Cecotropes - soft, nutrient-rich droppings that rabbits consume directly from the anus - are essential for rabbit nutrition and a key welfare indicator.
Cecotrope accumulation is both a welfare signal and a welfare cause. When rabbits cannot perform cecotrophy - consuming their cecotropes - they miss essential nutrients including vitamins, amino acids, and beneficial microflora. Inability to consume cecotropes typically indicates underlying problems: obesity preventing the rabbit from bending to reach the anus, dental pain making grooming difficult, arthritis reducing flexibility, or nutritional overproduction from excess pellets. The accumulation of cecotropes under the tail causes secondary welfare harm through skin scalding and fly attractant effects. Investigating and addressing cecotrope accumulation as a welfare signal - examining underlying causes rather than simply cleaning the affected area - is the appropriate welfare response.