Why Do Rabbits Eat Their Own Poop? Reasons

Rabbits exhibit different behaviors and choose food depending on its nutritional value. Some people feel astonished to see them eating their poop, as it seems quite strange.

Rabbits eat their own poop, or cecotropes having high nutritional value that help improve their health. Their poop is partially digested so that they can extract more nutrients. Cecotropes also contain beneficial bacteria that aid in the digestion process. Almost all adult rabbits eat poop without posing any risk to their health.

This behavior seems weird, unappetizing, and odd to many of you, but these furry animals are quite smart and extract all nutrients from their food.

It is not an odd thing for rabbits as most of them engage in coprophagy (eating poop), while the frequency of eating differs among them.

In this article, you will come to know about the possible reasons for rabbits to consume their fecal matter and its benefits on their health and lifestyle.

What makes rabbits eat their own poop?

Rabbits eat their own poop to seek health benefits as their digestive system is adapted to process the partially digested food. Let’s unveil some advantages of eating the poop in bunnies.

It allows them to extract a significant proportion of nutrients from their food, maintain a healthy population of gut bacteria, and obtain essential nutrients not readily available in their diet.

Improved Nutrient Absorption

One of the major advantages of eating poop is the improved absorption of nutrients when it is re-processed by the digestive system and intestines.

Their digestive system is unique as the digestion process involves hindgut fermentation. As mentioned earlier, the food passes through their digestive system twice.

Moreover, they can extract even more nutrients from their food by consuming their feces. They can extract more vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids.

In addition, they suffer from dietary insufficiencies if they do not ingest excreted fecal matter for the re-absorption of nutrients.

Get Beneficial Bacteria

Another benefit of cecotropes consumption is that this behavior helps maintain healthy population of beneficial bacteria in their gut.

These bacteria are quite essential for proper digestion and overall health improvement. Young bunnies usually benefit from these gut bacteria by eating their parental poop.

Healthy gut bacteria reach their gut and aid in digestion because their digestive system is not highly developed like their parents.

Protein Intake

Bunnies have an herbivorous diet and rely on plants for protein intake. Some plants are nutritionally significant and contain a high content of protein.

They usually consume alfalfa, which is a rich protein source, and it is impossible for bunnies to extract all protein through single digestion.

So, they can obtain more protein from the partially digested food particles that are present in their cecotropes by eating their own fecal matter after excretion.

Dental Health

Cecotropes are a good source of dietary fiber as their bodies cannot completely digest fiber-rich foods. Accordingly, consumption of fecal matter leads to re-absorption of fiber or teeth wearing.

It involves the natural teeth wearing when these bunnies chew partially digested fecal matter to get remaining nutrients.

In the same way, they have to chew food particles to keep their teeth in an ideal size; otherwise, they suffer from dental issues.

How do rabbits eat their own poop?

Many people feel discomfort while seeing rabbits eating their own poop present on the ground surface, but it is quite usual behavior among them.

This behavior is called reflection when they consume poop or cecotropes that are small, soft, and shiny pellets. The cecum produces pellets, a specialized part of the digestive system.

They are adapted to eat the fecal matter when their body releases small pellets from the anus. These pellets get dried after an exposure of a few hours to air, so they consume pellets immediately.

Moreover, they use their mouth to pick up pellets from the ground surface or sometimes their front paws also help them pick cecotropes. Their flexible neck and spine allow them to turn their heads.

They can easily turn their heads toward anal opening and pick pellets when coming out of the anus. So, their eating approach varies among different species of rabbits according to their ease.

How often do rabbits eat their own poop?

The frequency of eating poop in rabbits depends on their species, age, diet, and availability of other food sources in their habitats.

Some species eat cecotropes more often due to the lack of availability of other natural food sources, while a few eat them less often.

It’s worth noting that all rabbit species do not engage in coprophagy, as some probably consume poop pellets more frequently than others.

Eating fecal matter regularly is a normal practice among bunnies, but it should be once a day. It is better to ask for a vet’s help if you see your pet rabbits consuming pellets more than normal.

My bunny eats its own poop, but it usually moves to a bowl filled with fresh vegetables. It shows its preference for fresh food over partially digested food.

The young bunnies in my pet’s house do not prefer to feed on undigested food and always prefer to consume partially digested food.

What type of poop do rabbits like to eat?

Different types of rabbit poops are there that are responsible for making differences in the choice of eating or rejecting it. These types include fecal pellets and cecotropes.

Fecal pellets look like small, round, hard balls that are the more common type produced by bunnies. These pellets appear brown or dark in color and have a dry, powdery texture.

Moreover, these are composed of indigestible fiber and waste material that are partially digested particles and can be reused for nutrition.

Another type is cecotropes, or “night feces,” produced by rabbits. These are small, soft, and shiny pellets produced in the cecum or a specialized part of the rabbit’s digestive tract.

These are usually green or brown in color and have a mucous-like texture. They are rich in nutrients, including amino acids, vitamins, and fatty acids.

Rabbits need cecotropes to maintain good health and obtain all nutrients from their food. They consume cecotropes instead of fecal pellets due to their high nutritional value.

In addition, they produce cecotropes during the night or early morning and eat them immediately. Sometimes, they wait until they are safe and comfortable before consuming them.

It is important to note that both types of feces look similar but serve different functions. It is essential for them to produce and eat cecotropes as part of their natural dietary behavior.

Is it safe for rabbits to eat their own poop?

It is generally safe for rabbits to consume their own feces as it is natural behavior to maintain their health. It allows them to extract more nutrients from food that are not absorbed in the primary digestion.

Re-absorption of nutrients also helps maintain a healthy population of gut bacteria present in the pellets. In addition, they suffer from nutritional deficiencies if they do not eat fecal matter.

Generally, rabbits do not suffer from significant harm after consuming their own feces. However, some digestive problems can occur if a rabbit cannot eat its cecotropes due to illness.

On the other hand, it is also a matter of concern if a rabbit eats too many cecotropes. It can be an indicator of underlying issue, like digestive disorder or an improper diet.

What types of rabbits can eat their own poop?

Most types of rabbits exhibit coprophagy or consumption of their own poop, but not all of them engage in this behavior. Their preferences vary according to living conditions and age.

Young bunnies are more likely to engage in coprophagy than older ones, as they have a greater need for the nutrients found in cecotropes.

In addition, pregnant or lactating rabbits may also eat more cecotropes to support the nutritional needs of their young. Wild rabbits eat it less frequently due to the presence of diverse food.

Those living in captivity have a less stressful environment and eat their poop if you do not provide another food source for them.

So, domestic rabbits kept as pets or raised for meat or fur production regularly eat their cecotropes as part of their natural behavior.

Do baby rabbits eat their own poop?

Babies of rabbits are also poop eaters like their parents or other adult bunnies as part of their natural digestive process. This behavior is prominent when they are at a developing stage of life.

Their mother produces cecotropes and passes them on to her kits in the form of a special type of feces that is softer and stickier than regular rabbit pellets.

This helps kits establish a healthy gut microbiome and ensures they receive all the essential nutrients required to grow and develop.

Accordingly, they rely on their mothers or parental poop for nutrition because their stomach cannot digest food efficiently. They seek nutrition from partially digested food particles at the kit stage.

However, they begin to eat undigested food after developing into adults and consume their poop. Their stomach develops and supports digestion of solid food when they become adults.

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