Cecotropes

[MnCanary]

I have a Dutch doe that has cecotropes all over her cage. She currently has kits (almost 3 weeks old) but I noticed the issue even when she wasn't bred. She either produces a lot of cecotropes, or she isn't ingesting what she produces. She looks fine, the kits look fine. She eats a lot of pellets and drinks water normally. I don't think there is an illness.

For a while I just figured she wasn't getting enough roughage. I feed pellets + hay, and she has lots of hay in her cage. By 'lots of hay' I mean she has 3-4 big handfulls piled in there. She doesn't eat much hay, though. I thought about feeding her high-fiber pellets, but I don't have access to them. She's getting Purina green bag 16% protein pellets.

I have one other Dutch doe that doesn't eat much hay. My Silver Martens really gobble it down.

Is this a problem, is it peculiar to Dutch rabbits or is something else going on?

 

[MuddyFarms]

Boy, I wish I had an idea of what could cause that. Have you figured anything out? I have had does produce more of the cecotropes and leave them around when they were either very pregnant or had kits with them. But that's it. I wonder if it could be something unique to her, like a bacterial overgrowth/imbalance in her gut that could cause overproduction? Maybe some probiotics could help if that was the case?

 

[MnCanary]

Boy, I wish I had an idea of what could cause that. Have you figured anything out? I have had does produce more of the cecotropes and leave them around when they were either very pregnant or had kits with them. But that's it. I wonder if it could be something unique to her, like a bacterial overgrowth/imbalance in her gut that could cause overproduction? Maybe some probiotics could help if that was the case?

No idea. The kits are almost out of the nest box, they pop in and out now, and soon they'll be sleeping outside of it. I've seen them eating hay. The doe still seldom eats hay, which might be part of the problem. (if it is a problem). She looks good and the kits look good.

By the way, I've seen the word spelled "cecotrope" and "caecotroph" and "cecatrope". The dictionary tells me that "cecatrope", with an a, is incorrect. But I'm not sure the dictionary writer raises rabbits.

 

[MuddyFarms]

Another one of those weird rabbit words!

 

[MnCanary]

I found this in a publication from the U.K.:
Lab studies suggest rabbits rapidly lose condition if they cannot access their caecotrophs; fatal if deprived for more than two weeks.

If this is correct, my doe that leaves cecotropes in the cage must be ingesting some of them.

 

[northernnevadahollandlops]

I don't know anything about dutch rabbits, but I have definitely seen my does produce more cecotropes after they kindle until about the time the kits are fully weaned and even after. My assumption is that it's bc the kits also eat Mama's cecotropes to establish a healthy gut. They also seem to produce more if I give them too much fresh veg or something that doesn't sit well with that particular rabbit. Ive caught glimpses of them eating directly from their own bodies as they eliminate and still leave some clumps behind. Hoping your doe is doing well!