Squishy poo

[PepnFluff]

My bun Pep is having soft poo like the soft poo at night that they eat, except its all dayshes been on the regular diet but i think she may have eaten some of my other buns food pellets with a little bit of oats mixed in. Does anyone know what food or anything i can do to stop them?onder:

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Just encourage hay, lots of hay. Make sure she drinking water too. They should firm back up soon. Keep us posted on that though.

Out of curiosity, how did she get into the other buns food? Was she out at the time and snuck it? Just make sure she can't get to it in the future, they are sneaky little turds.

 

[PepnFluff]

Yep they have always got lotshay in their hutch, well as im wanting my other bun to gain weight I had him on my lap with him eating his food and Pep was next to me eating her regular food and the phone rang so I popped fluff down and went to get it and when i got it back they were both atempting to shove their faces into fluffs food bowl lol.

 

[maherwoman]

Does Fluff eat alfalfa pellets?

What kind of pellets does Pep eat?

 

[Phinnsmommy]

How much oats do you feed her?

 

[Flashy]

If they eat more food, they can get excess cecals. Some rabbits seem more prone to it than others.

They generally eat their cecals during the day (this comes from the wild where they feed outside at night, and then in burron during the day they would eat their cecals) so it could just bexcess cecals. When mu buns have had that I have pushed the hay (a small fresh handful every hour or so or as often as you can do it), and given them a bit less food until it settles down.

 

[PepnFluff]

Thismay sound very ignorant but im actually not sure they are just a plain pellet the darkest green i could find as apparently its more fibrous theyre the best pellet I can find because the only others i've seen here are those blimen expensive rubishy ones with all the seeds and junk in them. I add about 1 cup of oats to a 2L icecream container of pellets thats just for Fluffs as he needs to gain weight other wise Peps just on plain pellets and unlimited hay with around 1 cup of vege a day which i've put down to about half as I though thats what might be giving her squishy poops but as of today I havent seen any squishy poop which must be a good thing! Thanks everyone for your help :biggrin2:

 

[mouse_chalk]

Hi there,

Before I say anything I just want to make it clear that I am not an expert of any kind, I haven't had rabbits for very long, and although I know the basics fairly well, there's still a long way for me to go!

But, I read your other post about getting Pep spayed, and the problems she has with her back legs, and how Fluff does alot of her grooming in that area for her, and couldn't help wondering, could this be why she isn't eating her cecals? Maybe if she has trouble getting to that area, she can't 'bend' down to eat them very welland this causes them to be left...

Just a thought, and it could be down to her eating Fluff's food as you said, but may be something to watch? If it is the case I don't know what you could do to help it.... Sorry, don't know if I've been any help at all but just thought I'd mention it! V cute bun by the way!

 

[Pipp]

For someone fairly new to rabbits, this isa VERY astute observation. I haven't read the other thread, but rabbits with any kind of compromised movement from disabilities or excess weight will have a problem eating all their cecal output.

(I'm just passing through, but hopefully one of the other Mods can check out the other thread and comment further on this).



sas

 

[PepnFluff]

I'm pretty sure it was just eating his food but today i noticed quite moist poops coming out not singuly (sorry bout spelling) but in sort of clumps? she did eat quite a few veges and rose yesterday so I thought that might be it..... Shes going to the vet soon i'm just deciding if I should get her spayed tho.....

 

[Haley]

It sounds like maybe you are referring to Cecal pellets? Those are the kind they are supposed to digest. If she is having excess cecals you will want to cut down on her treats (anything other than greens)and possibly pellets as well.

How many pellets does she get every day? What kind of other foods are you feeding her?

Heres a great thread on Rabbit Poop with pictures ofcecotrops so you can see what we're referring to.

Also, be sure to check out Feeding your Rabbit Q&A for more info on diet, which is most likely related to the poop issue.

Is she acting normally otherwise? Eating and drinking? Does she have regular poops as well?

 

[PepnFluff]

Thanks for that shes on 1/4 of a cup morning and night do you think this is to much?, As shes just on pellets, greens and hay should I cut down on the veges? she does have regular poops as well and is drinking and acting bossy as usual lol.

 

[maherwoman]

How much does she weigh? How old is she again? Oh, and what breed is she?

The usual guideline for pellet food amounts is 1/4c per 5lbs of bunny...but that also depends on the breed and the age. For instance, if you had a bun particularly happy about eating (well, piggy-ish), you'd want to give the bun a little bit less per day. Also, certain breeds put on weight different ways, and some breeds need alfalfa pellets longer, as they grow for longer, etc.

It sounds to me like you might want to change her over to a Timothy pellet. I had to do this with Maisie when she was younger (at about six months, if memory serves), because of the same problem. Alfalfa pellets have more protein than Timothy...and some buns just have a hard time processing the excess protein, and then stop eating as many of their cecal pellets because of it. (You'll be able to read more about cecals, also called cecotropes, in the rabbit poop link Naturestee gave you.)

You mentioned she needs to gain weight. You can still slowly switch her to Timothy pellets (I'll give you a guide on how slowly to switch in a moment), and add some oats to her food daily, and it'll help her to still be gaining weight.

When switching buns' food, you'll want to do it gradually. Here's how I usually switch my buns' food when I've had to:

FIRST WEEK: 3/4 old food, 1/4 new food
SECOND WEEK: 1/2 old food, 1/2 new food
THIRD WEEK: 1/4 old food, 3/4 new food
FOURTH WEEK ON: ALL new food

So, there ya go.

Also, be sure to check out the thread on Pellets in the Bunny 101 section of the Lagomorph Library. Lots of helpful information there. The Carrot Cafe site also has really wonderful information on dietary topics.

Let us know if you need anymore help, ok?

Hugs to you!

Rosie*

 

[PepnFluff]

Hi

She weighs about 2kg ish, she is a seal point lop and is 1 on january 31st.

Ill phone the petshopand ask if its timothy or alfalfa and hunt down till I find some timothy pellets if they're not.

It was fluff bun who needed to gain weight Pep is quite well rounded.

Thanks for the guide tochanging them over it will be good for the future.

Cheers and have a happy new year!

 

[Haley]

HowsPep doing this week?

 

[PepnFluff]

Shes doing great no more squishy poops and she had a major grooming session got all the yuky dried poop that didnt come off in a bum bath chopped off, nails done and a long brush and a wee bow tied to her head lol. I've told mum about it and she says that she used to give them a carrot each in the morning when i'm in bed so if this was why i've told her not too.

 

[PepnFluff]

Shes doing great no more squishy poops and she had a major grooming session got all the yuky dried poop that didnt come off in a bum bath chopped off, nails done and a long brush and a wee bow tied to her head lol. I've told mum about it and she says that she used to give them a carrot each in the morning when i'm in bed so if this was why i've told her not too.