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[Jenova]

I'm probably worrying too much but I wanted to ask a quick poo question.
Cheech's poos were a little soft about a week or two ago so I gave him a little burnt toast and stopped the dried fruit and he seemed to sort out, but at the same time I have been changing his hay to what I feel is a better brand and although I've been doing this slowly I have noticed a change in his poos. They are slightly pointed at the end and I know this can be a sign of constipation.
I made him a new toy to introduce the new hay: I filled an empty cardboard box with his old hay mixed with a little of his new hay and put three round chinchilla sized holes in it and he loved it. He played with it non stop, eating the hay and eventually making enough room in it so he could crawl inside and sleep in there. He has eaten a lot more hay than he usually does and I think he's eaten a little less pellets than usual too. I've taken the toy out and he's back to his normal hay eating habits but I wanted to know how exactly to identify that his poos are pointy enough to constitute him having constipation.

[ChinchillAZ]

Are they also dry or just a bit "pinched" looking?

[Jenova]

They're very hard and look like bullets. That's the best way to describe them. Some of them break easily and others don't.  :-[

[jmrothermel]

Usually I describe chinchilla poos at tic tacs.  After they go and they're on a shelf they're about the same size (maybe a little bigger) than a tic-tac, and when you sweet them off the shelf they make a tinging (is that a word) on the dustpan or whetever youre using like a hard tic-tac.

Is that comparable to the size you are seeing?

Jacqui

[Jenova]

I hope you don't mind but I took a picture of his poo. I think it's getting back to normal after I gave him a bit of fruit. The poo at the bottom is a bit bigger and he's done a few more that are still a little pointy but much bigger and not so hard.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/jenovabug/cheechpoo.jpg

[ChinchillAZ]

In all honesty, the picture doesn't really help me...  I'm glad to hear that the fruit is helping, but be very careful.  Fruit is VERY high in natural sugars.  Is it possible he's dehydrated?

[Jenova]

I'm not really sure. He's just been out for a run and he seemed pretty happy (apart from when I told him off for ripping the wallpaper  ) he was pooing a lot more and they were a lot bigger and a little bit soft, but not squishy. Do you think it would be wise to give him a week of just his basic diet, pellets, hay and water with no treats to make sure his belly gets back to normal? Or should I still give him a treat or too because he's sued to one a day?

Thanks so much for your support. 

[ChinchillAZ]

He'd be perfectly fine without treats.  Mine get a treats every few days, if then.  When you give treats, it can cause stomach upset, so I think that not giving them for awhile would be a sounds idea.

[Jo Ann]

A chinchilla's poop should be soft, yet firm and plenty of it, but not "squishy" or "sticky" (stick to the feet and shelves/hut/fur).   

     If the poop is small and/or dry and not as many as normal, that is a sign of dehydration and/or the chin's system trying to shut down.  The poop, if fresh, should never feel completely dry or hard.

     If you can see/feel the spine of the chin (or what looks like a hump down the center of the back), that is also a sign of dehydration.  Pydelite is needed and probably, to be safe, a visit to the vet.

     If your little one is use to treats, I would give it one or two a day, as normal, but not any more than that ... chins do not like change.

     Many times, as a rule, a vet will advise you to put a chinchilla on water and hay only, to help get it's system back to normal.

    Unless it is on antibiotics.  If it is on antibiotics, it must have something to replenish the good bacteria in the digestive tract ... acidophilus or live culture yogurt is used for that ... half way between doses of the meds (at least 3 hours apart).

 
Jo Ann

[Jenova]

Cheers JoAnne.
His poo was a lot smaller and it was hard. I was so worried but I kept a close eye on him for 24 hours, he had twice the amount of dried papaya he usually gets which is his daily treat. I was ready to take him to the vet if it didn't clear up but I let him out as usual and his trail of poo was looking like it was getting back to it's normal size. Last night I had a new cardboard box to put in his cage (without hay this time) and when I put it in he immediately jumped in and left a little pile of perfect back to normal poo for me. I've never been so happy to see poo! 
Thanks for the support. I am keeping a close eye on him still and I'm ready to notice any small change in him.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I've never been so happy to see poo!

I've said that myself a few times and laughed.

[jmrothermel]

Only in a chinchilla forum can you talk so much about poo and love it!

 

Jacqui