Very large poop

[valrociraptor]

Hey guys,


My chinchillas poop looks a little funny, and I've read that can be a bad sign. Most of it is totally normal, but then there some that is just too thick! Even those are still dark and damp, just too big.

She's acting normal though. She is very active, in and out of the cage. She greets me at the front of her cage when I come home. She's eating and drinking normally.

I just don't want her to be sick!! I love her too much

-Valerie

 

[Riven]

How big is too big?

 

[Anna]

Furby had dark, slightly soft, shiny, huge poops and it was giardia.

 

[starrynight0621]

Furby had dark, slightly soft, shiny, huge poops and it was giardia.

So did Orville.

 

[valrociraptor]

I just looked it up and they said one of the main signs of Giardia is diarrhea and she doesn't have any. Did your all's show any other signs? She seems completely normal other than the occasional big poop. I don't know how she would have gotten sick, we haven't made any changes to her or her surroundings

The poop isn't really much longer, its just about twice as thick. It isn't shiny or any darker than the rest of her poop, and I dunno if it's soft because I haven't seen any fresh. And as I said, it isn't all of her poop. Or even most of it.

I read somewhere that it could be when she poops after treats becuase of the nutrients or something. Do you think that could be it?

 

[Cuddlebug]

Treats could be the cause. What are you giving as treats?

 

[ChinnyMom]

i find my boys have larger poops when they eat more pellets than hay (which is often, they are pellet hogs! lol). i think as long as the poops aren't too big that they look like they were uncomfortable to pass, and there are lots of poops, and nothing else is wrong with your chin (eating habits, activity level, etc), then i would monitor them a little extra closely for the next bit, but not worry excessively over it.

 

[starrynight0621]

I just looked it up and they said one of the main signs of Giardia is diarrhea and she doesn't have any. Did your all's show any other signs? She seems completely normal other than the occasional big poop. I don't know how she would have gotten sick, we haven't made any changes to her or her surroundings

The poop isn't really much longer, its just about twice as thick. It isn't shiny or any darker than the rest of her poop, and I dunno if it's soft because I haven't seen any fresh. And as I said, it isn't all of her poop. Or even most of it.

I read somewhere that it could be when she poops after treats becuase of the nutrients or something. Do you think that could be it?

Mine didn't really show any other signs of giardia (not even diarrhea). Almost all of Orville's poop was thicker/fatter and a bit shiny, and it went on for a day or two before I got him tested at the vet.

If yours is only having an occasional large poop, then there might not be anything to worry about.

However, if you're particularly paranoid, you might want to get the poop tested just to be safe.

What kind of treats are you giving? And how many? If you are giving your chin anything but a couple of whole oats, one cheerio a day, or a rosehip, it might be the treats. Fruit (even dried fruit like raisins), nuts, etc are unhealthy treats and might cause those symptoms. Also, any pre-packaged, manufactured treat sold at pet stores is bad.

Also, giardia can develop if you are giving your chinchilla unsafe water, or if you aren't cleaning parts of your chinchilla's cage often enough. My chins got giardia partly because I didn't know you had to clean their wooden shelves.