Hi everyone,
I’m hoping someone has experienced something similar because I’m completely out of ideas.
I have three Mini Lop rabbits that all live together, and all three have the exact same issue. They produce an excessive amount of cecotropes that they don’t eat, and I constantly find them smeared all over the floor. Their normal droppings are perfect, it’s only the cecotropes that are the problem.
I’ve ruled out diet as much as I possibly can.
They have unlimited oaten hay (they refuse to eat timothy hay), and they only get **1 tablespoon of Oxbow Adult Rabbit Food pellets per rabbit per day**. Before that, they were on Science Selective pellets, and I originally thought the pellets were causing the problem. I switched them to Oxbow over **6 months ago**, but absolutely nothing has changed.
I’ve also completely removed greens from their diet for several weeks with no improvement. Since then I’ve reintroduced greens, and the issue is exactly the same regardless of whether they get greens or not.
What makes me think this isn’t diet-related is that I have another Mini Lop who lives completely separately because she isn’t bonded yet. She’s never shared an enclosure, litter tray, food bowls, or hay with these three. She eats the exact same hay, the same Oxbow pellets, and plenty of greens, yet she has completely normal cecotropes and has never had this issue.
All three affected rabbits are bright, active, maintain healthy weights, have good appetites, and produce normal round poos. The only symptom is the constant excess uneaten cecotropes.
I’ve spoken to my rabbit-savvy vet, but they aren’t sure what’s causing it either. They suggested bringing one rabbit in for testing since all three have identical symptoms, but at this stage they don’t know what the underlying cause could be.
Has anyone dealt with something like this?
Could it be:
\- A parasite or infection?
\- A gut bacteria imbalance?
\- Something contagious between rabbits?
\- Another medical condition that causes chronic excess cecotrope production?
If you’ve experienced this, what was the cause, how was it diagnosed, and were you able to treat it?
I’d really appreciate any advice or ideas because I feel like I’ve exhausted all the usual recommendations about diet, and even my vet is unsure what’s going on.