Lots of uneaten cecals...

[wax32]

Tony finished his antibiotics a few days ago, but is still leaving lots of uneaten cecals...

He is eating timothy hay and timothy hay pellets and we haven't given him any cilantro or craisins in a few days. Should I be worried yet? Or is it likely just the antibiotics are still having his tummy upset?

He seems to be in good health considering all he has been through. (see his blog)He hops around in his pen and binkies and comes running when I open the hay bag to give him fresh hay.

I should mention that he has PLENTY of normal poops, most of which he drops in his litter box, YAY.

Should I bring him and a cecal sample back to the vet? The cecals aren't real wet, just what I assume are normal squishy raspberry looking poops. (I read that description on the board somewhere when I searched for cecals...)

 

[aurora369]

I would give him a little more time to let his tummy go back to normal.

If he's still over producing them in a week or so, then I would call up the vet and see if they want a sample.

Normally if they are well formed but just too many, it's diet related and not from being sick. So you may have to play with his diet a bit in the future to get producing the right amount of cecals.

One thing for you to check though, is he physically able to eat his cecals? Have you seen him reaching down to eat some? Because if he's not eating any at all, that's a problem.

--Dawn

 

[wax32]

Yes, I have seen him eat cecals... I'll keep an eye on him and see if they start to decline in number. One extra thing he does eat: the grass mats from petco. Should we try to keep those from him for awhile too?

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Cut back on the pellets. I give Pebbles, a 1/4 cup everynight,but she does have unlimited hay. See how that affects the cecals.

For the mats, nibbling on them should be OK. But if he sits there and eats lots, I might do something.

Rainbows!

 

[wax32]

He does eat quite a bit of the mat at a time!

I'll try cutting back on his pellets and take if that doesn't work, I'll take away the mats.

 

[Carolyn]

Hi wax32,

What a perfect little pumpkin Tony is. Such ahandsome little devil!

I would give it a couple of days. Antibiotics can do that to some bunnies (and it has happened to me as well). If you have to do antibiotics for him again, you might try some probiotics (My doc's office carries equine Probios).

Excess cecels can indicate a lack of fiber in thediet as well.I would go very light on cilantro and NO raisins. Anything you can doto encourage eating MORE hay (even cutting back a bit on pellets) will probably help him feel better sooner.

If you still has concerns on Friday, I would call the vet (always wise before a weekend).

Best of Luck!
-Carolyn

 

[Georgie]

You can get probiotics at most pet stores as well...it's under the name "BeneBac" and comes in little tubes. Most animals take it willingly...I guess it tastes good!

 

[wax32]

He seems to be leaving less cecals... We started measuring out his pellets and that seems to be helping. We have also given him no cilantro or craisins for the past few days...poor guy probably thinks he is punished!

 

[Baby1]

Hi,

I purchased a jersey wooly on Saturday. I am not sure if it is a female or male yet. It is doing well (I think). It is having soft stools in the shape of little balls. It is not runny but I am wondering if you would know why that is. I noticed if I give him more pellets than hay it gets worse. I try to have it eat more hay than pellets. What should I do and when should I be concerned. I have not taken it to a vet but if it gets worse or if it doesn't go away the pet store recommended I take it to a vet. Please help. Also, what are cecals?I see the word cecal quite often in some threads.

Thanks,

Baby1

 

[pla725]

What type of hay and pellets are you feeding your new bunny? Is it alfalfa? I would cut back on the pellets and encourge the bun to eat hay. Did the pet store give you or tell you what brand of pellets and hay they were feeding the bun? I would still have the bunny checked over by a rabbit savvy vet.

 

[Baby1]

Hi, thanks for the quick response. The food is the same but I don't think they told me what kind of hay it was.I am feeding it Timothy hay. Should I give it alfalfa also?

 

[wax32]

Hi there!

Cecals are the soft smelly poops that rabbits eat so they can digest their food twice.... probably what you are seeing.

 

[Pipp]

Baby1 wrote:

Hi,thanks for the quick response. The food is the same but I don't think they told me what kind of hay it was.I am feeding it Timothy hay. Should I give it alfalfa also?

How old is the bunny? The hay should be timothy, not alfalfa,no worries there. The pellets are probably alfalfa. If the bunny is an adult,he/sheshould probably be cut right back or changed to timothy as well if you're having softstool issues.If the bunny is young, though,itshould have unlimited alfalfa pellets, so its a bit of a conundrum.

I'll wait for more info.:?

Congrats, I love Woolies! :bunnydance:



sas

 

[naturestee]

Baby1, how is your bunny doing?

My question is, are you feeding the same brand that he was eating before? Call the pet store (or breeder, but I'm guessing pet store right?) and ask what brand they feed. Fast changes in pellet brand can upset a baby bunny's stomach very easily and can cause soft fecal poops. For now, I think it would be okay to cutback on the pellets a bit and feed lots and lots of timothy hay. Your rabbit should always have as much timothy hay as he wants to eat all day. When his poops are normal for a few days, start increasing the slowly pellets, as long as it doesn't upset his stomach, until he's getting as much pellets as he wants to eat.

By the way, if the pellets have treats in the, throw the treats out. Better yet, buy better pellets. This is another common cause of tummy problems. You should always feed plain, high fiber pellets with no treats in them.

 

[Baby1]

The bunny is probably around 9 to 10 weeks old. I am feeding him the same food and plenty of timothy hay. The pet store told me to to put teramyacin (yellow powder) in its water. I believe it is to prevent diarehea but I am not sure how much to put in his water or if even to put any in it. What do advise?

Thanks,