Canadian \m/

[Deprived]

Hello im new to this site i love chin's i have 2 piebalds (standerds) males Medley and Tango id put a picture up but i dono how lol. i thought id just say hi and have a proper introduction i have a few questions My youngest Tango has soft poopies he dosnt seem to like the burnt toast idea to much or shreded wheat its been about a month so its not the suddan food change. SO i went to the pet store to ask a friend about it to see what was up. Went in she wasnt there but instead i talked to some guy and he said some chinchillas just go threw that ... I was kinda of shocked to hear that iv been reading about these amazing animals befor i even got one 4 years to be exact and i have never heard\read that anywhere so i was just woudering if you fine people could help me out with my situation and if anyone in Alberta Canada knows of any good vets to take him too incase i need to THANKS alot

Deprived...

[HedgeMom]

No species, to the best of my knowlege "just go through" having diarrhea. There is always a cause. Sometimes the cause is benign, sometimes it isn't.

Just FYI, pet shop employees are the second worst source for accurate chinchilla care information with the worst source being your best friend's mother's psychic. :)

Pull his pellets. Stop feeding pellets all together for a few days. Give him plenty of fresh hay and if the poop firms up, slowly reintroduce pellets. I've never met a chinchilla who will not eat unsweetened shredded wheats or Wheatabix. You might try a different brand. Three or four shreddies a day is adequate for diarrhea. Also make sure that they have plenty of fresh clean water, changed daily.

You say it's been a month and it's not the sudden food change. If you changed foods a month or so ago it may be that the food isn't agreeing with him. And your mention of pet shops makes me wonder what food you're feeding him. Any sudden food change can distrupt a chinchilla's system enough that it doesn't magically go back to normal.

You need to feed a high quality pellet. Mazuri, Oxbow, American Pet Diner, Kline, Tradition and Rancher's Choice fit that description. Most cannot be bought at pet shops and must be purchased from a feed supply store or online.

You also need to be feeding a high quality Timothy hay (unless you're feeding Kline, then you need Alfalfa hay). Hays to avoid are Sunseed, Kaytee, Alfalfa King and other pet shop brands. Good hays can be bought from a feed supply that offers grass hay for horses, American Pet Diner, Oxbow and Kleenmama.

If after two days of no pellets he still has soft poo, then he needs a vet visit with a competent chinchilla savvy vet who can do a fecal on him and properly diagnose his issues.

[Sketch]

Glad to see you've found a good place to get help for issues like the one your youngest is going through. Welcome to the Boards! Good to Have you