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[Lefty620]

My husband and I have recently discovered that our chinchillas' (both of them) poop is quite mushy and they step on it and it gets stuck on them as well as mashes beneath their feet.  We have been giving them Timothy Hay and Pellets, however, we have started spoiling them with a variety of chinchilla treats from raisins to chinchilla cookies to other chinchilla treats.  We have read numerous articles on what to do in this type of situation, and we have removed their pellets and stopped giving them treats of any kind.  We've also scrubbed their cage because this health problem they are experiencing is disgusting because they keep walking on it and it gets stuck to their feet. :-(  Do you have any suggestions on anything else we could do for our chins?  Thank you sincerely for your input.

Lindsey

[Jo Ann]

Hi Lindsey,
     You are already doing pretty much what you would be advised to do. 
     To many treats and/or a large variety of treats will do it every time!  When you give them a treat per day, it should be the same treat for a week ... if you see no ill effects (diarrhea being the most common), you can put that treat on your OK to Feed list.  Each week try a different treat (starting after they clear up this time and have done good for a week).  If you see a problem, stop that particular treat and do not give it anymore.

Keep in mind that a raisin may look small to you, but when compared to a chinchilla's size, that raisin becomes as big as a soft ball!  (Even bigger for kits.)

Treats are just that treats and should be given only one or two per day.  In this case, I would go with one a day after the diarrhea has cleared-up and everything is going good for about a week to 10 days.

What brand chinchilla pellets are you feeding them?

One big question ... is there a very foul smell to the poop? 

 
Jo Ann

[tinabeana]

When our chin had diarrhea our vet suggested the same thing, hay only and then also a 1/4 table spoon of plain organic yogart every other night to keep up her level of good bacteria, which she totally loved.

It cleared up in a day or two and she's been good ever since.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Hi Lindsey.
That doesn't sound too bad yet, and I would expect an end to the treats would cure the problem.

I know how cute it is to hand feed them and watch them eat treats, I do it all the time.
One oat flake at a time,
Keep your treats real small, they have to keep coming back for more.
A piece of burnt toast will help if it gets too soft.

[chinclub]

Burt toast was going to be my suggestion as well.  Get the toast as black as possible without starting a fire.  It will usually make a huge improvement really fast.

I know how you feel.  They are such naughty little beggers its so hard to tell them no!  My Charlie is a shameless begger so to appease him and myself I have begun buying those really thin wooden chew toys from petsmart that he can pretty much distroy in a night.  That way I can give him his nightly treat and then when he comes begging again I can give him a new toy.  That keeps him busy and helps me to resist spoiling him with more treats than are healthy.

[Lefty620]

Thank you all for your helpful hints!  My husband and I are now experimenting with burnt toast and we'll try the yogurt after a couple days if that doesn't work.  Much Appreciated!!!! :-)

Lindsey

[Lefty620]

Hi Joann,

Thank you for your advice.  Our chinchillas have been eating the same bulk chin food that the pet store fed them when we bought them from Pet Supplies Plus.  Is this good for them, or would you suggest changing their food to a different brand?  Chilly, our oldest chin has been with us for about 6 months and had no problems until now, and our newest edition, Bean has been with us for about three weeks and no problems until now.  I think the treats upset their stomachs.

We called the pet store that we got them both from and they suggested giving them Pedialyte to help alleviate problems.  It worked for a little bit, but their poop went right back to mushy. :-(  It doesn't have an extremely foul smell, but it certainly doesn't smell good.  Any other suggestions?

We tried burnt toast as recommended by other postings (thank you for your input!), and no change...yet... I was going to head to the store to get yogurt, but didn't know if the two different types of food would be too much in such a short span of time to try them both in the same day? 

Thank you so much for your help/advice!! :-)

Lindsey

[Chins To Love]

Try giving them plain bite size shredded wheats, they love it as a daily treat, and it clears up diarrhea like nothing else I have ever found. Try giving them one every couple of hours.  Let us know how they are doing.

[Jo Ann]

Hi Lefty,

   

Hi Joann,
Our chinchillas have been eating the same bulk chin food that the pet store fed them when we bought them from Pet Supplies Plus. Is this good for them, or would you suggest changing their food to a different brand? Chilly, ... 6 months and had no problems until now ... Bean ... three weeks and no problems until now. I think the treats upset their stomachs.

I do agree that the treats were probably the culprit, but, most pet stores feed the least expensive food to their animals (economics) since they know they will not be with them very long.  I think a good high grade chinchilla pellet is very important, in the long run for the chin's health.

... pet store that we got them both from ... suggested giving them Pedialyte to help alleviate problems. It worked for a little bit, but their poop went right back to mushy. :-( It doesn't have an extremely foul smell, but it certainly doesn't smell good. Any other suggestions?

Pedialyte is to re-hydrate them, not to stop the diarrhea.  Also, Pedialyte is only good for 24 hours after you open it, after 24 hours it is no better for them than straight water.
***Please, put your chin on tile floor or wood floor ... get a magnifying glass ... as soon as it drops (do NOT pick it up until you look) ... look at it through the magnifying glass ... if it has mucous covering all or part of the poop, get your chin to the vet a.s.a.p. ... the mucous and the odor are one of the first signs of giardia.
If it has a foul odor, I would take him to the vet a.s.a.p. and get him checked for Giardia.  Do not just take a sample of the poop ... it has to be tested as soon as it is dropped ... when the poop cools, the Giardia parasite dies and dissappears before it can be detected.

Please read: Giardia at: http://www.geocities.com/jobernstein1949/

We tried burnt toast ... no change...yet... I was going to head to the store to get yogurt, but didn't know if the two different types of food would be too much in such a short span of time to try them both in the same day?

Burnt wheat toast is good for them ... burnt as in as close to in flames you can get it, without doing so.  The charcoal in the burnt part is what helps stop the diarrhea.
 Live-culture yogurt is to stabilize and replenish the good bacteria in the digestive system so that the food can be properly digested.

Keep us posted!

 
Jo Ann[/i]

[tinabeana]

Jo Ann, I have to say it. I love how your comments are consice and easy to read.

[Jo Ann]

Thanks, Tinabeana.  I try to cover all the basis, but it is so easy to miss something ... sometimes the one thing that is the most important is the one you forget ... that's why I try to break it down into sections. 

Besides, it's easier to remember that way.   :-[

 
Jo Ann

[FluffBall]

if you are buying your food at a pet store you will want to check the date and also the hay as well both things can cause mushy poop also if you are buying it bulk you will want to freeze it for a day or more to kill any moths they can make them sick too also chin food bought at a pet store has been sitting there a long time they don't eat a ton so if you can imagine how long it take for 1 cin to eat a bag and then guess how many people own a chin and then multiply that by the number of pet store that sell chin food that is a ton of food for a handful of chins most people by the rabbit pellets they don't sit on the shelf as long but slowly mix it with their food they eat now if you do

[Debbie.nl.ca]

if you are buying your food at a pet store you will want to check the date

I have never seen a date on pet shop pellets, that's one of the big reasons I don't recommend it. That and the treats that's usually in it.

[FluffBall]

I found Mazuri at petsmart I am so excited

[null]

Fluffball, there is a feed store in Turtle creek that sells Mazuri in 25 lb. bags, it's probably fresher and will cost less than at Pet smart. The place is called Better Feeds and is on Airbrake Ave.