Hard Small Dry Poop

[kellylynnmarie]

Splinter has been ill for a little bit but he's on the up-swing and doing great. Starting to eat regular food, other than the Critical Care he's been on for about a month. The only abnormal thing is that his poop is a little less (but not by much) and it's about half the size of normal, and it seems dry and hard to touch. Any thoughts on how to get him pooping normal again? I'm trying to not only have fresh water available all the time (as usual), but encouraging him by offering him water several times a day too. I've thought about BeneBac... Other thoughts?

 

[ticklechin]

Is the weight steady?

 

[kellylynnmarie]

It seems to be now (over the last 2-3 weeks)... but it wasn't. He had lost a lot of weight while dealing with dental issues. I think he's slowing gaining some back. But he's still in a healthy range for chins.

 

[kellylynnmarie]

I'm wondering if it's hydration... I noticed that his water bottle isn't going down much. I'm hoping that he's getting hydrated enough with the water used in his critical food and I'm trying to put drops on my finger and he licks them off. Other thoughts? Is pedialyte something to try???

 

[kellylynnmarie]

I tried some Pedialyte... 1) he loves drinking it straight from a syringe (no forcing necessary) and 2) his poops are back to normal size... still looking a little dry, but getting better already!!!

 

[Cuddlebug]

I would not give pedialyte. It contains sugar and can cause digestive issues.

Chins don't normally drink a lot of water. If you are concerned about his fluid intake, try syringing him water instead of pedialyte.

Small hard poop is a sign of constipation and possibly the beginnings of stasis. Try giving the chinchilla more hay. The fiber in they hay should help.

 

[kellylynnmarie]

Any suggestions for hydration???

 

[Cuddlebug]

I just added to my above post.

I just thought of something. Stress can cause small, hard poos. Once he is over the stress of his ordeal, his poo may return to normal on its own.

 

[kellylynnmarie]

Also... I have the Unflavored kind... Which means there are no artificial colors/flavors which would mean less sugar than the flavored kinds, right??

Ingredients are:

Water, Dextrose. Less than 2% of the Following: Potassium Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, and Zinc Gluconate.

PEDIALYTE PROVIDES (PER LITER): Sodium, mEq: 45; Potassium, mEq: 20; Chloride, mEq: 35; Zinc, mg: 7.8; Dextrose, g: 25; Calories: 100;

 

[kellylynnmarie]

Got it! More hay! Less stress! And I'll try to get him to take some water with the syringe. I also feel like he's getting sufficient water from mixing it with the Critical Care food. Right?

 

[Cuddlebug]

Yes, he is getting water from the critical care so he would not drink as much as he would if her was not being handfed.

 

[kellylynnmarie]

Ok great!! And I noticed that his poops now seem to be the right size, not as hard, just a bit dry. So hopefully he's feeling better!