Chronically small poops

[Tillygizmo]

So our young guy (10 months) , Charger, has had small poops ever since we got him about 4 months ago. They are plentiful in number, but about half the size of a regular chin poo. He eats pellets and hay normally (oxbow) (poland spring). We have tried giving him some gas drops but it doesnt seem to help, and neither does restricting him to pellets or hay. Once in awhile they come around a bit bigger for no apparent reason, but then revert back. Can some chins just have small poops forever? Or should I get him checked by a vet?

 

[Directorthiang]

My new young chin, Dash, had the same problem when I first got him and two things helped--one, I stopped giving him pellets and treats for about a week. With only hay, his poop became much more consistent in frequency and size, and began to get moist and plump as it ought to be. I also changed his pellets from some blend that the rescue provided to PANR, and only give him one tablespoon of it a DAY.

Now his poop is big and moist and he seems very, very content. Good luck!

 

[Quinley]

One of my boys have smaller poops than the others. Not sure which one though as they all live in the same cage and I never got worried enough to investigate. Basically unless your little boy exhibits other symptoms I would not worry too much about it. :thumbsup:

 

[musherbob]

small droppings

I would make sure the your animal is getting plenty of water and hay.
Bob

 

[musherbob]

small poops

I would quit giving the gas drops.Just keep it simple,water,hay,and feed.Give it a few days to see if his droppings are getting back to normal.
Bob Ducey
Colorado Branch of Empress Chinchilla

 

[Tillygizmo]

Unfortunately, we are past the point of trying these few things. We have tried in the four months we had him to keep it simple with only food hay and water (which we monitor and he gets enough of). We have done this on and off trying to supplement with other hays also. We have tried the gas drops once or twice too.

The only thing we havent tried is only having him on hay...

 

[alli713]

Some chins just have different size poop than others. If it's consistently small, but plentiful in number, I'd be inclined not to worry. Unless they're super tiny and hard, then I would think there could be a problem, but with just a smaller size, it could be nothing.

It could also be the food he's on. Sometimes some chins do better on different foods. I've had chin poop size get larger when I've switched to a different feed.

 

[Brittney]

One of my boys have smaller poops than the others. Not sure which one though as they all live in the same cage and I never got worried enough to investigate. Basically unless your little boy exhibits other symptoms I would not worry too much about it. :thumbsup:

I agree. One of my boys has smaller poops than my other boy, but I do know which one. Both are healthy as a horse, just the way he digests. I find when they are out during playtime their poops become more frequent because they are moving around and getting things moving. If you are worried he isn't getting enough water you can mix a bit of the simethicone with some water for the taste (My boys seem to love the taste of the simethicone) and have him lap it from an eye dropper to ensure he is staying hydrated. If they are very small, like pebble size, and simethicone, stomach massages, and playtime aren't getting things flowing, then a trip to the vet might be in order.

 

[Brittney]

I snapped a pic of both my boys' poops. On the left are Ande's presents, and the right, Bryson's.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/Britt32190/050-1.jpg

 

[AZChins]

Have you tried giving him some probiotic? Sometimes that helps get the gut going properly. With chins that have a problem like this I will give them some papaya cubes a few times a week, that helps a little.

I hope things normalize soon. I don't know if you need the simethicone now...if he isn't gassy, it doesn't seem like it would be necessary. Although, sometimes the simethicone seems to lubricate things a bit.

 

[addictedtochins]

I also changed his pellets from some blend that the rescue provided to PANR, and only give him one tablespoon of it a DAY.

Is that enough? My boys have free choice, and probably eat 2-3 times that amount.

 

[Directorthiang]

Is that enough? My boys have free choice, and probably eat 2-3 times that amount.

If I gave my guys free range at the pellets, they'd probably eat three times as much, also--they certainly prefer the pellets to the hay--but that was the problem; Dash was eating only pellets, not the hay, and that was causing the small, hard poop that might have led to an impaction down the road.

Many vets would advocate that a chinchilla needs only hay with a bit of pellets to supplement vitamin intake to be healthy. The hay is the closest food to what they would eat in the wild, and it provides more digestible fiber to allow better bowel movements.

By limiting the availability of pellets, it forces Dash to eat more hay to keep things moving. If he didn't have the issue of small poops, though, I'd give him free range of both hay and pellets, so I'm not saying this is the solution for ALL chinchillas--but maybe for the ones like my Dash with digestion problems.

 

[Tillygizmo]

I have tried probiotics and it seems that it doesnt make ANY difference. He is on Oxbow (and was on PANR shortly) since we have had him. Any suggestions for food that might loosen him up more from experience? Mazuri maybe?

Also, where can I get papaya cubes? This week we are trying the only hay thing, but he seems a little sleepier than usual and I dont know if it is me being paranoid or if he actually is being affected by less vitamin intake.

 

[AZChins]

You could try the Mazuri. I know that I hardly ever seen a chin with small droppings on it here. I'm not sure if eating only hay is a great idea, I'd try giving him at least a couple tablespoons of pellets. I doubt it would help much to give just hay since pellets are mostly hay anyway (or at least should be mostly hay.)

 

[Directorthiang]

You could try the Mazuri. I know that I hardly ever seen a chin with small droppings on it here. I'm not sure if eating only hay is a great idea, I'd try giving him at least a couple tablespoons of pellets. I doubt it would help much to give just hay since pellets are mostly hay anyway (or at least should be mostly hay.)

Pellets are a combination of hay, vitamins, and other substances to help keep them in compact form. They are by no means bad for chins, but if a chin is suffering from minor constipation (small poops), providing more grass fiber as opposed to the compact pellets is supposed to be easier to digest.

Worked for Dash, and the vet said that I had done exactly the right thing by restricting the pellets until the poop cleared up. Again, though, that was my experience and my vets' advice. Your chin may have a different condition than mine...

 

[AZChins]

I've seen chins go both ways. Sometimes only getting hay will be something a chin's digestive system doesn't react well to and it can result in constipation. Lots of people restrict pellets in order to clear up diarrhea.

The best thing to do with any chin is to be very gradual with changes to diet unless the diet is just bad to begin with in the first place. If having the chin eat less pellets is the goal, give less every day but don't make the chin go off pellets or have a drastically diminished amount. The reaction of a digestive system can be very severe to having such a great change right away.

Most of the time when a rescue comes in with small droppings I just have to give them a little probiotic and some life line along with maybe a piece of papaya cube. I'm sure that their condition probably isn't as chronic as the little guy from this thread. In this case I am not sure what could be done besides making him eat more of everything and make his digestive system work harder at digestion.

 

[Quinley]

This week we are trying the only hay thing, but he seems a little sleepier than usual and I dont know if it is me being paranoid or if he actually is being affected by less vitamin intake.

Is your little guy still stuck in the damp basement???? :hair: :banghead:
:wacko:

I second Brittney's suggestion about the stomach massage. :thumbsup:

 

[Rickman]

I know when I switched the herd from a Mazuri/Calfmanna mix to PANR, their poo size almost doubled. Although all gained 10-15% in weight, I was concerned enough about their comfort to switch to Tradition, and everything went back to normal.
If he was mine, I'd try mixing LifeLine into a paste, and let him eat his fill for a week [once a day] - just to rule out digestive problems.

 

[Azure Chinchillas]

What this chin needs is a good basic diet (quality pellets and hay) - few treats (if any) - and to stop "chopping-and-changing" the diet.

Keep the diet basic and keep it consistant. Find a GOOD brand and stick with it!!


It can take months to undo the damage a poor (or inconsistant) diet can cause.

 

[cintistatern2005]

Do you just give the papaya cubes fresh? And how much?