I have two bonded male chinchillas. I don't know how old they are but I can't say more than 3 years old, I got them as a rescue since I am part of 4H. One of them has been having loose stool it is becoming green and staying together instead of the normal. I have dropped down to only hay and seed, plus water. I really care about my chinchillas but I don't have enough money to go to a vet right now. help me!
Loose stool
- Thread starter Magical4h
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Chinchillas should not be given seeds, their diet should consist of a good quality chinchilla pellet only food, hay and water. They are grass herbivores so no seeds, no nuts, no veggies, no fruit, and of course no animal products (bone, meat, hide, eggs, etc). Adding any of that to the chin's diet will cause digestive upset.
If after switching to just hay and water the chin is still not going back to normal poop in a couple days, or he stops eating, drinking, pooping or peeing, you will need to find a way to get the chin to the vet immediately, it could have an infection that needs treating. Also if the poop is also smelly and sticky, that is a sign of an infection and needs treatment from a vet now. Normal chinchilla poop should be dark brown/black, firm, and dry.
Green poop is normally caused by undigested food, most of the food is green, so for some reason the chin isn't digesting it's food which is bad. Stress can cause it, as well as parasites, bacterial infection, viral infection, poor diet, or a new diet. Loose stool is dangerous for chins though, they can dehydrate quickly and die.
What are you feeding? and is it the same as what they were eating before? A sudden change in food can also cause some digestive upset. Also how long have you had them? if they are still settling in it could be stress induced.
I really hope it's nothing too serious, and this can just serve as a scary lesson to put money aside for a vet. Chins are not cheap on the vet end, I advise you to have a couple hundred at least or even a couple thousand set aside for emergencies so you don't run into this situation again of not having money for a vet. Also if you haven't already, find a vet that treats chinchillas, not all exotics vets have even seen a chin let alone know how to properly treat them.
If after switching to just hay and water the chin is still not going back to normal poop in a couple days, or he stops eating, drinking, pooping or peeing, you will need to find a way to get the chin to the vet immediately, it could have an infection that needs treating. Also if the poop is also smelly and sticky, that is a sign of an infection and needs treatment from a vet now. Normal chinchilla poop should be dark brown/black, firm, and dry.
Green poop is normally caused by undigested food, most of the food is green, so for some reason the chin isn't digesting it's food which is bad. Stress can cause it, as well as parasites, bacterial infection, viral infection, poor diet, or a new diet. Loose stool is dangerous for chins though, they can dehydrate quickly and die.
What are you feeding? and is it the same as what they were eating before? A sudden change in food can also cause some digestive upset. Also how long have you had them? if they are still settling in it could be stress induced.
I really hope it's nothing too serious, and this can just serve as a scary lesson to put money aside for a vet. Chins are not cheap on the vet end, I advise you to have a couple hundred at least or even a couple thousand set aside for emergencies so you don't run into this situation again of not having money for a vet. Also if you haven't already, find a vet that treats chinchillas, not all exotics vets have even seen a chin let alone know how to properly treat them.
