Chinchilla Diarrhea =(

[ChiniiBamBam]

Help! the other day i gave my chinchilla a BIG raisin and i figured it would be okay but then the next day he has diarrhea, and he has had it for 2 days now! is there anything i can do to help him besides take him to the vet? is there anything i can give him that will harden his stool? i have cleaned everything in his cage including his water bottle and food dish and he does have filtered water! i dont know what ells i can do for him please help me!

 

[tunes]

I doubt 1 raisin would cause prolonged diarrhea. What else does his diet consist of?

I would pull all of his pellets, give nothing but good quality hay and fresh filtered or reverse osmosis water (changed daily). Offer either some high billion count acidophilus or get ahold of some Bene-Bac (which they have at some PetSmart and Petco's). Do that for a couple days and if it doesn't improve, then you will have no choice but to seek veterinary care.

 

[ChiniiBamBam]

okay thank you, is the acidophilus a special kind for animals or is it the normal kind? and if so how much should i give him?

 

[ChiniiBamBam]

also can i give him the tablet pill to see if he will just eat it that way? and how much should i give him?

 

[igotfatchins]

You can also try boiling the water to kill off any microorganisms too. My chins had really bad diarrhea once, and I started boiling the filtered water for them. They got better. It may not be the reason but can't hurt.

 

[tunes]

Generally you sprinkle the acidophilus on the pellets and it's the same stuff that you would take. The Bene-Bac is often times easier to get in them because it tastes good and it's already in paste form which they tend to take right out of the syringe without a problem.

 

[Stackie]

You can also try boiling the water to kill off any microorganisms too. My chins had really bad diarrhea once, and I started boiling the filtered water for them. They got better. It may not be the reason but can't hurt.

Boiling is not enough to kill the microbial cysts. It also concentrates the metals.

 

[Jenn]

you mentioned in your intro that his favorite toy is a dog chew toy. What kind of dog toy is this and are there any spots he has chewed off?

 

[lauralynne]

I think you need to take him to the vet. You mentioned in your intro post that he's also got eye "goopies".

No more raisins and get rid of the dog toy he's chewing on.

What kind of pellets are you feeding?

If you'll let us know where you are, we can try to help find a chinchilla knowledgable vet for you.

 

[ChiniiBamBam]

I have a vett i recently took him to the vet for the eye problem but hwen i got to the vet it was cleared up, so he gave me the medicine anyways and i gave it to him as prescribed. and it didnt come back until like a week later and now his eye is crusted shut and i cant get the medicine in it =/

the chew toy is just a squishy bone like a stuffed animal with a squeeqy thing in it, it has no dog disired edible parts.

i am feeding him a mix of mazuri food and kaytee fiesta, im trying to transition between foods.

How can i get his eye to open? i know not to force it open, and ive also heard of tea but is camilote the only tea you can use?

I have the medicine for him eye its just the matter of gettting it in

 

[tunes]

Use warm compresses and gently wipe the eye until it opens. It may take a couple minutes and a couple reheats of the towel. You don't want it hot, just warm.

No toys with squeaky parts. If he happened to get the toy chewed apart, he could chew apart the squeaky toy and it could pose a choking hazard as well as a blockage.

 

[Anna]

in my experience, transitioning food can cause some loose stools. Are we talking soft, squishes-when-stepped-on poo or are we talking about the runs? almost every time i've switched feeds at least one of the chins has had soft poop for a couple days. but yes, pull the pellets and give lots of grass-hay like timothy or orchard (not alfalfa) and see if that works. also, a treat like an unsweetened shredded wheat can be good because it has a lot of fiber. if symptoms persist or new ones show up like loss of appetite a fecal float and giardia test may be in order.

good luck

 

[Jenn]

the chew toy is just a squishy bone like a stuffed animal with a squeeqy thing in it, it has no dog disired edible parts.

it's good that your chin hasn't chewed into the dog toy yet, but that can easily change and then you have an impaction issue to worry about. You can get fleece items/toys for your chin that are much safer. There are people here who make and sell them.

 

[ChiniiBamBam]

okay well he hasnt started to chew on the toy yet he just runs with it and thanks anna i will try that