RO STAFF 2
Well-Known Member
Also see:
Diarrhea
GI Stasis
Why Rabbits Eat Their Poop
From Dana Krempels, Ph.D
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
Unlike most other mammals, lagomorphs (including domestic rabbits) produce two types of droppings, fecal pellets (the round, dry ones you usually see in the litterbox) and cecotropes. The latter are produced in a region of the rabbit's digestive tract called the cecum. The cecum contains a natural community of bacteria and fungi that provide essential nutrients and possibly even protect the rabbit from harmful pathogens.
How does the rabbit get those essential nutrients? She eats the cecotropes as they exit the anus. The rabbits blissful expression when she's engaging in cecotrophy (the ingestion of cecotropes) will tell you that she finds this anything but disgusting. In fact, rabbits deprived of their cecotropes will eventually succumb to malnutrition. Cecotropes are not feces. They are nutrient-packed dietary items essential to your companion rabbit's good health.
Each individual rabbit usually produces cecotropes at a characteristic time of the day, which may vary from rabbit to rabbit. Some produce cecotropes in the late morning, some in the late afternoon, and some at night. In any case, they usually do this when you're not watching, which might be why some people refer to cecotropes as "night droppings."
Articles
Listings in Rabbit References: Fecals and Cecals
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html#fecal
Cecotropes and Coprophagy
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=18&cat=1803&articleid=2932
RO Threads
My Buck Has Diarrhea... Help
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=10486&forum_id=1&highlight=cecal
Small Poos
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=10372&forum_id=1&highlight=cecal
Soft Poops
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=9877&forum_id=1&highlight=cecal
Night Poopie Nutrition
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=8214&forum_id=1&highlight=cecotrope
Night Poops
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=10513&forum_id=1&highlight=cecal
Diarrhea
GI Stasis
Why Rabbits Eat Their Poop
From Dana Krempels, Ph.D
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
Unlike most other mammals, lagomorphs (including domestic rabbits) produce two types of droppings, fecal pellets (the round, dry ones you usually see in the litterbox) and cecotropes. The latter are produced in a region of the rabbit's digestive tract called the cecum. The cecum contains a natural community of bacteria and fungi that provide essential nutrients and possibly even protect the rabbit from harmful pathogens.
How does the rabbit get those essential nutrients? She eats the cecotropes as they exit the anus. The rabbits blissful expression when she's engaging in cecotrophy (the ingestion of cecotropes) will tell you that she finds this anything but disgusting. In fact, rabbits deprived of their cecotropes will eventually succumb to malnutrition. Cecotropes are not feces. They are nutrient-packed dietary items essential to your companion rabbit's good health.
Each individual rabbit usually produces cecotropes at a characteristic time of the day, which may vary from rabbit to rabbit. Some produce cecotropes in the late morning, some in the late afternoon, and some at night. In any case, they usually do this when you're not watching, which might be why some people refer to cecotropes as "night droppings."
Articles
Listings in Rabbit References: Fecals and Cecals
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html#fecal
Cecotropes and Coprophagy
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=18&cat=1803&articleid=2932
RO Threads
My Buck Has Diarrhea... Help
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=10486&forum_id=1&highlight=cecal
Small Poos
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=10372&forum_id=1&highlight=cecal
Soft Poops
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=9877&forum_id=1&highlight=cecal
Night Poopie Nutrition
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=8214&forum_id=1&highlight=cecotrope
Night Poops
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=10513&forum_id=1&highlight=cecal
