Glossary · 🐾 Anatomy & biology
Hindgut fermenter
A hindgut fermenter digests fibrous plant food using bacteria in an enlarged caecum at the end of the gut — rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus all work this way, which is why constant fibre (hay) is essential.
Because digestion depends on a delicate population of gut bacteria, these species are very sensitive to sudden diet changes, low fibre, and certain antibiotics — any of which can crash the gut.
It’s also why they re-eat certain droppings (caecotrophs): the caecum produces nutrients they can only absorb on a second pass.