Week 13: Rabbits


Small Mammals and Birds Nutrition

Lecture Notes

Now we'll switch to rabbits.


Rabbits

Lecture Notes

Rabbits are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants. Rabbits have a high metabolic rate, so they require lots of energy, yet require a large amount of fiber in their diet as well, around 15-17% crude fiber. If rabbits consume too little fiber they can develop intestinal problems such as enterotoxemia. However, if they consume too much fiber, they may become constipated. A properly balance of fiber is essential.


Rabbit diet

Lecture Notes

Most rabbits do well on commercially available high-fiber pellets. These pellets are usually Timothy hay or alfalfa based. Their diet should be supplemented with grass hay to add fiber and also to help prevent hair balls. Small amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits may be given as treats. The amount of treat foods should be strictly monitored as they can lead to illness if over consumed.


Rabbits and cecotrophy

Lecture Notes

Rabbits, are unique in the sense that they practice cecotrophy. Cecotrophy is the act of eating cecotropes or "soft feces". This sounds similar to coprophagy, but it is not the same process. In the rabbit, small fiber particles are "selected" in the GI tract and sent to the cecum where they are fermented to synthesize proteins and vitamins, which will be part of the cecotropes. On the other hand, large particles are sent to the colon to form the regular or hard feces. Cecotropes are different from feces in that they are higher in moisture and protein than feces. Cecotropes are consumed directly from the anus in the early morning hours, therefore making difficult to see these feces. The function of cecotrophy is to provide the rabbit with the proteins and vitamins that were synthesized in the cecum and prevents these nutrients from being lost. It is a very important process, because it can provide up to 20% of their daily protein requirement.


Rabbit feces

Lecture Notes

Here are two pictures demonstrating the two types of feces. The picture on the left is of normal, hard feces, while the picture on the right demonstrates both cecotropes and hard feces. Even though this second picture is a little bit blurry, if you look carefully you can note the difference in the fiber particle size between cecotropes and feces


Sources

Lecture Notes