Chewing vs. Eating

[Llittlebllonde]

Like most chins Sprocket explores with her teeth. Despite chin proofing her play space she inevitably finds something to chew on.

She appears to be eating anything she can get a chunk of. I never find chunks of the things she chews. I am convinced she is eating most all of it.

Her favorite is anything sponge rubberish. Usually Stray flip flops, and my iPad case if she can sneak up on me. I provide her with plenty of unbleached cardboard and a paper bag or two during playa time yet she has never nibbled any of those. She of course chews the only shelf available and also has an affinity for sticky labels she finds on plastic boxes used to close off her playa space. Her cage has of safe wood chews.

My concern is potential for blockage of her intestinal track and constipation. I have yet to see any white chunks of the flip flop she ate In her poop. Is it just building up in there? She is a regular pooper but she is new to my care and I don't know what normal poop looks like or how big it should be. Only one out of twenty looks like the classic discription of constipated poop dark, skinny, with pointed ends. Most of her poops are dry, dark, rounded ends, and about the size of mouse poop. It is much smaller than I expected. I think I was expecting more along the size of rat poop.

Any input would be very helpful!

Thanks

 

[Amethyst]

I don't consider an area chin proof if there is anything harmful they can chew on, the ipad case I understand, but the area should be completely free of inappropriate items like shoes, flip flops, plastic items, and stuff like that. A better idea then cardboard would be wood toys like willow balls, sticks, bamboo crunchers, vine toys, basically things that are more interesting and will help wear down teeth. If you are handy you could also make chin sized play structures, to give you some ideas Simply Chintastic makes some, as well as I've seen these play platforms. I know you said that she doesn't touch it but if she does chew the cardboard and swallows it it can cause a blockage too.

There is a very real likelihood the pieces swallowed are forming a blockage, which could be causing smaller poops since there is less room around the blockage. Chin poop is normally bigger then a mouse poop, but smaller then a rat's, around 1/4 inch-1/2 inch long average. The size varies slightly on time of day, but shouldn't be small all the time. Also the poop should be slightly damp when it first comes out, and have a little give to it, but dry completely quickly, it shouldn't crumble or be rock hard. You should see whatever they ate within 12-24 hours of them eating it, it's possible the chucks may have been small and she passed them in the poop. How is she eating, drinking, and moving? Is she eating both her pellets and hay? You also say she is a regular pooper, just to clarify, chins poop every 30-60 seconds, that is what she is doing?
The best way to tell for sure if there is something going on would be to get a abdominal x-ray at the vet. However if she is eating, drinking and everything normally she may have swallowed tiny pieces that passed inside the poop without you seeing them.

 

[Llittlebllonde]

Thanks for your reply. I unfortunately don't have the luxury of having a chin only room. Her play space is my living room with barriers around the base boards and furniture. The flip flops are often on my feet when she sneaks a bite.

She is not showing any signs of blockage other than the poop I dicribed. Sometimes she poops every 30 seconds and sometimes it is only every 1 to 2 minutes. She is eating pellets hay and dandilion drops as well as drinking fine.

How long dose it take to build up a full blockage? What other signs would I see?

 

[Amethyst]

Ok I guess I misunderstood a bit on the situation. If the flip flops are on your feet then chances are she doesn't sit there and and gnaw on them then right? Tiny pieces should pass, but for the future don't wear the flip flops. You could try getting a play pen instead to make sure she only has access to safe things, there are a lot of people that do that since they don't have a chin safe room for play. At the very least don't bring anything into the area the chin shouldn't chew on, that includes the ipad if the case is a chewing risk, playtime is suppose to be time spend with your chin, as well as exercise, and they can get into trouble very quickly if you aren't watching. Think of them like a very mobile baby/toddler human, they put all kinds of things in there mouths and don't know better, it's up to you to make sure the area they are exploring is free of bad items.

How long it takes a blockage to fully form really depends on the chin (size, how much they drink, eating habits, etc), the material it's swallowed, and how often it's eating bad things. Signs would include lack of appetite, laying around, or curling up from pain, basically it'll look like a stomachache, also small poop and then little to no poop.
However that being said, those dandelion drops are not chin safe treats. They contain way too much sugar (sugar is the first ingredient) and chins don't have the ability to process sugars very well at all. Also they contain dairy, chins can't digest dairy, they are strict grass herbivores, meaning no fruit, veggies, nuts, dairy, meat, or other animal products. The makers of them, Vitakraft, are a terrible company, for chinchillas especially, I think they just research rodent and assume all are the same. Back to the point though, those alone could cause messed up poop, as well as a whole bunch of other issues. Stop the dandelion drops and see how she does.

 

[Llittlebllonde]

Stopped the dandilion drops and started to give apple orchard sticks. She loves them and her poop has become plumper.

As far as playtimes goes I have started using Bitter Apple spray. The first night I sprayed it she refused to come out of her cage. This was very unusuall. Tonight she came out but as she has less things to chew on the stolen item count goes up. Lucky for me she makes a mad dash for her cage with the items. I can't imagine putting her in a play pen, she has so much fun climbing and exploring. She often jumps up in my lap or perches on my feet. While I may have the iPad out it is often to try and get her picture. I have to watch her like a hawk, she doesn't chew on any of my junk furniture, just the antiques. She has very little interest in cloth items but will jump up on the table and run off with paper and tonight she found a travel size empty shampoo bottle in a box she jumped in, mind you a box she ignored until I started using the bitter apple spray. It's always 2 steps forward one step back.

Thanks for your input and advice.

 

[Shenanigans]

Id be wary about spraying anything around her. Chins have delicate respiratory systems from what I've heard- where you shouldnt even burn scented candles near them. I dont know what chemicals and all that you may be introducing to her-even if it's safe for other animals it may still be toxic to chins. Lots of things rabbits and guinea pigs are fine with are bad for chins.
It sounds like you need to chin proof her area more- before playtime take out ANYTHING you can from the area- if it's there she'll chew it. Find other places to put the box of stuff, temporarily move papers. If you cant do that and actually chin proof the area, you should do the playpen thing. She may have less fun, but she wont die from eating something. That sounds harsh, but as her owner your responsible for what she can get into. Also, if it's a large enough playpen you can sit in with her.