you said, she was so pathetic and so darn cute, so I gave her around 10 of them. Little did I know that my husband (Preston)had given her about the same amount before I put her outside to eat grass (an hour earlier).

I brought her back inside and was rewarded with a runny mess beside hubby's chair. I heard him yell from upstairs, "Sandy....I think bunny has a bad case of gas or something." LOL...it wasn't gas. He has such a weak stomach and I thought he was going to hurl when he saw the gooey deposit she left behind. And she really enjoyed getting cleaned up afterwards, let me tell you! It was an ordeal for the both of us.:nerves1

In regards to Edie's weight, she weighed 9.8 lbs at the vet last week and the vet said she didn't seem to be overweight. Without a doubt, she is a BIG bun.People are shocked by her size when they see her. She is as big as my largest cat.She has a very large dewlap, so it makes her look fat, especially when Iam holding her andshe crouches down. Preston says she needs breast reduction surgery. hnoyoudidnt:

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Oh then she is good with 1/2 cup of feed.

OMG I can just see the raisen episode! LOL! bo got fat over me and the kids all sneaking him treats without the others knowing. He was getting at least 3 or so craisens per day, cheerios, and banana here and there! My son liked trying new cereals on him too! :?

 

[EdieRabbit]

Sneaky little boogers, aren't they. They come at you like, "Mommy, that GOODNESS you are hear with food!!!! I am on the verge of passing out from starvation! Don't worry though, a few raisins and apple wedges will do wonders for me!!! I haven't had any in sooooo long, so I definitely deserve it. BTW, you haven't talked to Daddy lately, have you?"

 

[Bo B Bunny]

LOL! You've become very bunnywise very quickly! :laughsmiley: That's exactly how they are!