Do Rabbits Eat Their Poop? A Surprising Rabbit Behavior Explained

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Rabbits eat their poop. Eating poop seems weird to most humans, but poop eating is common in the animal kingdom. The term for the act of eating one’s poop is Coprophagia. You can learn more about it here. So, why do rabbits eat their poop?

Why Do Bunnies Eat Their Poop?

Despite what you might think, rabbit poop has nutritional value. So, it’s beneficial for a bunny to chow down on its feces. And, your pet bunny won’t eat any poop. The poop your rabbit eats is a particular type of poop. It’s called cecotropes, and they only make it during the night. So, if you see your rabbit eating poop that is soft and sticky, know that this is the unique ‘nutritional’ poop.

You won’t usually see this particular feces as your rabbit eats it right away. Yet, you will see hard and tiny pellets of poop every day. Your rabbit won’t eat this kind of poop, so it is safe to clean up the litter and discard it.

Nutritional Value Of Rabbit Poop

The cecotropes that your rabbit eats at night contain essential nutrients. The plant material that rabbits eat is difficult to digest. Thus, much of it passes through the rabbit’s digestive system undigested. Rabbits store these nutrients in their cecotropes and digest them later to prevent wasted nutrients. It’s like digesting your food twice. This secondary digestive mechanism also allows for smooth digestion.

The Bottom Line

Your rabbit eating poop is natural and healthy.

There is no need to worry, and you should not stop your rabbit from eating its cecotropes. If, however, your rabbit is eating its hard poop during the day, you should stop it.

Thanks for reading about rabbit poop on Rabbit Care Basics! Check out our other articles, like this one on keeping two male rabbits together. If this article helped, please share it on social media so others can learn too!!