Chinny eating... poop?!!!!!

[Pikaia]

Ok, this morning I got up to check on my chins. Tia was sitting on one of her shelves and I noticed she was eating something. She was holding and eating a piece of poop!!! Should I be concerned about this?!!!

She has plenty of hay, pellets and water. Can't imagine her being hungry or anything like that. Is it like a dog eating poop? I am a little worried...

 

[Kalandra]

Its perfectly normal. Its called coprophagy. The feces she ate is actually very important to her. Chinchillas will have this "special" type of soft feces that they defecate, it is a supposed to be rich in nutrients. So while it seems gross, it is very normal for her to do this.

 

[Claire D]

Nothing to worry about at all.
Caecotrophy is part of natural chinchilla behaviour. It is something which hindgut fermenters do - if you do a search online you'll find lots of info on it - basically they "recycle" certain soft droppings (caecotrophs) to get all of the nutrients out of them. It's part of the normal digestive processes for a chinchilla. :yes:


ETA: Posted at the same time as Julie.

 

[Pikaia]

oh whew! Just wanted to make sure! Thanks Kalandra!

 

[Pikaia]

Thanks Claire.. I had no idea. I am gonna look up some information on it!

 

[StevieP]

If I vacuum out my cages every night would that prevent chins from getting the caecotrophs? Do they get to them shortly after they poop them out or just as they find them?

 

[Pikaia]

Good question Steve!! I bet they have the chance to get them before you vacuum. I sweep mine out every night too and she still managed to get one!

 

[Stackie]

If I vacuum out my cages every night would that prevent chins from getting the caecotrophs? Do they get to them shortly after they poop them out or just as they find them?

They usually grab them as soon as they come out. Ever seen your chin bend over quickly and then look like he's chewing something? Fresh out of the oven....

 

[Zompter]

Yep, it's OK. Actually all rodents do this, it's part of their digestion process. They only partially digest their food so by eating the poop they get extra nutrients.

 

[Pikaia]

They usually grab them as soon as they come out. Ever seen your chin bend over quickly and then look like he's chewing something? Fresh out of the oven....

OMG! LOL Stackie!!

 

[Maia]

I usually just pretend I didn't see him do it! LOL

 

[Jenn]

my chin will usually pull one out herself and begin to chomp away. I just turn my head and tell myself that this is completely normal, even if it is a bit gross! Lol

 

[Mummypig]

They usually grab them as soon as they come out. Ever seen your chin bend over quickly and then look like he's chewing something? Fresh out of the oven....

:rofl: that is hillarious. I tell my girls they're not being very lady-like but they still do it :vomit: I'm so glad I'm not a chinchilla sometimes.