Soft Poo

[samzhao23]

Hi Guys,

I just received my chin, Louie, 2 days ago from a local breeder. I have been monitoring his food/water consumption. He eats his food (the breeder gave me some that she used with him), but seems to drink only a little bit of water (I use filtered water). Just last night, his poo is a little soft and smaller than it was when he was with the breeder. It still has a solid shape, but you can squeeze it and it'll flatten out.

Is this something normal for a chin as he is adapting to his new environment or should I start getting worried if it doesn't become harder in a few days?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Chinniechantel]

Are you giving him unlimited timothy hay? You always should be doing that. It is normal for a chin to take a while to adjust to a new home, and they can have smaller or runny poo. Chins don't drink much water, as long as he is drinking that is a good sign. If he does not get better than I would call the breeder- heck I would call the breeder anyway and see what they suggest. Good luck!

 

[samzhao23]

Thanks for the quick reply, yes he has unlimited access to Oxbow Timothy Hay. I've been reading a lot on the website and I'm following all the basics when it comes to food/water/housing/treats. I will call the breeder tonight and see what she says, thanks!

 

[Sugarmama]

How old is your chin, and what kind of food is he on?

 

[samzhao23]

The chin was born on 4/3/09 and he's on a rabbit feed I got from the breeder. I checked his poop before I brought him home and it was fine. The poop is not runny or anything just a little soft.

 

[Sugarmama]

They can get some softer poos when they are stressed. You can give a half of unsweetened shreddie, that can help firm up poo.

 

[Carol~Anne]

One of my newer boys had very soft poop after I brought him home. I think it started about three or four days after I got him and although the soft poop made a mess of his shelves, it wasn't that big of a deal. I knew he was stressed b/c of being in a new environment as well as I was switching him from junk food to a high quality pellet. I was also giving him a little bit of supplement like I gave my other boys but decided to cut it out and just stick to the pellets and hay as well as I added acidopholis (sp?) to his pellets to help with his upset belly. By day four or so his poops really firmed up and he was fine. He's got the biggest and nicest looking poops you've ever seen now, lol.

 

[samzhao23]

An update on the situation. His poop is still soft, the shape is solid looking, but right after it comes out it's moist and you can squish it pretty easily. He also does not eat much of his food and hay. A lot of the hay is just pulled onto the ground and if I give him a handful of food, more than half of it remains after a day. He also appears to have lost some weight as his body looks smaller. I'm not sure if it's because of the exercise he's getting at the cage (it's much bigger than his old one) or purely because of his food intake.

Please offer me some more advices! Thanks

 

[6Dusters]

A normal fresh chin poo will holds it shape and can be squished flat. Like stepping on one thats fallen out of the cage. Or.....if you pick one up and squish it between your fingers. A chin with soft poo to me is a poo that appears like a "splat". It leaves the chins body and he steps in it and it smears like a paste. Sticks to ledges ect. More often then not, this problem can take some days if a few weeks to manage. Can clear up on its own with your help or the animal may need to see a vet right away depending on the poo consistancy.

One can really not see a change in weight day by day. Unless it's been over a weeks time or so and the animal is not well. A good gram scale can help you monitor weight.

I'll give you an example of weight falling off quickly on one of my animals. Chin was eating. Chin was drinking. But chin was gagging over a raisen treat here and there. I thought she was eating it too quickly. Within two weeks she had visibly lost enough to concern me without weighing her. Problem: back molars had to be ground down. She regained her weight in the weeks to come.


I also want to add a warning about some pet store wood product treats. I have had a chin with runny poo after giving a wood chew with bark. And a local friend had given a willow treat from a pet store and had a terrible poo episode. Do I think all pet store chews are bad? No. But I think there are chins that have very sensative stomachs. If you experience a poo problem you should ask yourself if you had offered your animal one of those. A few years back I began to cut and process my own apple wood. I never had that happen again.