Soft cecotropes in rabbits: diet fix

Soft cecotropes are actually a really useful signal — they usually mean the diet is out of balance, often too many pellets or sugary treats and not enough hay. Hay needs to make up around 80% of your rabbit's total intake. It's not a side dish — it's what keeps the gut moving properly and what wears the teeth down as they're meant to be worn. Pellets should be a small supplement, maybe an egg cup's worth a day for an adult rabbit, not the main meal. Before I suggest anything specific: what is your rabbit currently eating each day, and how much hay does he actually get through? Is he eating the cecotropes at all, or just leaving them?

That pattern is really common and it's almost certainly the pellets. Two bowls a day for an adult rabbit is too much — he's filling up on pellets, which are calorie-dense and low-fibre, so he has no appetite left for hay. When the gut isn't getting enough long-strand fibre, the cecotropes come out softer than they should and rabbits often don't bother eating them. The fix is to cut pellets right back — one level tablespoon or a small egg cup once a day is the right amount for a rabbit his size — and make hay the thing he has to eat if he's hungry. The type of hay matters too. If you're using a meadow hay that he's not excited about, switching to a good Timothy hay often gets rabbits eating much more of it.

Yes, genuinely — the palatability difference between a dusty bag of meadow hay and a good quality Timothy can be significant for some rabbits. The one I'd point you to is Burgess Excel Timothy Hay with Mint. It's a proper long-strand Timothy hay, which is exactly the right fibre type for gut motility and dental wear, and the mint makes it more appealing without adding anything harmful. It's widely available on Amazon UK and comes in a good size bag. Cut the pellets to one small measure per day, make sure hay is always in front of him — a rack or hay bag helps because it stops it getting trampled and ignored — and most owners see soft cecotrope problems resolve within two to three weeks once the diet shifts. If it carries on beyond that, or if you notice any changes in his droppings or appetite, then a vet check for underlying gut issues would be the right next step.

You can reduce fairly quickly — over about a week is fine. Cut to one bowl, then to half, then to your small daily measure over five to seven days. Rabbits don't need a long transition the way some animals do, as long as hay is freely available throughout so he never goes without something to eat. Keep the fresh veg going — leafy greens like romaine, kale, or herbs are fine and add variety — just avoid fruit, root veg, or anything starchy while you're sorting the cecotropes out, as those ferment quickly and can make things worse. Once his droppings look normal and the cecotropes are gone, you'll know the balance is right.

That's the right move. Give it two to three weeks and you should see a clear difference. If his droppings change in any other way — very small, very few, or he goes off food entirely — don't wait, see a vet same day as that can indicate GI stasis in rabbits, which moves fast. But based on what you've described, this sounds like a straightforward diet correction. Good luck with him.