Not pooping much

[Crazy]

Hey guys. I need some advice. I just gave her critical care and she took maybe 5-6 ml worth.
The first couple poos yesterday looked like there may have been a bubble attached. But after the first few they have been looking normal even size wise.
She just isn't going as much as normal.
I had to refill her food bowl last night so it looks like she is eating. I got her going normally yesterday, but only when she was out. When I put her back in she stopped immediately. She started going again in the afternoon.
Now, I'm not getting much yet again. I pulled her out for 20 mins and only got 6.
She's about 7 years old.
If she ate something such as the rug in the playpen when I wasn't looking would that have blocked her entirely?
My vet is so booked I can't get in until Thursday. The other I can't see until tomorrow afternoon. I just called my vet's office back. She isn't in town right now. Makes more sense.

 

[Fauberchinchilla]

Raisins would be a good thing to give her. Keep her energy going. If there looks like mucus on her stool give her terramycim in her water. just enough to make it yellow. Change water every day. Hay is a good thing to have around to. Lots of fiber in it. Chins have weird stomachs, they dont handle much.

 

[Crazy]

She really got going again an hour and a half ago. The first dozen looked like either two stuck together or very small. They were also a bit wet and stuck to my hand.
I saw one with little "craters" in it. I'm going to get her some infant gas drops.

 

[becky12883]

You probably already know, but you should not give her raisins! You should never give chins raisins. That was pretty much the first thing I learned coming to this forum. Raisins and other dried fruits are basically concentrated sugar and chinchillas aren't designed to digest those sugars. Make sure she's got lots of timothy hay and pellets.
I'm not sure about the other issues, hopefully someone with more experience can chime in. I know the first question anyone has will be, is there a reason she's on the CC or did you just give it to her to stimulate the poos?

 

[Crazy]

The CC was solely to push more into her to get more poo.
I've heard that about raisins before, but all fruit makes sense now that you say that.
I was out getting her different grasses. I came back to find my boyfriend had let her out and she "picked on him" and was mischievous and pooed some.
She's eating the new 4 grasses concoction I made right now.

 

[Stackie]

Raisins would be a good thing to give her. Keep her energy going. If there looks like mucus on her stool give her terramycim in her water. just enough to make it yellow. Change water every day. Hay is a good thing to have around to. Lots of fiber in it. Chins have weird stomachs, they dont handle much.

Self medicating is not a good idea, especially when you have no idea what's going on with the chin and have no definitive diagnosis. That's what veteriarians are for. In the case of gas/bloat which is what this sounds like, treating with an antibiotic would have absolutely no effect and may even make the situation worse. Antibiotics can mess with the normal flora of the digestive system and that could further aggravate this chin's GI issues. As for the raisin issue, it has already been addressed. The sugar in the raisin would only aggravate the gas more.

As long as she is continuing to eat, that's a good sign. Especially hay. The added fiber should increase the poo production, get the GI system moving and firm the poop up a bit. I would also encourage her to eat as much CC as you can get her to take. Bloat can lead to stasis so you want to keep that GI sytem moving. The vet may want to do a fecal exam, so try to bring a fresh sample with you in case she doesn't give you one at the exam. The "bubble" and craters you are describing that you found on the poop indicates gas. Continue with the dropper fulls of simethicone. You can also gently massage her belly to help break up any remaining gas bubbles, and allow some light excercise to get her GI system moving.

If you start to notice her stretching, seeming excessively restless or lethargic, refusing food and poo production completely stops, it means the gas is getting worse you will need to find a vet to see her asap. Bloat leads to pain, pain leads to anorexia and a depressed chin, which can go downhill very quickly.

If you search "bloat" on here, you can turn up quite a bit of information and treatment regimens. Here is a good link http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=852

Not saying definitively this is what's going on, but going off what you have told us, it sounds like a case of gas.

The vet can take a radiograph of her abdomen to see if any gas remains and go from there.

 

[Crazy]

It's very strange. It either slows down to a very small amount during the day or none at all. Then at night it all starts up
She hasn't been like that before.
She's bouncing around and acting very happy.

 

[Claire D]

Chins do recycle their droppings during the day (coprophagy) as part of the normal digestive process - so less droppings seen during the day can be perfectly ok. If the chin is reaching down during sleep and then seems to be munching, that's what they are doing, recycling their droppings (caecotrophs).

 

[Crazy]

omg...everything I wrote just got deleted.
That makes me so very sad.
Her gut seems very slow until afternoon. I just had her out a bit ago and only got around 14 for 30 minutes.

 

[Claire D]

Her gut seems very slow until afternoon. I just had her out a bit ago and only got around 14 for 30 minutes.

Are the droppings normal size and consistency?

14 in 30 minutes? How many are you expecting this poor chin to produce?

It is perfectly normal for chins to poop less during the day and more over night - simply because they are asleep during the day and because they eat the caecotrophs (as I said in my previous post).

 

[Crazy]

Hmm okay. I guess if that's not bad then that's fine. I don't take her out during morning or daytime so I didn't know that. I'm used to like 2 a minute.
The vet called back there was a cancellation and she goes in tomorrow at 5:30 so that's good.
If she's fine I'll feel bad for torturing her.
Yes, the droppings look fine.

 

[Crazy]

It won't let me edit my last post so I guess I need a new one.
I just came home to a whole bunch in her cage. Only problem...they aren't as dark colored as normal. Not light light brown but lighter. I should probably add that they aren't small. Just lighter in color I'm going to go check her water level.

 

[menagerie]

It won't let me edit my last post so I guess I need a new one.
I just came home to a whole bunch in her cage. Only problem...they aren't as dark colored as normal. Not light light brown but lighter. I should probably add that they aren't small. Just lighter in color I'm going to go check her water level.

Are they older poops, like from hours ago? Poop lightens and gets drier as it dries. Fresh poops should look like a chocolate Tic-Tac and have a sheen to them. They should be firm yet squish/crumble easily between your fingers. Older poops will be lighter in color and harder. You need to learn what is normal fresh and older poop for every individual chin.

 

[Crazy]

She's doing fine now. She's eating a bunch and they look perfect and she's going her normal amounts now. She isn't drinking much water right atm. I should probably keep her vet appointment anyway. Course..it's not my money, so if it's a waste then it's a waste.
My hamster is eating again today hurray!

 

[Crazy]

She's decided today that water is for chumps. So, I gave her more CC to get more liquid in her.

 

[Stackie]

Chins really don't drink all that much. It sounds like she is fine now, I would leave her be.