Rabbit Alimentary System

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Introduction

Rabbits are monogastric hindgut fermenters that eat a herbivorous diet. VFAs are produced in the hindgut which are available to the animal for energy.

Stomach

• Simple and large

Small Intestine

• Functions similar to other animals but there are anatomical differences.
• The caudal flexure of the duodenum is long and coiled, and may be referred to as the transverse part of the duodenum.
• The sacculus rotundus exists at the ileocaecal junction. It is an enlargement of the large intestine and contains lymphoid tissue.

Large Intestine

Caecum

• Large, about twice the length of the abdominal cavity. Folded into four parts that flex upon each other.
• Thin-walled.
• Visible on the external surface is a spiral constriction that runs 20-30 times around the caecum. This is related to the folding of the mucosa internally.
• There is an appendix at it's distal end containing lymphoid tissue.

Colon

• Has ascending, transverse and descending parts.
• The ascending colon is very long and occupies most of the ventral abdomen.
• First part has taenia and haustra, the second part does not and is arranged into coils that lie in the dorsal part of the abdominal cavity.
• The transverse and descending colons have the same anatomical arrangement as in other species.

Coprophagia

• Rabbits eat some of their faecal pellets, often produced in the early morning.
• Pellets that are eaten differ to normal pellets as they are softer, covered in mucus and smaller.
• The purpose of this may be to gain access to the vitamins produced by bacteria in the caecum.