Bunny Poop
The Litter Box
Bunnies like to eat and poop at the same time. I guess you could call them multi-taskers. I like to line the litter box with newspaper, add a thin single layer of compressed wood pellets, such as Feline Pine, and then cover it completely with hay. I add fresh hay on top daily to keep Suzie's feet clean and the hay fresh. She also likes to sleep in her litter box. The wood pellets will absorb the urine and help the urine odor. Avoid pine or cedar shavings, they are toxic to small animals.
The Poop
A bunny's poop can tell you almost anything you need to know about your bunny. You want to see nice big round poop. Tiny hard poop means your bunny needs more hay. Poop that looks like it is connected with a string means the bunny is ingesting fur and needs brushed. Ingested fur can lead to a blockage and ER visit! If poop is soft and moist, it means your bunny is getting too much sugar or protein, or pellets are of a low quality. Replace the poor-nutrient items with more hay.
Poop by Suzie
Butt Snacks featuring Houdini demostrating "the pose."
These tasty morsels have several names. The proper name is cecotropes or cecal pellets. Most bunny people have a cute nickname for them. We like to call them portable butt snacks. Cecals are not actually the same as poop. Bunnies get most of their required nutrition from cecals they reingest, not from the actual food. It's a delicacy for bunnies and kind of looks like a blackberry, not like regular bunny poop.
Photo courtesty of Christine Dockerty - Unofficial the Three Musketeers on Facebook.
Time to Eat
Hay and Fresh Water
Hay is THE most important food for bunnies and should make up 75-80% of a bunnies diet.
Bunnies over a year old should have unlimited amounts of a good grass hay, like timothy hay, oat, brome, or Bermuda.
Bunnies under a year old should be eating alfalfa, but between 7 months to 1 year, you want to start introducing timothy and decreasing the alfalfa.
Bunnies over 6 years may need some alfalfa, but talk with your vet first to make sure.
Photo of Clark courtesy of the Ohio House Rabbit Rescue.
Leafy Greens and Fresh Vegetables
Bunnies love to eat and they will eat anything, including the buttons on your tv remote control.
A variety of leafy greens should make up about 10-15% of your bunny's diet. A good measurement is 1 cup of greens per 2 pounds of body weight. No iceburg lettuce!
Not all greens are created equally. For a detailed list of healthy foods, or dietary needs of special needs and young bunnies visit The House Rabbit Society at www.rabbit.org/faq-diet/.
Photo of Christopher courtesty of Liz Incardone
Pellets
Pellets should only make up about 5% of a bunny's diet. Pellets should be a good quality and contain at least 18% fiber. Avoid pellets with colorful pieces, nuts, or seeds.
Suzie gets 1/8 cup twice a day. After a choking incident, I started adding a small amount of water to a bowl of pellets. Coat each pellet with water and pour out the excess water. The pellets will expand within minutes. Suzie gets a bowl in the morning, she likes to throw the empty bowl. At night, It becomes a salad topper.