How do soft rabbit feces differ from hard rabbit droppings?

Rabbits utilize a specialized digestive process to maximize nutrient absorption from their fiber-rich diet, resulting in the production of two distinct types of feces.12

• Soft Feces (Cecotropes): These are black, viscous pellets formed in the cecum, a chamber containing symbiotic bacteria that break down cellulose and produce essential B vitamins. These pellets contain up to five times the vitamins found in hard droppings. Upon excretion, rabbits immediately consume them—a behavior known as coprophagy—to redigest them in the stomach and capture nutrients missed during the first passage through the gut.12
• Hard Droppings: These are the standard, firm waste pellets that rabbits produce and do not consume.12

This double-digestion system is a vital adaptation that allows rabbits to thrive on a diet that is otherwise difficult to process.12