When the speed with which material moves through the GIT is altered it can affect how quickly the
stomach and cecum empty. If the motility is reduced as in diets that are too low in indigestible fiber,
then the stomach and cecum will empty slowly. The rabbit eventually stops eating and drinking possibly
due to a feeling of fullness in the stomach. When there is no food coming into the system the GIT
motility slows to nearly a standstill. Water is still needed by the body and it is extracted from the
stomach and cecal contents. A vicious cycle sets up. The longer the rabbit doesn’t eat, the more
dehydrated and impacted the material in the stomach and cecum becomes and the less the rabbit feels
like eating. Add to this a diet too high in protein or starch and the result can eventually be disastrous.
Diets too high in protein and/or starch can result in changes in the cecal pH and thus the types of
microorganisms growing there. These fragile communities are altered allowing the growth of bacteria
such as Clostridium spiriformes which can result in death due to the production of iota toxins.