Really eating his own poop now!

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albrst

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Okay, I posted a few weeks ago that our Holland Lop, Lego, was eating some of his poop, not the cecotropes, but the hard round pellets. He is almost 4 months old now. Before, he would eat the occasional poop that he did outside the cage on the carpet. The past two mornings we have gotten up and the litter box is empty of poop. Now he has been a bad bunny lately anyway (I realize it's his age and we plan to neuter when he's old enough), but he poops on the carpet a ton of the time (he spends hours everyday free in our living room with us) and he has started peeing on the carpet after he was completely litter trained. He has also started peeing on us when we hold him. :( (any suggestions for that) Again I realize that this is probably his age. In the cage, he only uses the litter box. Okay so, anyway, the past two mornings we have woken up and his litter box is empty of all poop so I can only assume he's eating it.

When we first got him (a month ago), the first 2-3 weeks, he would not eat many pellets. But now he eats a ton. His poop yesterday was more sticky than usual and some was not round like normal but not like his cecotropes either. I am wondering if he's getting too much pellets and hasn't been eating as much hay and that has changed his diet, poop and desire to eat the poop? What do you think? We are using the Purina Complete Pellets that are alfalfa based and Timothy hay. He has hay at all times in his cage. Do you think we should limit the pellets at his age? I have read that in older rabbits you limit but in babies you don't. He has finally grown a lot too. He was 2 lb 4 oz when we got him and a few days ago he was 3 lb 12 oz. His parents are both right at 4 pounds.

So any thoughts on his new all you can eat litter box buffet? Any suggestions on how to stop all the peeing on us and the carpet? He has also started kind of nipping at us when we hold him or at our clothes. This all started all of a sudden and everything I have read said that it's like a "puberty" kind of thing and that neutering can help but I also realize that he probably has to be around 6 months (so 2 more months) before we can do that.


One other question - should the bunny have bad breath? I only smell it when he licks me on the face but it stinks.

Thanks for all your help!

Kristy and Lego

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I would limit his pellets and start giving him other stuff as well.. I think he might be bored of his food ... Give oatmeal. flax seed. bird seed, pumpkin seed. .. that might help.. as peeing on you. I think that is a dominate thing.When he does that , I would put him back in his cage and not let him out for awhile
 
How much of the other stuff? We have quaker oats that he gets just a little each day. The breeder told us no fruits or veggies till 6 months so I wasn't sure how much of the oats to give. She was mixing it just a little in his food.

Kristy
 
If he is eating poops I would suspect he wants more fibre so I would go out and pick a few woody wild plants for him each day. If you are urban there are many garden trees, shrubs and plants that rabbits can eat as well. Check out the list on the natural feeding forum.

I notice his hay rack is over the litter box. He may be eating his poop because they are coated with the fine bits of alfalfa or seed heads that fall off the hay. Try placing the rack in another spot and see if he stops

Too much easily digestible sugar found in fruits and vegetables can cause intestinal imbalance which is why your breeder likely said to hold off, people tend to go over board and feed too many treats forgetting that the rabbit is only 4lb and not a 40lb child. Feeding a 1/2 teaspoon of banana would be like a kid getting a big bowl of ice cream :D
 
I am not sure what the trees/plants are around here. He has some apple sticks that we give him. I had read that rabbits like to eat while they are in their litter box and so that's why the hay feeder. He loves to sit in the litter box and eat hay. I also use hay as a layer in his litter box. He has never eaten poop out of it before. This has just been for the past day or two.

We haven't given him anything other than the pellets, hay and a tiny amount of oats each day. I am wondering if it is his increase in pellets and decrease in hay. I am going to limit his pellets and see if that helps.

Thanks everyone for your input and Mary Ann, I knew you weren't saying fruits and veggies. I was just saying I wasn't sure how much of anything to give extra since I knew we weren't supposed to do any of those. I have been doing the oats separate mostly because if they are in his bowl he will dig to get just to them dumping all of his food below.

Kristy


Dood":5ofspww7 said:
If he is eating poops I would suspect he wants more fibre so I would go out and pick a few woody wild plants for him each day. If you are urban there are many garden trees, shrubs and plants that rabbits can eat as well. Check out the list on the natural feeding forum.

I notice his hay rack is over the litter box. He may be eating his poop because they are coated with the fine bits of alfalfa or seed heads that fall off the hay. Try placing the rack in another spot and see if he stops

Too much easily digestible sugar found in fruits and vegetables can cause intestinal imbalance which is why your breeder likely said to hold off, people tend to go over board and feed too many treats forgetting that the rabbit is only 4lb and not a 40lb child. Feeding a 1/2 teaspoon of banana would be like a kid getting a big bowl of ice cream :D
 
Can you possibly line his litter box with a raised wire floor? I've seen them like that before...then he couldn't reach the poops in his litter box to eat them. :)

My rabbits go wild for apple leaves. :D
 
One other question - should the bunny have bad breath? I only smell it when he licks me on the face but it stinks.

What do you expext? He was eating poop! Maybe he wants a mentos.

Seriously though, I have yet to meet any animal with pleasently nice breath. I don't consider chewed vegitation to a sensational armouma.
 
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