Question about my brand new chin's poop

[Sailor_Orbit]

Hi!
I am a brand new chinchilla owner, her name is Kimchi. I just got her about a week ago. A couple days ago my husband fed her one thin stick of pretzel, her poop was fine for a couple days but then today now it looks REALLY black, soft, and much longer and tube type of look. Her diet is mostly the timothy hay and the oxbow pellet. She has also been chewing bamboo skewer wood and the apple wood. The only other treat I have gave her a TINY bit was wheaties, one flake of it. Other than those two discrepancies she hasn't been fed anything weird. I still need to do more extensive research before I feel confident in giving her any other food because I read some contradictory information here and there. So far I think possibly carrot might be safe? anyway, my main concern is about her poop and what it means if her poop looks long tubular, really black and soft. I think she is making harder poop now but I will see in the morning. Please help as soon as possible!

Thank you!

 

[mgonya]

Hi, I don't give my baby anything but his pellets and unlimited Timothy hay. I would give him water and Timothy for a few days only to see if it will clear up. They have very delicate tummies that get upset easily. My 1 yr old will get a flake or two of old fashioned oats or maybe a plain cheerio, but after she hit the 6 mo mark. Good Luck. You can find a lot of good info here.

 

[Dragonflye]

All chins really need for food is a high quality pellet, hay and water. We give them treats because WE feel they need variety in their diet. Carrots are not safe treats, they contain sugar which can mess with a chinchilla's digestive tract and their delicate balance of bacterial flora.

When my chins have soft stools, I give just water and hay for a couple of days. This almost always works for me. Then reintroduce the pellets and give no treats.

If the stools do not become firmer in a couple of days or things get worse, then maybe a vet visit is in order.

Good treats in moderation- maybe one portion once or twice per week include- shredded wheat, rose hips, or apple sticks- my guys love them. No extra sugars in the form of raisins, carrots, or dried fruits are needed and no greens or vegetables.

Hopefully things are looking better today.

 

[Sailor_Orbit]

Thanks for the advice! I will have to take her pellets out then. It's really weird because on the petsmart brochure it says fruits veges are okay for the chinchillas and consist maximum 5% of the diet. Okay I will make sure she is never fed a pretzel. I have to educate my husband and sister about this so they don't feed her anything bad. No sugary or salty treats, just plain old non sweetened cereal...I think I have weetabix and bran flakes with me. But won't feed her any treat until she clears up. The petsmart people don't know what her age is but they gave me a range between 6-9 months.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

unfortunately most information gotten from a pet store is all wrong. What brand of pellets did they talk you into? Also hopefully they didn't talk you into a 'chewable, sugar, hut' or a death ball

 

[mgonya]

Please don't listen to anything the pet stores tell you. Treats are fun for US but you want your chin to love you not what treat you're giving them. :cute:

 

[Sailor_Orbit]

Oh I see, yea that's a weird thing to print on the brochure. I purchased oxbow pellets and kaytee clean and cozy bedding recommended by one of the sales associate, and Timothy hay. I still need to purchase her a bigger cage, but found a relatively safe smaller cage for her to temporarily have, until I can purchase a bigger expensive one. It's kind of hard finding one with all of my specification. Really would like a drawer for the bottom and galvanized after welding wire. But most of them are coated.

 

[Newt]

yeah, the pet stores basically want you to part with as much of your money as possible, so they will push all kinds of junk onto you. In some cases, they do it because of a lack of knowledge, but sadly, in other cases, they simply want to make more $$$.
When I got my Rosey, the pet store here said the same thing about veges, plus they got me to buy all kinds of junk, like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, mineral and calcium blocks, plus these sugary hanging chewy treat things.

Thanks goodness I did research afterwards (probably should've done it first though, doh), so those extra useless (and potentially dangerous) items were unceremoniously dumped in the trashcan.

Out with the junk, and in with the dried rosehips and rolled oats! That's all I use for treats now, except for the occasional little bit of alfalfa hay

 

[Sailor_Orbit]

Oh the sales associate didn't tell me to buy anything like that. She told me to give an unlimited amount of Timothy hay, and 1/8 cup of oxbow pellets. Then told me to read the brochure for the rest. Which petsmart didn't sell anyway. Also she tried preventing me from overspending. Cuz I wanted to get 3 glass water bottles.

What's alfalfa hay? Is it kind of bad for them, that's why they are used only as treats? I have to see the rose hips and rolled oats, no idea what they are. So far I just kind of give the bamboo wood as a treat.

 

[kenko]

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134
This is a great thread if you want some ideas on how to snazz up your chin's cage once you do have the resources for the cage update. There are lots of reputable users here who offer safe homemade treats and chew toys at a very fair price, so you don't really need to rely much on Petsmart aside from pellets and hay--they sell a lot of "chin-safe" toys that are loaded with sugar, fatty nuts and mystery woods :/

Please also remember that even with 'safer' treats like rosehip, plain cheerio and "old-fashioned" oats, treats should be given very sparingly and in small amounts--a tiny pinch a few times a week is plenty.

Congrats on Kimchi! She's adorable.

 

[Sailor_Orbit]

Oh yes I was just looking at the thread! I think I will go with this style cage, it looks easier to clean, and I could slide out the tray.

From petsmart I purchased the apple wood I believe. But she doesn't seem to chew it much. I actually have some bamboo skewers that are normally used for food. See seems to really like eating it from my hand.

Thank you

 

[Sailor_Orbit]

As for the pet store trying to make money, well at petsmart the sales associate actually try to prevent me from purchasing too much, like I wanted to purchase 3 glass water bottles and she said I only need one and can clean it out. Also she just told me to give unlimited timothy hay and 1/8 cup per day of the oxbow pellet.

Anyway it seems that Kimchi's poo is getting better. It's more oval now. I actually just purchased a cage today from craigslist. It looks similar to ferret nation, but instead of the shelves being plastic the shelves are metal. It came with a bunch of extras but I don't think I will be using most of them since they're made of plastic. On closer inspection I found that a wheel is missing on one corner, so not as easy to roll it around. And there is peeling paint on the bottom pan and starting to peel in the shelf. I tried scrubbing most of it off when I was cleaning it, then covered it with marble and wood, in some of the corners. I paid $150 cash, so I hope it was a good deal. It looks similar to ferret nations but not the same. I just wish the drawer came out from the front instead of the back. makes it a little more cumbersome. but once my husband finishes his final exams he will help me with the assembly to see if it's possible to turn it around. It didn't come with instructions, so I am not sure about it. However it's definitely easier to open and close the doors and able to attach things easier to the wires. I still need to purchase a wheel for her, but looking for a metal one, which I found on ebay. Just waiting for the seller to give me some info. Oh and it seems only one side opens. here's some pics.

 

[Sailor_Orbit]

I see that her poop is a bit greenish now, like some of them. I really limited her oxbow pellets. but if she eats more than a little her poo starts getting soft again. It's still kind of soft.

 

[Cuddlebug]

You need to take away all pellets and have her eat only hay for 3 days. If that does not clear things up, you will need to see the vet.

 

[Godofgods]

you should look into some kinda tray for the two floors. Dont really want the chin walking on open wire. They can catch and break a leg or worse.

 

[Wall-E Kips]

yeah, the pet stores basically want you to part with as much of your money as possible, so they will push all kinds of junk onto you. In some cases, they do it because of a lack of knowledge, but sadly, in other cases, they simply want to make more $$$.
When I got my Rosey, the pet store here said the same thing about veges, plus they got me to buy all kinds of junk, like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, mineral and calcium blocks, plus these sugary hanging chewy treat things.

Thanks goodness I did research afterwards (probably should've done it first though, doh), so those extra useless (and potentially dangerous) items were unceremoniously dumped in the trashcan.

Out with the junk, and in with the dried rosehips and rolled oats! That's all I use for treats now, except for the occasional little bit of alfalfa hay

this is very true and i am ashamed to admit that i work for petsmart. (i do morning stocking, i don't really work with customers) all they care about is the sales and making money. i am disgusted with the product i put on the shelfs that claim are "chinchilla safe" if i would get calls for applications i put out i would quit working at petsmart in a blink of an eye.

to the op - i would HIGHLY recommend finding vendors through this forum and sticking with the products they provide. especially from breeders. they know their stuff and will not sell anyone products that are unsafe.

 

[MyzarandGemma]

As was said above, you should look into getting something to cover your wire flooring, maybe fleece? Just so you know, that cage should be plenty big for one chin, but if you want to get a bigger one, go for it.

I am seeing a plastic corner piece. While Kimchi may not be chewing on it now, she probably will in the future. Many horror stories are on here about how the chin just decided overnight to eat the plastic house or whatever that was in the cage for years and then the chin died of impaction. Why risk it?

I think you are off to a great start. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Sailor_Orbit]

I all ready switched the plastic to a ceramic dish. I read in many places that anything below 1/2" wiring should be fine, and it was from breeders' site.

 

[MyzarandGemma]

Yeah, it should be. 1/2" usually does the trick. I couldn't tell the wire spacing from the pictures. I am glad you switched over. I have mini-heart attacks every time I see plastic.

I hope Kimchi is settling in well! There's a really nice DIY on here for shelves if you want more than just the one in the picture. Alli did a great job writing it and you don't even need power tools, which is the best part! Just in case you wanted any extra shelves or anything... chins are quite the jumpers Have fun with your new chinny!

 

[Sailor_Orbit]

this is how it currently looks like. I bought a couple more hammocks, one flat and one cube shape. they're going to have hello kitty so i went a little overboard with that. Kimchi doesn't seem like a heavy chewer. Also I took her to the vet and she's completely healthy, did the fecal test and all that. The vet told me to bring her back after a year though to see if he teeth is going to remain healthy. A bit scary hearing about the dental problems that could happen.