Darn It - Should Have Went to the Vet Sooner - Probably Giardia

[Angelyco]

I just need somewhere to vent for a little bit, bear with me please.

I just got my first two chinchillas within the last few weeks - we got Pearl about 3.5 weeks ago, and got Diamond a little over 2 weeks ago. Pearl is fine right now, she's always had dry, hard poop, normal size from what I can tell.

Diamond's poop has always been bigger than Pearl's, but I attributed that to her being older and bigger than Pearl. Diamond's poop was always just a little wet coming out, but dried quickly and still seemed hard.

I had been meaning to take them both to the vet just for check-ups and make sure they're in good health, but I've been really busy the past few weeks and just kept putting it off. A few days ago, I had searched CnH for info about her wet/sticky poop and found some posts about Giardia. Her poop didn't smell and wasn't squishy, so I wasn't too worried.

Last night during playtime, I picked up one of her poops and it squished slightly. It still didn't smell, though. I just came home from work a couple hours ago, and their cage (and fur) had smeared poop everywhere, and it SMELLS. I can't believe how fast it changed. Pearl's poop still seems to be okay.

For now, we cleaned all the surfaces in the cage and took everything out that couldn't be easily cleaned (took all the wood things and cuddle cup out, and threw away the Chew Tube thing). Both of the emergency vets near me don't take exotics or small animals, and the vet I was going to take them to was already closed for the night. I'm going to call first thing in the morning.

Is there anything I can do tonight? We took their food dish out since they tend to poop in it, but left the hay and water bottle. With some effort, I could free up our rat cage to separate them, but I figure they've already been together this whole time, so Pearl is probably going to have to be treated anyway, and hopefully getting them both to the vet tomorrow. Should I still separate them?

Diamond's fur is getting really bad with smeared and stuck poop that won't come off easily, anything I can do for that? It's taking a long time to dry.

Sorry for the long post, I'm just very frustrated that Diamond has probably been sick since we got her, and now it's going to cost a pretty penny. I appreciate any feedback.

 

[StevieP]

No need to seperate them, its probably too late. Your vet should treat both chins for giardia if the fecal comes back positive for one chin.

You are going to want to replace everything wood in your cage. Giardia is hard to kill so replacing the wood is the best bet. Clean the cage/change bedding every day while they are being treated.

I know it is frustrating, but it could be worse. Let us know what the vet says.

 

[Pikaia]

Wow! I can't offer any advice, but I sure hope your chins get better!!

Keep us updated..

 

[Claire D]

What are you feeding these chins on?
Have they been getting treats?
Did you get them from the same place & did they come with a supply of their own food?
How old are they both?

Pull all the pellets & give them fresh, good quality hay only.
Ensure they are drinking well.
Do you have any probiotics you can add to the water?
Activated charcoal (capsules) are good to use too - break one open & add a pinch to a 1/2 mini shredded wheat.

 

[Angelyco]

I don't remember exactly which brand of food it is, the original bag ripped when we first opened it so it's in a ziploc. I think it's Kaytee though, plain timothy hay pellets, no little treat bits or anything in it. They also get loose timothy hay, and alfalfa cubes.

We haven't given them any treats in about a week, and when we did, it was only one raisin each, twice a week.

They both came from PetSmart, but they did not come in together. Pearl was by herself, Diamond came in with two others and came about a week apart. They did not provide food.

I don't know their exact ages, when I got Pearl, I was told all their rodents are 4-6 months, and when I got Diamond, they weren't even that specific, just said they were adolescent. Diamond is either full grown or close to it, Pearl is much smaller. I would guess Pearl is about 6 months old, and Diamond less than a year.

I pulled the pellet dish last night so they wouldn't poop in it, and left the hay. I believe Diamond usually drinks a lot of water, since the water bottle goes down MUCH much faster since I put the two together. I was a little concerned about that when I first got her, but I didn't know how much they usually drink.

Unfortunately I don't have any probiotics or charcoal, but I'm going to call the vet shortly when they open and really hope they get in today.

 

[mishellyshel]

no more raisins and try a mini unfrosted shredded wheat. sometimes that helps with the soft poop. i would give 1 to 1 1/2 a day for a couple days.
sometimes poop smells a little when it is soft & smeared.......it does not always indicate giardia. unfortunatley since you have not established a relationship with your vet you will need to take them in to be tested. in the future if you suspect giardia you can often take a fresh stool sample in to be tested without having to bring in your pet.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

Absolutely no raisins. Also Kaytee is horrible food. Use the search button and find a list of good foods you should use. Cold switch when you get the proper foods

 

[Angelyco]

I'm planning on switching to Mazuri when this bag is done.

The vet visit was uneventful, which is probably a good thing (hard to say $180 later). He thinks the problem is probably diet-related. He did take a fecal sample and I'll get the results back Saturday, but he expects it to be clean. The vet isn't a fan of pellets for chins at all, he thinks it's convenience food that causes a lot of problems, regardless of brand.

I was told to separate them for a few days and feed Diamond only hay, no cubes or pellets. If her poop hardens back up to normal, then I can slowly introduce the cubes and pellets again and watch for changes.

I'm not too happy that he dismissed parasites so quickly; not because I want there to be something wrong or think I'm an expert, but because he told me they can have playtime as usual. I had to stop him and remind him I have other pets in the house, only then did he think about it and agreed we should wait until Diamond's test comes back before letting her out again. Heaven forbid the fecal comes back positive for something and my cats (or Pearl, for that matter) were further exposed. Plus, I don't want to think about her soft poo smearing all over my carpet! )

This is my first time going to this vet, and while he does seem very very knowledgeable about chins, he doesn't seem to have the "better safe than sorry" attitude that I usually expect.

Thanks for your concern all, I'll definitely keep you posted on her condition.

 

[mishellyshel]

This happened to me when I first got Richie over 5 years ago. I knew nothing of chinchillas and he started getting soft poop. More than likely because I was giving him raisins and not a lot of hay and other bad treats. I took him to the emergency vet and spent over 180! and all he told me was to stop feeding him raisins and that he was actually one of the most healthy looking chins he has seen in a while.
Sometimes when we are newbies we are so paranoid about every little thing. If I had this site back then, I would have been able to evaluate what I was feeding him and pull everything but the hay and his poop would have hardened up. Just like it has with other chins of mine since. Either due to location change, stress, a treat that did not agree with that chin, etc.... Now I am able to try a few things first before I go to the vet when they are otherwise healthy.
just make sure your chins have lots of fresh clean water, a good pellet and lots of hay. Once their poop is back to normal. Introduce treats slowly and singularly and you will be able to determine what your chins can and can't tolerate.

 

[Angelyco]

At least I got them both checked out, which I needed to do anyway. Both are in good health otherwise, no teeth problems, and definitely both girls (might as well get a professional opinion when I can!). Plus the vet tech was happy to get some experience with chins. I was sitting in the waiting room for almost an hour, but nobody paid attention to the carrier. When I was paying, I put the carrier up on the counter and all of a sudden there were 5 or 6 employees looking in and going crazy for the cuteness. At least I made their day!

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

Don't wait until you empty the current bag of food, since that may be the problem.

Be aware, though, that although Mazuri is a quality feed, some chins (including mine) have experienced soft poops when using it. Maybe try for Oxbow, Tradition or PRCS.

Here's to continued improvement for your babies!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Angelyco]

Thanks for that info, I would have been very upset if I switched to a good food like Mazuri and had soft poo! I'll try one of the other brands instead.

 

[Angelyco]

Just an update: last night I picked up some Oxbow pellets AND Oxbow hay. No pellets for Diamond yet, but I already switched Pearl cold turkey to the new pellets.

Diamond's poop this morning looks NORMAL! More normal than it's been ever since I got her. I thought her really large poop was just because she was bigger than Pearl, but now her poop is just slightly bigger, looks just like Pearl's. There was still a little bit of stickiness to it, some still stuck to the wheel and her fur, but most of it was just like what I expect from Pearl.

So I'm assuming it's not Giardia, and I feel a little bad about jumping to conclusions, but the vet visit was needed anyway (plus now that I'm a client, I can call their 24-hour emergency line if something happens).

I'm hoping it continues to clear up and maybe I'll stop having to pull poop out of her fur. Pearl isn't too happy about her temporary cage, it's much too small for her, but we're letting her out more often to try to make up for it.

EDIT: I just checked out Pearl's cage, she has a few soft poops, but nothing like what Diamond had, it's just a little soft to the touch. I'm guessing it's just from the food change, should I just leave it alone and it'll firm back up on its own? I already threw away the other food.

 

[mishellyshel]

I would just leave them be for now. Personally I would try the unfrosted mini shredded wheat. I have had great success in firming up poop. Typcially the first day I would break the piece in half and give them half in the am, half in the afternoon & another half at bedtime, the next couple day i would just to am & pm. they are easily accessible and inexpensive. you can even get the generic brand.......as long as you get the plain unsugared.

 

[Angelyco]

I heard from the vet this morning, her fecal came back negative for any parasites, etc. He believes it was just diet and/or stress, could have even been from Daylight Savings kicking in.

It's weird, Diamond's poop is fluctuating now. Yesterday morning it was normal, last night it was back to large and sticky like it was the last few weeks, this morning it looked normal again. At least there hasn't been any of the super soft smearing poop that caused this whole debacle in the first place.

The girls are getting really lonely being separated. Diamond hasn't been out for playtime since this started, since I don't want the soft squishy poop on my carpet. Since her fecal was clear, the only reason they are separated now is for diet and poop monitoring, so we put Pearl in the big cage back with Diamond for a couple hours. Pearl was so happy she was popcorning, and she's never done that before! Diamond kept following her around trying to groom her ) They had a nice long nap cuddled up together before we put Pearl back in the other cage.

I also have to say that they LOVE! the Oxbow hay, so many seed heads! And it wasn't much of a price difference from the Kaytee hay, definitely worth it. I wish I could say the same about the Oxbow pellets price, but I'm sure it's worth it in the long run.

 

[ChinnyMom]

i feed oxbow pellets to Rhino and i'm quite happy with it. his poops are normal, never sticky, good size, and consistent. i also feed oxbow hay (mostly timothy and a little bit of botanical for variety) and the quality of their hay is pretty good. i do get odd looks in petsmart while smelling bags of hay though...... lol!

 

[Angelyco]

I picked up some shredded wheat and started giving it to both of them last night. They seem to like it, which is a step in the right direction. Hopefully tonight I can check if it's having any effect.

 

[Angelyco]

Just an update, since it's been a few weeks. I gave them the Shredded Week for about a week and a half for so, it didn't make any noticeable changes to Diamond's poop.

I tried giving them pellets once about two weeks ago, it almost instantly made her poop even more soft, sticky, and smearable. I took them away again the next night. Since then, they've only gotten loose hay and the Shredded Wheat (which I stopped the Shredded Wheat about a week ago). Her poop went back to its normal softness, but still nothing like Pearl's awesome, hard, tiny poos. It just isn't getting any better.

Last night, I put just a little bit of pellets back in as a test. This morning, soft sticky smeared poop all over again. I'm at a loss. If her poop won't get normal on Shredded Wheat and/or loose hay, I don't know what else I can do. Obviously there IS something different between the hay and pellets that makes it worse, but just plain hay doesn't make it better.

My vet was so sure it was just stress or diet. I can't read her mind, so I don't know what could be stressing her out for well over a month now, considering her poop was this consistency since I first got her, until the few days that started this thread in the first place. Diet? What else could I possible change? She's on better hay now, and there's not much else I can change if ALL she is eating is hay.

Sorry all, this is just getting really frustrating and I'm at a dead end. The two get fiesty when the hay runs low, and without pellets around at all times, they push each other around the cage for fresh hay (no real fighting, and they ONLY do it when hungry).

 

[Angelyco]

I've been posting in another thread (asking about increased water intake), but just in case anyone is still reading here, I got in touch with my vet and he now thinks they missed a parasite, so he is prescribing metronidazole (Flagyl). Both chins have diarrhea now, which he is unsurprised since a parasite would eventually make it to Pearl.

 

[AZChins]

Have you tried giving some probiotic? Sometimes chins will have their gut bacteria get thrown way out of whack and they just need some help with getting the proper bacteria balance. I've had chins brought to me in rescue that have had soft droppings for a long time and all they have needed is a week of good hay, probiotics and clean water.

Wash your waterbottles out frequently, as well. Shredded wheat won't do much for a problem with bacteria imbalance, if it didn't help within a few hours it won't help at all over a week.