My year old chinchilla has diarrhea, I really need help

[amywinters]

It has been going on for about a week now.
I have:
1. disinfected his drinking bottle and flushed it clean
2. taken away any type of dried fruit from his food, leaving him only seeds and pellets
3. changed his alfalfa
4. given him burnt toast

His stool seems to be getting softer with more liquid in it.
He does seem a little sad today and it is more like diarrhea today.
I bought some vitamin c and papaya pills hoping it would help him but havent tried.
I am sure I need to take him to a vet but I really dont know of one in my area who specializes in them.
Im worried about him, can anyone please offer me any suggestions.
Is there anything I can try?

 

[Harleychin]

You need to find a vet now. If this has been going on for a week he may at least need fluids.
It's been going on to long for home remedys at this point.It could be any number of things.
You may also want to rethink his diet.He needs a good pellet.Timmothy hay.purified water.No seeds.they are very high in fat.No fruit it's to much sugar.
Please let us know how he does.

 

[ChinnyMom]

vet visit asap! and please keep us updated.

 

[Stackie]

Diarrhea can be brought on by a variety of things. Stress, diet, parasites to name a few. If your chin is acting exceptionally lethargic and his appetite is lacking, a vet visit would be a good idea to check for parasites.

In the mean time take away all pellets, seeds, etc. You say you changed his alfalfa, are you giving alfalfa hay? If so, switch it to timothy. Alfalfa is a very rich hay and can cause diarrhea in larger amounts. Most chin pellets are alfalfa based, so you want to give timothy hay. That brings me to his diet- you should not feed a pellet with other things mixed in. Seeds are very high in fat and can lead to health problems for your chin. Fruit is full of sugars which can upset the natural occuring bacteria in his gut- another thing that can cause diarrhea.

Something else you can use to help clear up diarrhea not caused by parasites is activated charcoal and/or kaolin pectin. Petsmart carries something called Pet Pectillin which can be used. As I mentioned earlier, take away all pellets/treats/etc. and feed only hay for a couple days. The increased fiber alone can help clear the diarrhea up.

The vitamin C and papaya will do nothing for his diarrhea.

If the diarrhea continues you will definitely want to look into getting him to the vet. They can dehydrate quickly. If his appetite is dwindling, you will need to hand feed. Could you post your location and perhaps our members close to you can suggest vets?

 

[lola]

burnt toast?

 

[Cuddlebug]

The burnt areas are supposed to work like charcoal and help absorb the toxins in the digestive tract and treat diarrhea.