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Excess cecals

22 10:25:39

Question
Hi i have 2 12 week old sisters i give them Timothy hay and Orchard grass hay , and they are now having half a teaspoon each of oxbows 15/23 alfalfa based pellets morning and night, but still around midday there are cecals lying around on the floor and some are stuck to their behinds,i told the vet last week an she told me to cut down their food which i did but still they are there,they eat large amounts of hay and drink water well, could it be these pellets that are alfalfa based they are otherwise very happy running around. Thankyou

Answer
Dear Wendy,

Sometimes a rabbit getting too much protein in the diet (as from alfalfa) will leave cecals behind, but this isn't common in such young babies.  It could be that they are having a bit of cecal dysbiosis as their intestinal flora adjusts to their new surroundings and diet, and they're being messy.

Please read:

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

for complete information about this, and if the cecotropes do not look as if they are normally formed (they should look like little bunches of grapes), then discuss this with the vet.  Be sure the vet is an experienced *rabbit* vet for best care:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps you get to the bottom of the problem.  har.

Take care,

Dana