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[Herbert]

Hi,

One of my chins is having soft poops and I read somewhere that if you give them burnt toast it will help, does anyone know if that is a true fact, or what can I do to help him?

Thanks!

[GrayRodent]

It is a fact although you shouldn't exceed one dose, which is 1/2" diameter piece. You can try it. The theory is that it reduces irritation to the bowels. There can be an underlying problem that may require antibiotics. The best thing to do is try to determine the cause first and if it's something like stress, perhaps from a change in environment or schedule, just wait a day and see if there is improvement.
If the stool is liquidy and not just soft or rounder than normal make an emergency vet visit or you can lose your pet.
In many cases simple soft stool will clear up by the next day. If it persists for three or more days definitely see a vet. This kind of symptom is nothing to mess around with because the intestines of chinchillas are highly sensitive and small problems can lead to serious complications.
If the feces are staining the shelving in the cage make an appointment today as you are likely dealing with parasites that need to be identified and treated.
If the stool is just softer than usual try removing pellets from its diet and feed straight hay for 24 hours. Do not feed any treats until the stools are normal. Check to make sure the hay and pelleted diets do not smell damp as mold contamination can be deadly to chinchillas. Never feed chinchillas wet vegetables or fruit.

[Herbert]

The stool is soft and since they walk all over it, it has smooshed into their wheel, on the tiles I have by their food and the tiles I have on the top floor for them. It has hardened back up and stuck to each surface. This is the second day that this has been happening, I took out their pellets before I left for work today. 

I do know that their hay is peed on each night by one of them, I have tried to stop that by putting the hay in a container, that hasn't stopped them but every morning and night I dump the hay out, wash the container and put new stuff back in.  However, where I am living we have had a very muggy humid and damp summer so far so that could be coming into play as well as unfortunately things eventually get damp no matter what you do in this kind of weather.

[GrayRodent]

If you're still having trouble tomorrow I recommend having a fecal culture done. It could be giardia, coccidia, or other common parasites. If you treat them early you'll be okay. If you have a parasitic infection that is not treated it could cause serious and fatal damage over time. My second chinchilla had coccidiosis and responded very well to treatment although it took about a week to fix it and it did get worse before it got better.
If the food smells damp it could still be that. Never feed food that you suspect could have gotten wet or smells damp or moldy.