Soft poop?

[jess_w]

My 4-month old male chin has been having soft poops for about a week now and I don't know whether to be worried. I've tried giving him burnt toast, even took the pellets out of the cage and just gave him hay for 2 days but it didn't seem to make any difference (I also felt mean because his cage mate who has nothing wrong also had to go without pellets!)

Should I be worried about this or will it clear up? He is on Oxbow pellets and Oxbow Timothy Hay, by the way, and has either a rosehip or a pinch of oats for a treat every so often. He seems fine in every other respect... still very bouncy and mischievous as usual!

 

[Harleychin]

I'd call my vet and get him seen.
He needs stool samples ran and if he's been sick for a week he may need some fluids
Is he eating and drinking OK?
Active as usual?
What type of water are you using?

 

[mishellyshel]

did you do ANYTHING different? change location, change food, new toy, new sounds, etc....
my one chin is mr consistant with his poop and the only time he has ever had soft poop was when i decided to move his cage due to a broken AC & started a new fresh bag of Mazuri at the same time. within a week he was back to normal.
also try the mini shredded wheat. and make sure you use filtered water.
if he is eating, drinking & playing normally i would let it go a couple days if it doesnt return back to normal he should be seen by an exotic vet.
if you have another cage, you might want to put him in there and lay some paper towels down to make sure he is urinating. The girls told me to do that here and it made all the difference in being able to determine his urine & fecal output. you would also not have to restrict your other chin.

 

[jess_w]

He shows no signs of illness other than the soft poos - eating and drinking is fine. I am using tap water with them though. I only got them about a month ago, and I asked the 2 separate breeders I got them from (both very experienced) about water. Both used tap water and said it was fine. I live in a very rural area of the UK and the tap water here is pretty clean, so I figured it would be ok.

I've also heard various things about water filters not being effective so I don't know which one I would go for if I started to filter the water... I don't really know anything about them to be honest :S

I think the soft poop is more likely to be a result of something that he's picked up when he's been out playing... he's very mischievous and will pick up little bits off the floor that the hoover has missed, chew the walls, get into everything! So I'm thinking he may have eaten something that didn't agree with him.

I will try some shredded wheat and take him to the vet if he doesn't improve soon.

 

[Chins To Love]

Try giving him plain bite size shredded wheats, if it's not a serious health issue, this will usually dry them up within a few days. And it is one of our chinnies favorite treats.