Mushed up poop in cage - young rabbit & new owner

[BabyButtons23]

Hello, my first post here as I am a new bunny owner. Buttons is 10 weeks old and has been with us since 7 and a half weeks.

Every morning we come downstairs I'm finding mushed up poop all over the top shelf of her cage (where her pellet bowl also is). I'm assuming they are cecotropes that she hasn't eaten and has stomped around on. There is occasionally cecotropes lying around in her bedding / litter also.

I have never seen her eating any so I'm concerned she isn't doing so, or they could just be excess. When she first arrived she was fed a mix if muesli mix that she brought with her, and our pellets. Within about 5 days she was completely on our pellets.

Initially I was free feeding these as I was told she should have until at least 6 months, but after reading advice about uneaten cecotropes online I try to limit this and she is getting a handful in morning and evening. She's always acting like she's hungry and sniffing round her empty bowl and giving me a "look". She always has loads of hay available so she wouldn't go hungry but the limited pellets has made no difference to the cecotropes.

Her actual round poops are very pale in colour now due to the extra hay I guess but still got the problem with the mushed up cecotropes.

She is eating Excel tasty nuggets junior and her hay is a pets at home kind, can't remember exactly what it was as we store it in a big container and packaging is in the bin. No fresh greens yet.

Any advice? I'm just worried about all these excess poops and that she is unwell in some way, although she is a very happy and inquisitive little thing who binkys around all over so she seems ok. Going to pets at home today if anyone can suggest any different food that might be better.

 

[BabyButtons23]

Wow sorry for long post hehe

 

[pani]

Both of my buns had a tendency to leave uneaten cecotropes around their cage when they were younger; it's cleared up recently, since they're a bit older now (5 months and 3 months). As long as you see Buttons eating cecotropes at times and not leaving ALL of them around his cage, it probably just means his diet is a bit high in... I think, fibre? Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, of course.

 

[PaGal]

Some cecotropes being found uneaten can be normal for younger buns. It almost seems as if their shorter attention span causes them to forget.

Typically though if you are finding more than some occasional uneaten cecotropes it points to too rich of a diet. I'm not familiar with either the brand of pellets or hay. Do you know what kind of hay it is...timothy? alfalfa?

If the pellets are alfalfa based and you are feeding her alfalfa hay that could be the problem.

If you are feeding an oat hay and it has the seed heads on and you do not cut them off before feeding her that could be a problem as well.

I'm sorry I could not be more help. I'm sure someone more knowledgable will come along soon.

 

[BlueMoods]

Yes, look at the diet, it's probably too high in protein, Junior pellets tend to be 18% and that is a lot. I'd switch to free choice 16% to 16 weeks of age, then ration the 16% pellets for the rest of the rabbit's life and, of course always unlimited grass hay (not alfalfa)

 

[bunbunmommy]

i was wondering about that too, Charlie leaves a few in his cage every day, i didnt know that it could mean his diet was too rich, he eats kaytee pellets and timothy hay, we just introduced romaine lettuce into his diet as well