Not ANOTHER Green Poop Thread!

[hularious]

What exactly makes hedgehog poop green?

All the other threads say in what circumstances the poop will turn green, but I'm extrememly curious what the GREEN is!

[HedgieMate]

Hi, hularious. I'm hoping you'll receive answers to your question, as I've been wondering about the same thing myself.

My guess is green poo has something to do with the amount of bile or pancreatic fluid released into a hedgehog's digestive system. Isn't bile or pancreatic fluid green in colour??? (I may be completely wrong here, but I always imagined the fluid to be greenish... for no particular reason.)

Or maybe green poo has something to do with enzymes??? :dunno:

Hope someone (preferably with veterinary expertise) will provide a more definitive answer...

[hularious]

Interesting...after you mentioned bile, I did another search and this site claims:

"A stool of this color can indicate that there is an excessive amount of bile in the digestive tract, and it is also a sign that food is not being properly digested. Green stools can be caused by stress, change in diet or water, or from an infectionary process. Keep an eye on your hedgie if you notice abnormal stools (take note of how much it is eating and drinking), do not feed anything new during this time, keep the diet bland and if the problem persists for more then a few days, take your hedgie and a stool sample in to your Vet."

other questions: what makes it sticky then? Is it mucous? and why is hedgehog bile green when ours is dark brown? (granted we're different species...but you know what i mean...) and perhaps, what other animals have green bile?

[HedgeMom]

Mechanically speaking, it is the bile that makes poop green.

Causatively, it's anything that speeds up the passage of feces through the intestines, such as enteritis, and other GI issues.

[HedgieMate]

Hmmm... so it is bile making their poo green... interesting... I didn't realize human bile is brown though.

Thank you for your research, hularious, and for the definitive answer, HedgeMom.

I too have an additional question: "Does the colour of excrement vary a lot from hedgehog to hedgehog?"

We adopted a juvenile hedgie 3-1/2 months ago and his poo always has a green tinge. Shape, size, hardness (consistency), and smell seem all normal judging from what I've read in this forum and other resources, but the colour is more of black or dark green, not brown. He has healthy appetite and has been eating/drinking well.

A month or so back I visited a pet shop and saw a hedgehog for sale. I was shocked to see how brown (almost yellowish) his/her poo was, which is completely different from our hedgie's. I started wondering about our hedgie's poo then... :hmmmm:

[Nancy]

Normal hedgehog poop is dark brown and after it has dried a bit it does take on a blackish appearance. Of course this varies somewhat depending on what food the hedgehog eats, treats etc. I've never experienced yellowish in any of my gang but I'm sure some of the foods especially those with dye's in it could produce yellowish poo. I would be concerned about the colour if the hedgehog was eating normal good quality food.
Sometimes when adjusting to a new home they can have lighter than normal poo as well as the green so that could be it too. :)

[Melody]

What they eat can affect poop color. My birds provide me with multicolor poops depending on whether they've eaten beets, carrots, broccoli, or colored pellets. We're supposed to watch for coloration - green can mean kidney or liver problems, but it can also mean green pellets - lol! Fruits can make them watery-er than usual too. There may be similarities with other critters.

[Shimmer]

The dog I used to have often refused to eat his food for several days. I swear he was holding out for "people food". Anyway, this would cause him to vomit fairly often. His vomit was frothy and yellow. The vet said it was bile. I know this doesn't apply to hedgehogs but since there was a question about the bile color of different animals, I thought I'd add it....Strange conversations we animal people have :p .

[HedgieMate]

Dogs' bile is brown and birds produce multicolour poops... interesting...

Good to know hedgehogs' poo dries up to be blackish, because that's exactly what our hedgie's droppings look like in the morning. I'm relieved. Thanks, Nancy.

Come to think of it, the young hedgie in the pet shop was feeding on a mound of ocher or khaki-coloured kibble, so the food probably was the cause of his yellowish poop.

On a side note, the hedgie was in a tiny glass showcase with no wheel. He didn't look scared or sick, but I felt so sorry for him/her (no one knew its sex). It was gone very quickly. I hoped he/she went to a loving family...

[HedgeMom]

Feeding a hedgehog beets can give poops red streaks that permanently stain liners. Ask me how I know.... :) So can red jello...