Thank you for hopping by! Please read through the bunny topics and do not hesitate to drop me a comment or email at therabbitwhisperer@gmail.com. Response time within 24 hours. I'll be happy to enrich your relationship with your little furry friend!

~ Jen - The Rabbit Whisperer

"Gross! Why Is My Bunny Eating Its Poop?"

"Why is my bunny eating its poop?" is a question I often hear from pet owners. Before you knock your rabbit's dung out of its mouth, I'm going to assure you that your rabbit is normal and is just adding another practice to its diet, an essential practice.

Your bunny excretes two kinds of poops, one is for wastes and the other is called cecotropes. If you want a detailed description of cecotropes click on the link and you will be forwarded to a wikipedia site with the definition listed. To put simply, cecotropes, also called "night feces," are the material resulting from the fermentation of food in a part of the digestive system called the "cecum." The cecotropes have plenty of nutrients that your bunny needs, and that can't be supplemented by anything else on the market. It is very important that you look at your rabbit's stool and pay attention that your rabbit is producing the two kinds of poops. I should point out that rabbits usually produce cecotropes at night, but if you see a soft wet looking poop (not runny poops - that indicates your bun is sick), most likely then it is cecotropes.

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7 comments:

Buddy and His Mom said...

I don't have bunnies, but I'm happy to hear that there is a perfectly good reason for your bunny to be eating it's poop. Unfortunately my vet could not provide any medical or logical explanation to my dog's poop eating problem other than "it tastes good!"

Angry Jenny said...

haha thanks for commenting! I'm sure your pup finds something in its poop yummy, perhaps Cesar Millan would know ;)

Ferox said...

That's a very clear explaination of something a lot of bunny owners seem to ask.

Angry Jenny said...

Thanks ferox ;)

Bun-Girl said...

Hey, just stopped by (through EntreCard) and wanted to say that you have a great little blog started here! I'm adding you to my links list, both for my main blog and also for my rabbit rescue blog. Keep up the good work!

Angry Jenny said...

Thanks for your comment and for stopping by. Thanks for creating a rabbit rescue blog, they are pets that often get tossed aside!

Kimbala said...

Ok. I did some research to see which one is which (visually), and realized that my bunny eats his fecal matter. Not the one that looks like a cluster of grapes. Is that normal? Mabye he is confused. That is actually a sadly funny thought. I've only had him 2 weeks and am trying to learn about all the funny, silly, or weird things he does.

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Bunny Books and Films

Watership Down
An amazing book (and film), by Richard Adams, that tells the heroic story of a clan of rabbits trying to find a new safe home because their past warren was destroyed by "man."
This is not really a children's movie!

The Rabbit Whisperer
A book, by Ingrid Tarrant, guiding you to making your rabbit a happy healthy family pet.

Funny Bunnies

Great book by Laurie Frankel. Synopsis: "From Peter Rabbit and the Easter Bunny to Bugs Bunny and the Velveteen Rabbit, bunnies have burrowed their way into our hearts and imaginations."