The rabbit's digestive process is designed to eliminate fibers from the gut as fast as it can and focus its digestive processes on the readily digestible components. When roughage or non-digestible fiber is consumed, it passes through that intestinal tract rapidly. The digestible portion, not absorbed in the stomach and small intestine, is brought back to the cecum and fermented.

There are two types of feces produced by the rabbit. The non-digestible fiber/roughage that this animal eats and cannot digest is excreted out rapidly as hard feces. Material which is recycled back into the cecum, fermented for awhile, and then expelled, is excreted as soft feces. The fiber portion of the diet, therefore, is not necessarily in there for nutrition. It is in there to keep that rabbit healthy. The hard feces will pass out during the first 4 hours after an animal eats, and the soft feces is passed soon after this. The soft feces is then consumed from the rectum. This is called coprophagy. The rabbit will get many nutrients from soft feces. On a low fiber diet, however, the flow of soft feces is reduced due to the reduction in motility of the intestinal tract. When we have a low fiber diet, there is much material that passes back up into the cecum. This will reduce the flow of material through the intestinal tract. The motility is what moves material throughout the intestinal tract. Beware of low-fiber diets.

The rabbit’s stomach is a pouch-like organ which meters feed into the small intestine. The stomach is normally never empty. Even after 24 hours, that stomach may be half full. It slowly meters feed out of the stomach and into the small intestine. . . where much digestion and nutrient absorption occurs. The remaining material then passes down to the hind gut.

The cecum is large in the rabbit, and this is where the fermentation of the readily digestible portion of roughage occurs. It enters the hind gut and the particles are separated. All food particles in the rabbit are relatively small. Some are larger than others. A rabbit will chew about 120 times a minute and nothing too large gets by very often. When these particles travel down the intestinal tract and enter the hind gut, they're separated mechanically. The large fibers pass out as hard feces and the small particles move up to the cecum, for fermentation and recycling, via the soft feces. The separation and rapid excretion of fiber allows the rabbit much flexibility. The rabbit can utilize roughage without having an overly large gut. With the cow, the roughage that goes into the stomach may stay in there for 48-72 hours. Roughage in a rabbit goes through very fast. When roughage is consumed, the non-digestible portion goes out relatively fast; the digestive tract then concentrates on the remaining, easily digestible nutrients of the roughage.

The separation and rapid excretion of fiber impacts feed intake. When fiber passes through very quickly, the animal can consume more feed. Were it to hold that material for a long period of time to digest it, feed intake would be reduced. Then, the animal cannot consume enough feed to meet its nutrient needs. If the fiber passes through fast, the rabbit can eat a lot of feed, excrete the non-digestible fiber, and concentrate on the readily digestible feedstuffs meeting nutrient needs.

The trouble we get into with rabbits is that there are many different sizes of rabbits with some having unique digestive characteristics. An animal's metabolic rate is related to size. Large animals have slow metabolic rates and small animals have fast metabolic rates. In dwarf rabbits, for example, the metabolic rate is so fast that the rabbit will do an even poorer job of consuming enough roughage or feedstuffs to meet its nutrient needs. We have to be very careful with dwarf rabbits to make sure they are not getting a high roughage diet or a diet considered to be non-nutrient dense. . The rabbit may be the only animal that we deal with where fiber minimums are more critical than fiber maximums. Animals that are on a low fiber diet, where they eat the soft feces (occasionally called the night feces) a problem may develop. It was stated earlier that hard feces will pass out during the first 4 hours after an animal eats, and the soft feces is passed out later. Soft feces is then consumed from the rectum.

The flow of food through the intestinal tract is critical. When we have the prolonged retention time of the material in the cecum frequently rabbits will get diarrhea. A low fiber diet reduces the motility and feedstuffs stay longer in the cecum. This can result in the development of organisms which produce diarrhea.

Young rabbits do not produce much amylase. Amylase is an enzyme which digests starch. So when we have a high level of carbohydrates (or starch) being consumed by rabbits (especially young rabbits), the carbohydrates accumulate in the cecum. The result is reduced motility of the intestinal tract. Often, scours develop. Clostridia organisms can proliferate in this kind of environment and produce diarrhea. Now, in order to have a Clostridium outbreak, three things have to happen:

1. The organism has to be present. Clostridia organisms are everywhere. They are present in the intestinal tract of every animal.

2. We must have a substratum for these organisms to grow on very rapidly. These organisms grow well on carbohydrates. When we increase the carbohydrate content of the cecum, we have developed an atmosphere for a substratum in which the organisms will flourish.

3. Something must happen that slows down the passage of materials through the intestinal tract which allows this toxin (produced by the organisms) and the organisms themselves to build up in high numbers.

So, when we feed a diet high in carbohydrates (usually implying low fiber), we create an ideal environment within which the organisms may grow, we reduce the motility of the intestinal tract, allowing that organism to stay in an environment (substratum) within which it can grow. The result is diarrhea.

Feed companies that least-cost their formulas (indications are color changes and periodic problems with fines), often reduce the amount of expensive roughage and increase the amount of relatively inexpensive grain. KING Rabbit foods are fixed formulas designed specifically for the digestive processes of the rabbit. WE screen out pellets. We do not least-cost, we have very low, unique levels of starch. Our diets are different than others because our nutritionist, Dr. John Throckmorton, understands the unique digestive characteristics of this wonderful little animal.

Article : THE DIGESTIVE STRATEGY OF THE RABBIT Back

The rabbit's digestive process is designed to eliminate fibers from the gut as fast as it can and focus its digestive processes on the readily digestible components. When roughage or non-digestible fiber is consumed, it passes through that intestinal tract rapidly. The digestible portion, not absorbed in the stomach and small intestine, is brought back to the cecum and fermented. There are two types of feces produced by the rabbit. The non-digestible fiber/roughage that this animal eats and cannot digest is excreted out rapidly as hard feces. Material which is recycled back into the cecum, fermented for awhile, and then expelled, is excreted as soft feces. The fiber portion of the diet, therefore, is not necessarily in there for nutrition. It is in there to keep that rabbit healthy. The hard feces will pass out during the first 4 hours after an animal eats, and the soft feces is passed soon after this. The soft feces is then consumed from the rectum. This is called coprophagy. The rabbit will get many nutrients from soft feces. On a low fiber diet, however, the flow of soft feces is reduced due to the reduction in motility of the intestinal tract. When we have a low fiber diet, there is much material that passes back up into the cecum. This will reduce the flow of material through the intestinal tract. The motility is what moves material throughout the intestinal tract. Beware of low-fiber diets. The rabbit’s stomach is a pouch-like organ which meters feed into the small intestine. The stomach is normally never empty. Even after 24 hours, that stomach may be half full. It slowly meters feed out of the stomach and into the small intestine. . . where much digestion and nutrient absorption occurs. The remaining material then passes down to the hind gut. The cecum is large in the rabbit, and this is where the fermentation of the readily digestible portion of roughage occurs. It enters the hind gut and the particles are separated. All food particles in the rabbit are relatively small. Some are larger than others. A rabbit will chew about 120 times a minute and nothing too large gets by very often. When these particles travel down the intestinal tract and enter the hind gut, they're separated mechanically. The large fibers pass out as hard feces and the small particles move up to the cecum, for fermentation and recycling, via the soft feces. The separation and rapid excretion of fiber allows the rabbit much flexibility. The rabbit can utilize roughage without having an overly large gut. With the cow, the roughage that goes into the stomach may stay in there for 48-72 hours. Roughage in a rabbit goes through very fast. When roughage is consumed, the non-digestible portion goes out relatively fast; the digestive tract then concentrates on the remaining, easily digestible nutrients of the roughage. The separation and rapid excretion of fiber impacts feed intake. When fiber passes through very quickly, the animal can consume more feed. Were it to hold that material for a long period of time to digest it, feed intake would be reduced. Then, the animal cannot consume enough feed to meet its nutrient needs. If the fiber passes through fast, the rabbit can eat a lot of feed, excrete the non-digestible fiber, and concentrate on the readily digestible feedstuffs meeting nutrient needs. The trouble we get into with rabbits is that there are many different sizes of rabbits with some having unique digestive characteristics. An animal's metabolic rate is related to size. Large animals have slow metabolic rates and small animals have fast metabolic rates. In dwarf rabbits, for example, the metabolic rate is so fast that the rabbit will do an even poorer job of consuming enough roughage or feedstuffs to meet its nutrient needs. We have to be very careful with dwarf rabbits to make sure they are not getting a high roughage diet or a diet considered to be non-nutrient dense. . The rabbit may be the only animal that we deal with where fiber minimums are more critical than fiber maximums. Animals that are on a low fiber diet, where they eat the soft feces (occasionally called the night feces) a problem may develop. It was stated earlier that hard feces will pass out during the first 4 hours after an animal eats, and the soft feces is passed out later. Soft feces is then consumed from the rectum. The flow of food through the intestinal tract is critical. When we have the prolonged retention time of the material in the cecum frequently rabbits will get diarrhea. A low fiber diet reduces the motility and feedstuffs stay longer in the cecum. This can result in the development of organisms which produce diarrhea. Young rabbits do not produce much amylase. Amylase is an enzyme which digests starch. So when we have a high level of carbohydrates (or starch) being consumed by rabbits (especially young rabbits), the carbohydrates accumulate in the cecum. The result is reduced motility of the intestinal tract. Often, scours develop. Clostridia organisms can proliferate in this kind of environment and produce diarrhea. Now, in order to have a Clostridium outbreak, three things have to happen: 1. The organism has to be present. Clostridia organisms are everywhere. They are present in the intestinal tract of every animal. 2. We must have a substratum for these organisms to grow on very rapidly. These organisms grow well on carbohydrates. When we increase the carbohydrate content of the cecum, we have developed an atmosphere for a substratum in which the organisms will flourish. 3. Something must happen that slows down the passage of materials through the intestinal tract which allows this toxin (produced by the organisms) and the organisms themselves to build up in high numbers. So, when we feed a diet high in carbohydrates (usually implying low fiber), we create an ideal environment within which the organisms may grow, we reduce the motility of the intestinal tract, allowing that organism to stay in an environment (substratum) within which it can grow. The result is diarrhea. Feed companies that least-cost their formulas (indications are color changes and periodic problems with fines), often reduce the amount of expensive roughage and increase the amount of relatively inexpensive grain. KING Rabbit foods are fixed formulas designed specifically for the digestive processes of the rabbit. WE screen out pellets. We do not least-cost, we have very low, unique levels of starch. Our diets are different than others because our nutritionist, Dr. John Throckmorton, understands the unique digestive characteristics of this wonderful little animal.
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