There are no limits to the amount of excitement
that contemplation of a dropping can provide.
- George Schaller
Cecotropy is the process by which rabbits will reingest part of their feces directly from the rectum. This should not be confused with the term coprophagy (eating fecal material) since rabbits only ingest the soft "night" feces or cecotrophs. But why, one might ask, are there two types of fecal material?
Rabbits are plant eaters, or herbivores, and are referred to as "hind gut fermenters." This means that their large intestine has a lot of room and compartments to break down food. Because of their small size they cannot store large volumes of fiber (hay-type food), so it is eliminated rapidly in the form of pellets.
These hard feces, or droppings, are passed within four hours of eating and are composed primarily of insoluble fiber and small amounts of protein. Other food "items" like carbohydrates, proteins, and more soluble fiber are processed in the cecum, which is a specialized compartment or "blind sac" between the small and large intestine. In the cecum, normal intestinal bacteria, or flora, breaks down the food into B-vitamins, vitamin K, fatty acids, and bacterial proteins. The fatty acids are reabsorbed, but some of the other nutritional "goodies" are passed as cecotrophs and reingested.
Since these cecotrophs are passed approximately eight hours after eating, this will occur in the evening and often is not noticed by the caretakers. Rabbits are quite efficient in this reprocessing.
It is critical to be observant of your rabbit’s feces and know what is normal for that individual. A rabbit who is eating, is alert and active, who has some sort of soft type stool at the same time every day may be perfectly healthy.
Dietary faux-pas such as overfeeding treats, withholding hay, or sudden changes in diet may slow the intestinal tract and change the bacterial flora. This can lead to true diarrhea (another whole article) and often to a rabbit that is depressed, bloated, and passes mucousy stool. This can be a potentially debilitating or fatal condition.
The significant factor is change. Any variation in diet, husbandry, temperature, or health can affect a rabbit’s gastrointestinal system. Understanding the normal process and what is constant for your rabbit can make a difference in its health.
from Rabbit Tails, the newsletter of the Massachusetts Chapter of the House Rabbit Society