poo?

[mattmb223]

I am now starting to change over churros food from what the breeder gave me to mazuri. ive noticed his poos have gotten darker and some are small and some are large and some are regular some kinda soft some smell when there close. is this all caused by changing a diet? he gets plenty of timothy hay and water im just curious if it is due to the food change. he also eats his poo sometimes is taht ok too?

on another note the food the breeder gave me has a mix of pellets some sort of little black seed that looks like a sun flower seed, oat pieveds and some like other thing is this good for my chin or no??

 

[Nancy S]

I would think it is because of the change of diet. The Mazuri is a good food--always
check expiration dates-freshness etc. Go slow with switch--and poos will probably
get more regular. Lots of hay. I use oxbow timothy and add orchard and botanical
as a little variety. They love having a little something different added with the timothy.
I learned that seeds aren't good for chins-even though they sell it for chins. Keep him
off the fruit, dried or other, i learned the hard way. A small piece of plain shredded
wheat, rose hip, or pain cheerior occasionally. Lots of other great info on posts--
Look up---post on: Mistakes i made. Is this your first chin? Post a pic and have fun
with the little one!

 

[seachin]

the different sizes is pretty normal throughout the day (usually small during the day and larger at night, when they consume most of their food).

soft poo probably due to the switch of foods. make sure you are doing a slow transition over weeks so as not to upset the intestines.

the black poo is because Mazuri is higher in protein content than other foods.

coprophagia (eating poop, or eating one's own poop) is normal for grass eating organisms which are not ruminants. it helps them extract more nutrients from their food. its weird but you get used to it.

 

[Cuddlebug]

If you aren't doing so already, try adding acidophilus to the feed. It will help with the transition.

 

[mattmb223]

where can i purchase acidophilus

 

[Dolyphinm]

You can get acidophilus at a vitamin type store like gnc or in any pharmacy department even walmart...but mine is always out of the capsules. I do recommend the capsules since then you can just split open sprinkle it on the food.

 

[Rickman]

I was using mazuri until the price went way up, and when I switched to tradition, the whole herd gained 10-15% in weight, and looked much healthier!
Although you've only 1 chin, there are many people that will sell small amounts much cheaper than you can buy at the petshops, even with shipping! Just check in 'supplies for sale'.
Better diet for less money - can't beat that!!

 

[mattmb223]

yeah i dont buy from pet stores at all theya re way to expensive i got mazuri for $1/lbs but today being the third day of the switch his poos have gotten darker and kind of squishy not like really squishy but kinda and they smell a little bit but i have not put him on acidophilus yet because i have not gotten to the store

 

[CerLynn]

Make sure you're doing the switch gradually... if it's only the 3rd day, the mix should be no more than 25% Mazuri (and should be kept at that ratio for the first week or so). Mazuri is a great feed, but do keep an eye on the poos - for whatever reason, chins occasionally end up with soft poos while on Mazuri. If it doesn't work out, you could look into getting another high quality feed like Oxbow or PANR.

 

[Sugarmama]

Yes, it needs to be a slow transition. The seeds and such that were in the food that he came with are not good for him, either.

His body is adjusting to new food, and a new environment, which are stressful. Acidophilus will help; try to get it where it's at least a billion count active. You can get capsules, and sprinkle it on the food or in a little bit of shreddie, or you can get the chewable kind.

Gas drops also help with a food switch. They are simethicone--use baby gas drops. The brand name is Mylicon drops, but you can use store brand; its the same thing. You can't really overdose on it, but they can have a dropperful about 3x a day to help their bellies during the switch.

 

[mattmb223]

ok i got prbiotic acidophilus its is the cvs brand it is in a capsul and has 100 million count and i am doing the transition slowly but he is pretty much only eating the mazuri

 

[Sugarmama]

It's okay--he's getting better nutrition from it. Just keep an eye on his poos; if they are misshapen, then he's got a bit of gas in his system. If he does, gently massage his belly in a circular motion from ribs to his behind. It will help him pass it. The gas drops will help with the belly also.

The acidophilus 100 million count is not very strong; you can find 1 or 2 billion count, and it will help his tummy a whole lot more. It's not expensive at Walmart.

Keep an eye out for bloat; his belly will become hard instead of soft, and he will stretch and may grind his teeth; it's painful for them and they can go downhill really fast.

 

[mattmb223]

what should i get for his gas? i jsut rubbed his belly it felt kind of like a balloon is the bloat? i am not sure and i am worried

 

[Sugarmama]

Simethicone-- baby gas drops. The brand name is Mylicon, but store brand is fine, it's the same thing. He can have 3 full droppers of it per day if he needs it.

You may have to wrap him up in a towel to give him the medicine; wrap him like a burrito, so he can't wiggle away. It tastes good, though, so they usually take it well. Just put a drop on his lips and let him lick it away, and then most of the time they will lap it right up.:thumbsup:

 

[mattmb223]

ok i got that and he gobbled it up i didnt even need to hold him he just sucked teh tube dry and he didnt even nibble anyways i jsut got different acidophlis it is the chewable in strawberry flavor is that ok