Chin's stool is loose

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w316axm

New member
Joined
May 20, 2017
Messages
1
Location
Springfield
Hello Everyone,
I am a new chinchilla owner, after intensive research. We just got our male chinchilla (Chilli) about a week ago. We got our chinchilla from a petstore, I tried to adopt but there were none available in our area. I kept the food pellets the same as they were using in the store, according to the sales rep. We were feeding him treats, such as dandelion drops (fed him two and after reading about them gave them to a hamster owner), cheerios, a bag with mixed nuts and fruits, and oats to have him warm up to us. He seems to be a young chinchilla, based on what I can tell and the store rep. Now a week later he has loose stool, they are sticky and sticking to his fur on the bottom. We did get him a larger cage, so he was moved (not sure if this could be a factor) I am not sure what to do and what is the best options for him. We have discontinued the treats (as of today, we just noticed this) but are there other options and suggestions to try to ensure he stays healthy. Any responses and suggestion will be greatly appreciated for the new addition to our family.
Thank you.
 
Since this is a new chin from a petstore, I would have him checked at a vet, giardia outbreaks from pet stores are common after the stress of the situation.
 
As said the first thing to do would get a vet check. Giardia is found in tap water, since chins have such sensitive digestive systems even an amount safe for humans can cause issues in a chin. If you don't already you want to be giving your chin filtered water not straight tap water. It is possible the loose poop is just caused by stress, but especially since the chin came from a pet store I would get him checked out. You can try pulling the pellets, and just give hay to see if the increase in fiber helps (it works for some chins, if it's just stress) while you find a chin knowledgeable vet.

Another thing is not only are the yogurt drops no good you also don't want to be giving any nuts or fruits, also no vegetables, seeds, or animal products. A cheerio a couple times a week is ok, or a oat, oats you really need to be careful with since they require calcium to digest so if you give too many you can end up with a calcium deficiency. Treats in general really should be only given a the max one a day. A much better option for bonding that you can give unlimited is chew sticks and twigs, hand selected pieces of hay, or hay cubes. Also if the chin is still young, like under 6 months to a year, he should be just getting his pellets and hay (grass hay and alfalfa), with chew sticks and select hay as "treats" so he is getting only good food for growing.

You didn't mention hay, hay is very important, it's really a chin's main food (roughly 70-75%), so it should always be available and is required for getting enough fiber in their diet. You also didn't mention what the pellet food is, it should be a high quality pellet only food, no added "treats" mixed in.
 
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