Hello! I have a chinchilla and he has had diarrhea for nearly a month. I am from Greece, so as you may know, there are no exotic vets here and nobody can diagnose what may chinchilla is suffering from. No parasites have been detected and one vet prescribed the medicine "florentero" in order for the flora of his intestine to come back to normal and the antibacterial medicine "baytril". None of them worked so the vet suggested that I proceed with "baktrimel" which deals with some parasites that appear in the intestine but cannot be detected by the usual microscope. I am desperate, I do not know what else to do. Please help me. I would be very grateful!! Thank you!
Diarrhea
- Thread starter vasi
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Stackie
I bite.
What do you feed him? Brand of pellets? What kind of treats does he get?
Is your chinchilla lethargic at all? Is he eating normally?
Does the diarrhea have any smell or unusual color? Mucousy, slimey, etc.?
Is your chinchilla lethargic at all? Is he eating normally?
Does the diarrhea have any smell or unusual color? Mucousy, slimey, etc.?
Thank you for your reply. I feed him hay and "Charlie" dry food http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/chinchillacare/gr/prcharliechin.htm
I stopped giving him any treats when the diarrhea occured. His behavior seems normal, he is playfull and he eats normally. The diarrhea is dark brown, in the beggining it had a bad smell but now I can't smell anything, but his poop still isn't hard and firm as it is supposed to be.
I stopped giving him any treats when the diarrhea occured. His behavior seems normal, he is playfull and he eats normally. The diarrhea is dark brown, in the beggining it had a bad smell but now I can't smell anything, but his poop still isn't hard and firm as it is supposed to be.
The food you are feeding is very bad for chinchillas. Pretty much any feed in a pet store is not recommended, unless it's Oxbow. You need to get your chin off that food immediately.
If it was me, I would pull the pellets and give nothing but good quality timothy/alfalfa hay until your chin's stomach settles down. After a week or so, try introducing a good quality pellet. Also be sure that your water is from a good source. I use reverse osmosis, other people use filtered water.
If you check the nutrition section, you will find many threads that give the names of good quality feeds that are safe and healthy for your chin.
If it was me, I would pull the pellets and give nothing but good quality timothy/alfalfa hay until your chin's stomach settles down. After a week or so, try introducing a good quality pellet. Also be sure that your water is from a good source. I use reverse osmosis, other people use filtered water.
If you check the nutrition section, you will find many threads that give the names of good quality feeds that are safe and healthy for your chin.
Probiotics
I have read that in order to bring the "good" flora of his intestine back, it would be good to get some probiotics. Can I give him probiotics without the suggestion of a vet or not? I forgot to mention that the vet said that my chin has gases, I do not know if it matters but I mention it anyway. It is my first pet and I am so nervous about his disease because I am so much in love with him!
I have read that in order to bring the "good" flora of his intestine back, it would be good to get some probiotics. Can I give him probiotics without the suggestion of a vet or not? I forgot to mention that the vet said that my chin has gases, I do not know if it matters but I mention it anyway. It is my first pet and I am so nervous about his disease because I am so much in love with him!
Cuddlebug
Well-known member
If he has gas (bloat), you can give him up to one dropperful of baby simethicone every 4 hours. They usually love the taste so giving it won't be too hard to do.
Cuddlebug
Well-known member
Yes, It will be safe. The simethicone actually breaks down in the stomach while it does its thing, making it hard to OD on it.
How is your chin doing now? Does he still have diarrhea? If yes, you can try oreganol.
Mix one drop of oreganol with 1 teaspoon of syringe feed (dry product mixed with water). If you do not have a syringe feed, you can grind alfalfa (coffee grinder). Give your chin about 1/6-1/5 teaspoon of this mixture twice a day for 3-6 days (best if prepared fresh for each use). Also, you should get probiotics and offer them 3 hours before/after using oreganol.
Can not guarantee that it will help your chin. But when I used it in a situation that sounds similar to what you described, it only took 1-2 days to see the improvement, and I used it for 3 or 4 days.
Mix one drop of oreganol with 1 teaspoon of syringe feed (dry product mixed with water). If you do not have a syringe feed, you can grind alfalfa (coffee grinder). Give your chin about 1/6-1/5 teaspoon of this mixture twice a day for 3-6 days (best if prepared fresh for each use). Also, you should get probiotics and offer them 3 hours before/after using oreganol.
Can not guarantee that it will help your chin. But when I used it in a situation that sounds similar to what you described, it only took 1-2 days to see the improvement, and I used it for 3 or 4 days.
everything ok so far!
Hello! I did not have access to a computer lately, so I could not share with you my happiness about my Mickey who seems to be fine the last week..The diarrhea has stop and now the only thing that remains to be 'fixed' is the size of his feces which are sometimes small ..I suppose this is due to the medicines he has received and that he will be sound soon!
Hello! I did not have access to a computer lately, so I could not share with you my happiness about my Mickey who seems to be fine the last week..The diarrhea has stop and now the only thing that remains to be 'fixed' is the size of his feces which are sometimes small ..I suppose this is due to the medicines he has received and that he will be sound soon!
