slight squish to poo

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Gizmo24

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Messages
405
ive noticed today that gizmos poop is a little bit squishy. Not smearing, just a slight more squish than normal. Why might it be doing this? Everything else seems normal with him. What can I do to help firm it up a bit?
 
It could be nothing at all. Sometimes the chins have a slight bit of stress and this happens...sometimes it's hormonal. Keep an eye on it...giving out probiotic will help out a bit. Sometimes I give a shredded wheat square, as well...that helps a little, too.

This will probably resolve itself, you just need to watch it. If it gets worse, you may need to go to the vet. If it were me, I'd mix probiotic in with the pellets and give a little scoop of Life Line and a shreddie...that seems to fix those problems here most of the time.

I don't mean to brag, but there are 254 chins here and this morning there were NO smashed droppings on any of the tiles. :) YAY! I just had to share. The chins have been doing so well for the last several years with very little diarrhea...I'm very proud of them. When someone has a problem I treat immediately with probiotic and my other tricks.
 
I just remembered I had some charcoal cobs. I let him chew on one for a few mintues. I heard that was good for t heir stomachs? I havent given a shredded wheat in a few days, maybe he's upset about that. he loves them :)
 
Not for nothing but does your poo stay the same smell and texture everyday? Probably not. I feel you are over stressing yourself and this poor chin more than necessary. If you find something minor such as poo texture being "slightly" squishy, instead of worrying about something being wrong how about watch it for a day or so to see if it gets better or worse. Im not saying wait every time you see a change. If the poo is running or there is blood or if they are small and dry or what ever is not normal for chin then yes be concerned and seek advice and help but for something as minor as a "slight squish" as you put it you should just watch it for a few days.

Really I feel bad for your poor chin every little move he makes is under scrutiny and he is poked at and proded and I do appreciate you actually taking care of your chin but over stressing you chin by being over worried about every hair on his cute little fuzz butt can do more damage than good. There are people here with several to tens and hundreds of chins and their chins are extremely healthy and happy and Im sure dont have the time to examine every hair on every chin every minute of every day and they dont seem to stress over the little things that you have shown here . If you relax a little bit and not stress Im sure you will and Gizmo will enjoy life together a lot more.

I also fear that if you keep posting about minor things such as this, less people will be apt to post if you do have a major issue later.
 
Melissa- thanks for your deep concern, but you don't know me, nor do you know Gizmo. If you were to ask anyone, they'd tell you how good of a life Gizmo has. You and others may feel that I obsess over gizmo, but I do not. I have had major problems with him this yeah, some I have not even posted about! I t hought this forum was for people who have questions and concerns and stories about their chinchillas. I was not concerned, I was simply curious.. I said what can I do to firm it up, I didnt say "omg something is wrong, some help!" I dont know anyone in my life that has another chinchilla, if I did I wouldnt bother everyone on here when I have a question, I am not an expert as most people on here, so I rely on answers if I have a question like alot of people on here. There is no need to be rude to me and make me feel crappy about what I have posted in the past and what I may post in the future.
 
also, checking gizmos poop and asking aquestion isnt stressing him, ever.. I ask a question on here thats it. I dont run him to the vet ever, i dont "poke and prode him".
 
Well...you asked a question and Susan gave you a very good answer. It looks as though you ignored that and just went with charcoal because you remembered you had it on hand. That could be why you would get a response in concern of you "freaking out" and giving the chin whatever you have on hand without knowing if it's harmful or not...since it is not even mentioned in the advice given. Not trying to be mean...just trying to help.

Acidophilus is a probiotic found and most grocery stores that is very common in capsule form. In capsule form you can break it apart and sprinkle the probiotic on a shreddy. If you don't have lifeline on hand, both of those items are readily available at your nearby grocery store. Since you obviously adore Gizmo(no sarcasm intended...just stating a fact) it shouldn't be too big of a problem to get those simple items and giving them rather than the charcoal. The charcoal won't hurt but for possible digestive issues in chinchillas I much prefer probiotics and fiber rich items to correct any issues.
 
Hi Tabitha, I wasn't ignoring susans advice, I trust her completely, I've taken her advice many times and shes great. I was just mentioning the fact that I remembered I had the charcoal cobs and I remember being told on two different forums, here and chinformative where both site always give great advice... that its good for digestive. I gave him the shredded wheat, like susan told me to do and I gave him the life line (even tho he doesnt like it much). Im not trying to make enemies it just makes me really upset.
 
If the poop is just slightly squishy that is not too much to worry about. Feed more hay. I would not give the charcoal at this point as it is much worse to have a chinchilla bound up
 
He'll be okay...no one has to worry. :)

Soft droppings happen from time to time. The trick is to not freak out too much. I've freaked out over soft droppings many time, so I am totally guilty of that! (And, I've spent a lot of money getting the droppings tested to find nothing at all...)

Clean your waterbottle and use water that could not possibly be contaminated with giardia or other parasites. That way you know that the soft droppings are probably related to slight stress or overeating or just hormonal fluctuations.

Honestly, I do go overboard when it comes to soft droppings! A few weeks a go we had a huge wind storm and about five cages had some smashed droppings and I thought EVERYONE was sick. I understand completely!
 
I would much rather read posts about someone concerned over their chinchilla's health and being proactive about it than read that someone's chinchilla has been laying around with a possible broken leg for days and hasn't yet seen a vet or about another person that has a chinchilla who has been lethargic and not eating and can't figure out that their chin needs a vet...I will take overly anxious over stupid any day. I tend to be on the better safe than sorry side too ;)).
 
I have to agree with Jean Marie, especially with new owners. I can take someone possibly freaking out over nothing more than I can someone who isn't paying attention. While soft poo may not be the end of the world, it can be the first sign of an illness. I agree with what everyone else has said, watch it and if it doesn't let up after a few days then possibly be concerned.

What I do for soft poos is take away pellets for a day and give unlimited hay. It usually fixes the problem. :)
 
Ok lets get all this into persepctive. Melissa's post is not rude nor is it unreasonable.
Gizmo's Mommy has posted so many threads about the same thing over the past few months, including ones about Gizmo and his poops. This is not a new problem & it has been addressed numerous times before........ here are some examples:
09-11-2009 http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8853 – squishy droppings

09-16-2009 http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?p=99732#post99732 Gizmo being treated for coccidia

09-16-2009 http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8971 here the OP is giving advice on the normality of differing poop sizes - clearly demonstrating she knows this stuff already!

09-21-2009 http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?p=101063#post101063 Gizmo has coccidia

09-23-2009 http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9983 Normal poop.


29-09-2009 http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9346 this one is about charcoal cobs.

No-one minds people asking questions but the same questions over and over again when the OP actually posted answers to similar questions from other members gets people frustrated.
There's a search function - heck there's even Gizmo24's own posts to answer these questions ........... :shrug:


BTW this is not the first time a member of the team has suggested Gizmo's Mommy tries to relax a bit either - Peggy suggested it last year
Why? Because it's not good for either Gizmo or his Mom!
 
What kind of food are you feeding? Has anyone ever mentioned to ask that? Have you ever thought about switching to a feed that doesn't cause such squishy poo? Some chins don't mesh well with certain foods.

What kind of treats are you giving this chin? What sort of diet is he on in general? I'm not digging through a bunch of threads to see if this was addressed before.

And finally, stop scrutinizing every turd this chin excretes. Like Mel said, not every poop is the exact same.
 
Wow! thats all Im going to say! Claire- I met you on Chinformative over a year ago. You've read all my post about all the health problems that I have had with Gizmo (amputations/ 6 different infections, tumor on his toe, conguntivitis, etc..do you remember?) Obviously, I care a great deal about my chinchilla, because one, i wouldnt have spent close to $5,000 in ONE year, and two I wouldn't have sought out advice all those times on the forum (chinformative) and on here as well. The only reason that I started going on this forum is because I was recommended by a member on chinformative and I instantly loved it because of the quick responses, and the majority of nice people. If you look back, yes, I have posted alot. As for the post above, He had severe bacterial growth in his intestines (more than the vet has ever seen before, she told me, and she is a very well known exotic specialist, Dr.Lucas, Saratoga, NY) AFTER a case of Coccidia. I am not an expert, I do not claim to be, so as you can imagine, I was over my head, not having a CLUE on as to what to do. And, with a month and a half practically of diahrrea, I was very worried and scared, and yes, I posted a fwe of the same questions over and over, but I will not appologize for that. If I annoy anyone by posting the "same" stuff over and over, you have the option to NOT read it. I have posted alot of other things as well, some things simply commenting on how cute someone's chin is, or whatever, and I have ALWAYS been nice and sincere when someone was in trouble or worried. I really cannot understand why I am being treated like crap, when I have not done anything wrong. Thanks to all that have helped, have understood and have been nice.I truly appreciate it. However, at this point, Im not sure if I will continue to be apart of this forum which really does make me upset.
 
I hope no one thought I was implying she was being rude. I wasn't, I promise! And now seeing this many threads being made about the same thing, I will stick with what I said before.

"I agree with what everyone else has said, watch it and if it doesn't let up after a few days then possibly be concerned."

I still think it's ok for someone to ask a bunch of questions, but to not listen to past advice on the same exact subject is something that annoys me bit. I didn't know she had asked this same question this many times before until Claire's post.

So yeah, I now have to stradle that line a little bit instead of being completely on the one side of it. Enjoy your chin. You stressing over it this much and giving it treatments (like charcoal) all the time are just stressing the both of you out.
 
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Of course I remember all of Gizmo's problems - he has had more than most chins in a lifetime!

Ok go back & read the last sentence of my post - if you stop getting all defensive & re-read my post I'm not saying that Gizmo has not had problems - I am simply saying that some of your own posts answer your own questions & you don't need to keep posting the same questions over & over - if you use the search function then it will save you a lot of time & other members getting frustrated.

No-one is questioning your love for Gizmo but if you don't calm down & just let him be a chinchilla then you're going to give yourself a coronary. You stated that you had done lots of research before getting Gizmo but that does not show in your posts - they come across as you panicing about him the majority of the time.
You KNOW a lot of this stuff already - have some confidence in yourself, re-read your own posts, & use the search function before dashing off a post that you already know the answer to deep down or that has been answered fully elsewhere.
 
Stick around Gizmo24, and ask any question you need the answer to, maybe after doing a little search to see if the same question has already been asked ;)). I still stick by my preference of overly anxious above outright stupidity ;)).
 
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