Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Health => Topic started by: RickyG48 on December 26, 2015, 12:43:02 AM
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We are new owners just coming up on a week. Her poop was solid when we first got her home and until we gave her treats. It is still solid in form but slightly wet. I don't think we should be worried (have pulled her pellets and stopped treats already) but what I read makes it seem like anything but dry and a vet visit should be in your mind. As I said hey poop is still solid just slightly soft. Just looking for info. Also when giving water what is best (bottled, distilled, tap okay)? Thank you for responses.
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Is the poop staining the shelves or can be smeared easily? Chinchilla poop is usually pretty hard after a minute but it will be just slightly slick when it first comes out. It should not be mushy or stain. The fur around the tail should have no fecal matter on it although it's normal for there to be some slight staining on the fur. Unfortunately without a healthy chinchilla to compare it to it's a judgment call. If the poop is staining the shelves or smearing to a light touch I recommend going to the vet and having a fecal culture to check for parasites. Tell your vet that coccidia, even if there is a trace of it, can be problematic.
As for watering I don't recommend straight tap water. I give my chinchillas filtered tap water. Bottled drinking water is fine. There's some controversy over distilled water but distilled water is fine as well.
I also recommend putting pellets back after three days if there is no change and you think your pet is healthy. A chinchilla that is relocated may have some slightly abnormal feces the first week you have it. Of course if it gets worse see a vet and check for parasites which can be deadly if left unchecked. They're not very common but it's easy to test for. Also weigh your chinchilla and log its weight about once a week. You're going to see some fluctuations within the first week or two because chins are usually very stressed right after relocation.
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You've done the thing pulling the pellets. Are you feeding the same pellets as the previous home? What treats (and how many) were you using? I use filtered water to avoid high chlorine and parasites (which can be spread through water)