The bacteria use the energy from the food to support their own growth. The rabbit can use some of the nutrients the bacteria produce. Other nutrients are packaged into the cecal pellets which the rabbit consumes in a process known as coprophagy. This allows the rabbit to absorb those nutrients through the normal process of digestion. Digestion of food begins in the mouth.
Food is mashed up by the teeth and mixed with saliva.
Proteins in the saliva begin the process of breaking down food into pieces small enough to move into the blood. When food is broken up and moist, the bunny swallows and the food enters the stomach. In the stomach the food is mixed with stomach acid and digestive enzymes begin the process of digestion. Unlike many other animals, food will remain in the rabbit's stomach for a long time. Some evidence suggests that bacteria from the cecal pellets help the food digest while in the stomach.