Like herbivores, this second pass of nutrients allows for more complete digestion and absorption of nutrients such as protein, vitamins, and minerals. These little guys practice coprophagy, or the act of consuming their own feces, but are not cecotrophic like rabbits and guinea pigs, meaning their re-ingested stool is not produced via a separate mechanism than the regular poop. It won’t look as distinct as an herbivore’s cecotrope, so you likely can’t tell a difference with the naked eye. Coprophagy is thought to be especially apparent during times of improper or inadequate nutrition. While less understood, omnivores such as rats, hamsters, and gerbils also produce poop that is re-ingested. Because the healthy production and consumption of cecotropes serve such an important nutritional purpose, if you suddenly notice a lot of them remaining in the cage you should call your vet straight away.
Reingestion of the cecotropes allows these little guys to be efficient at utilizing the nutrients in their fiber-rich diets as they, in effect, recycle their food and get a second chance to absorb the nutrients and energy it contains.Ĭecotropes contain a large diversity of essential nutrients including vitamins, minerals, short-chain fatty acids, and amino acids. They also contain healthy microorganisms that are naturally shed from the gut, making them high in protein and B vitamins. Re-ingesting these nutrients helps small mammals meet their dietary nutrient requirements. This also means you will rarely see the cecotropes in your little one’s cage, but don’t panic if you do see one from time to time. Typically, this occurs late at night, early in the morning, and overnight so in a happy, healthy animal you might never actually see it occurring. A majority of cecotropes are actually ingested directly from the anus. While fecal pellets are typically small, firm, individual balls that are low moisture and appear dull, cecotropes (also known as cecals or night stools) are larger, soft, shiny, and cluster-like (think the appearance of a blackberry or cluster of grapes). While there is still some debate on the exact mechanism between species, hindgut fermenting herbivores such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas produce their typical fecal pellets as well as a second type of stool called the cecotropes. Here are a few things to keep an eye out for.Ī very important distinction to be made when talking specifically about small mammal droppings is that most species produce two kinds of stool. While you might not be able to tell what the issue is right away, any change warrants a call to your veterinarian, and prolonged abnormalities in stools should always lead to a veterinary visit and consultation. Any change in the size, shape, color, or frequency of stool output should be noted. Having an idea of your pet’s normal fecal characteristics and consistently monitoring stool production is a great tool for proactively keeping them healthy.Ī change in stool is often one of the first clinical signs that your pet may be having some type of health issue. Some species, like rabbits and guinea pigs, just do it a lot more! While far from a glamorous topic, your pet’s poops can tell you an awful lot about their overall wellbeing and what’s going on inside their body. Let’s face the facts, we all poop…every animal does.
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