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CECOTROPH [1 record]

Record 1 2022-01-20

English

Subject field(s)
  • Rabbit Farming
  • Animal Feed (Agric.)
  • Mammals
CONT

Unlike most other mammals, lagomorphs (including domestic rabbits) produce two types of droppings, fecal pellets (the round, dry ones you usually see in the litterbox) and cecotropes. The latter are produced in a region of the rabbit's digestive tract called the cecum, a blind-end pouch located at the junction of the small and large intestines. The cecum contains a natural community of bacteria and fungi that provide essential nutrients and may even protect the rabbit from potentially harmful pathogens.

CONT

The rabbit consumes the cecotropes as they exit the anus. The cecotropes are nutrient packed, dietary items that are essential for the rabbit's health. Normal cecotropes are dark, greenish-brown and resemble tightly bunched grapes. Each cecotrope is a soft, shiny pellet covered with mucus, and pressed into an elongated mass. They have a strong odor and contain massive amounts of beneficial bacteria that when ingested are re-established in the caecum.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Élevage des lapins
  • Alimentation des animaux (Agric.)
  • Mammifères
CONT

[...] il faut savoir que les lapins produisent normalement deux types de crottes : des excréments durs, qui sont les vraies selles et des excréments mous, qui se nomment cæcotrophes et qui font partie intégrante de l'alimentation du lapin. Il est plutôt rare d'observer ces crottes molles en grande quantité dans la cage, car généralement les lapins vont les ingérer directement à l'anus suite à une contorsion, et ce souvent très tôt le matin. Les cæcotrophes sont essentiels dans le régime alimentaire des lagomorphes. [Ils] fournissent un apport indispensable en vitamines (B et K), en acides aminés (composent les protéines), en acides gras volatils et en certains micro-organismes jouant un rôle majeur dans la digestion. Ils sont généralement de couleur foncée, de consistance molle, recouverts d'une couche de mucus et tendent à s'agglutiner ensemble.

Spanish

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