Let's talk poo!

[Jenn]

I have a question about poo, out of curiousity. And yes, I'm curious about some bizarre things...

I am in the process of switching Tinkerbell over from mazuri to oxbow so I have been watching her poos closely. So it got me thinking...in general, do we want to see bigger, plumper poos, or smaller poos? I was thinking that poo is a result of the food waste that our bodies don't need and the need to rid it from the body. A big poop = a lot of food our body doesn't need. Smaller poops should indicate that most food was digested and a small amount wasn't needed. Am I thinking this through correctly? So I was thinking a healthier food shouldn't create huge poops because the body would digest most of it.

So I guess my question is, as we're talking poo, what is the healthiest end result?

 

[Stackie]

The only time I have noticed really small poos is when
a) One of my chins are sick/injured
b) They haven't eaten in awhile.

My chins are fed Oxbow, American Pet Diner hay, and given fresh water. They very rarely get "treats"- they get rose hips mixed with a few oats once a week if that. Their 'treats' are handfuls of apple sticks every night.

Since they are on a very healthy diet, and have large poos, I'd tie large poos with being healthy. Because of the way their digestion system works, chins do eat their poo, well it's not actually called poo but there is another name for it, to recycle the nutrients that weren't used.

 

[Cuddlebug]

It is my understanding that small poos are usually hard. Hard, small poos are a sign of constipation, which we do not want to see. Fiber is what makes the difference. If they are not getting enough fiber, the poos become hard and small. Plenty of fiver keeps the system healthy and the poos are large.

 

[CerLynn]

I would think the larger poos are just larger quantities of the same waste... meaning their digestive system is just chugging along more quickly. That may also be why we see more/larger poos during playtime, as the exercise will speed up the metabolism.

 

[Lil_Branchette]

Their 'treats' are handfuls of apple sticks every night.

Are those dried? I thought fresh fruit was not allowed to be given to chins...Sorry if I'm off topic, I just couldn't help but notice this.

 

[sheri7]

Apple "sticks" are the twigs/branches, not the fruit.

 

[Jenn]

I'm assuming that it is ok to see varying sizes of poo from time to time?...Tinkerbell has some that are quite large, and some quite small. I'm guessing we're looking for a daily average to be on the larger side. I also noticed some of her poos are greyer than the majority of brown poos - maybe the combination of mazuri and oxbow during transition? I posted a separate thread about my transition and how I don't have enough mazuri to transition properly to the oxbow...what should I be looking for as a sign that the transition is not going well? Runny poos or less poos?...she'll be on straight oxbow in about a day after only a week or so transition...

 

[tunes]

I see people mention "tic tacs" all the time in conjunction with chin poo, and frankly, my chins poops rarely resemble tic tacs. The babies do, but not the adults. The adults are a bit longer and rounder, not wet, not crumbly, not squishy. They are semi-firm, but not hard. The color is a dark brown, not black or very light or green. Too dark stool is a sign of too much protein in the diet.

 

[Lil_Branchette]

Apple "sticks" are the twigs/branches, not the fruit.

Got it, thanks!

 

[menagerie]

Qualities I like to see in poop.
Uniform shaped, rounded at both ends.
Firm but not hard, can be squished between fingers.
Fresh should be a nice even brown color with a slight sheen.


Qualities I don't like to see.
Pointed ends.
Poops linked together.
Mucousy.
Squishy or runny.
Small and dry.
Look like undigested hay.
Chalky appearance.

 

[Korsini]

Qualities I like to see in poop.
Uniform shaped, rounded at both ends.
Firm but not hard, can be squished between fingers.
Fresh should be a nice even brown color with a slight sheen.


Qualities I don't like to see.
Pointed ends.
Poops linked together.
Mucousy.
Squishy or runny.
Small and dry.
Look like undigested hay.
Chalky appearance.

My new chinchilla has been having some linked poos recently. He's 2-3 months old. I have Timothy Hay and pellets in at all times. He gets daily exercise outside of the cage everyday as well as fresh water. I think the only culprit could be his pellets which have some seeds, and dried fruits mixed into it. I am going to start picking out all of the extras besides the plain pellets. Do you think another problem could be the culprit?? Maybe too hot in the apartment?

 

[Shenanigans]

There could be other issues, but usually pellet feeds with extra junk like the seeds and fruit aren't good pellets either. I would recommend switching to a quality pellet such as Mazuri, Oxbow, Tradition, or Manna Pro instead of just picking stuff out (although that probably helps temporarily).

 

[Michellemazz]

Everyone commented on what poo should look like....but how much poo is normal?
I've seen some pretty impressive pics of chins that re- floored their home with poo. My chin is a 1 year old and poops about 2- maybe 3 tables spoons of poop.

I worry he doesn't eat as much hay as he should. He gets into his oxbow pellets (seen / heard him chewing these up). I never see him actually eat hay. He pulls it through his feeder, but again id like to see him actually munching.
I give him a bit of alfalfa and he will eat all the leaves.

Yes I'm a helicopter mom
I'm new to chins so not sure what is normal.

How soon do you need to be on the look out for Malo?

When do chins hit their full size / weight.
I saw some new chins at Petco and my guy is a little dude.
Looking at getting a scale, if anyone has recommendations

Love this forum

 

[kalani.anela]

Korsini: unrelated, but chins under six months are reccomended to not have out of cage time. They burn calories they need to use to grow.