small poop :(

[Doombunny]

One of our chins, Willow, seems plagued with small poop. it seems to come and go, but I've done enough lurking here to know that this is a serious issue that we should try to resolve. She is acting normal enough (which isn't really an indicator, I know )

During playtime last night, I had an opportunity to verify it was Willow (we have two chins, and they live in the same (large) cage) and got a sample. They did appear to be smaller and drier than normal...I took a picture with a dime for reference, but the camera battery died before I could DL it.

I'm trying to work out what is causing it through process of elimination (hah); we have suspended their nightly treat (a small square of plain shredded wheat), but it appears we will need to treat this -then- observe so we can avoid it happening again. Can gas/constipation just spontaneously happen?

Further info:
Pellets - Purina Rabbit Chow Show, used to be on PANR pellets
Hay - Timothy in an external hay rack
Water consumption - appears normal. Dont see them drink much, but they go through 4-6 oz every 2 days
Additional - Whenever they have cardboard chew toys, I swear it looks like they are eating it. Is this normal, and could it cause these kinds of problems?

I have a number of questions about this:

1) Since I've never seen a sample, how do I look for gas bubbles in thier poop? if it has a rough texture, should I assume gas, or would that be normal considering thier diet?
2) I've seen some references to massaging their bellies; what is the technique for this?

Thanks for any info you can offer. I would like to try to resolve this at home, but I am prepared to take Willow to the vet IMMEDIATELY if necessary.

 

[CJR]

Sometimes chinchillas have odd poop. The only information I can give is how to check for gas in their poops. Take a fresh one, as soon as it falls out of the bum, and break it in half. If it has little holes in it (looks kind of like swiss cheese) then there is gas. A good thing to help gas is simethicone, which you can find in any store with a baby section. It is used to treat gas in babies and it works in chinchillas too.

Please keep us updated.

 

[Doombunny]

One other question:

regarding the firmness of chin bellies and bloat, is there some sort of scale to use? I'm not sure what normal is, so I have no basis of comparison. Is there something like the chin/nose/forehead scale of cooked meat?

 

[Doombunny]

update:

Checked for gas bubbles from a fresh sample, didnt see any (and I broke out a magnifying glass).
Willow is behaving the same as she usually does (more active than tara, a little more skittish, generally dominant)
Poop sizes have gone up to normal/small side of normal, but I see evidence of too-small poop.
Poop production is UP, because they share food bowls, see below
Have started adding lifeline to pellets using supplement guidelines (1/8th tsp 2-3 times a week. only added once so far, plan to do this for a month).

Honestly, it seems to be cyclical with her. I'll be keeping an eye on it but she seems healthy and happy otherwise.