Everything Comes Down to Poo

12th August 2008

If any one is a Scrubs fan, they must know that everything comes down to poo.

Yes, you can tell whether a chin isn’t feeling well or is healthy just by looking (& maybe touching) at their poopie.

I notice that if Tubby hasn’t had lots of roughage, such as hay, his droppings tend to be small & hard when squeezed (I wash my hands afterwards .. don’t worry). Also, when the chins have had lots of protein intakes, you can tell by the size of the poop. Before, Tubby was on Kaytee (even though the Forti-Diet line has about 17-18% protein, it’s also got other unhealthy toppings in it), his poopies were small. Then, I ugraded to Traditions (which has 17% protein), which made his poopies bigger. Then, I recently changed to Mazuri (20% protein) & his poop size became real big!

Since chinchillas do eat leaves & fruits in the wild, I’ve recently started introducing fresh fruits to Tubby & Winnie. Since they’re not used to this diet (& there’s a lot of controversy about giving chins fresh fruits), I’ve only given them a quarter of a grape each week (besides, a quarter of a grape has less sugar content than raisins :-) ). I notice that their poopies ahve become nice, big, & squashy.

So, make a note to yourself: when you notice or suspect that something’s wrong with your chin (especially when it comes to digestive or tooth problems), look at their poopies .. as they might have the answer to what’s going on with your chinnie ;-)

Some useful references:

  1. Chinchilla refusing to eat
  2. Weight loss
  3. Bowel problems
  4. Ear infection
  5. Broken teeth 1
  6. Broken teeth 2
  7. Fruits & vegetables

Posted in Chinchilla care | Comments (4)

4 Responses to “Everything Comes Down to Poo”

  1. furrybutts Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 4:35 am

    I monitor my rabbits’ poop, too, as an indication of their health. Non-animal lovers simply will not understand the things we do for our pets, lol!

  2. admin Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 4:58 am

    Hahaha!
    Pet owners are such dorks o-o

  3. Jennifer Says:
    September 3rd, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    Nice to come right out with the poop info. Anyone who owns chinchillas knows that poop is part of chin life…actually a pretty big part. It’s important to keep an eye on their droppings to make sure they are healthy.

    How are the grapes working out? I give my chins dried fruits every now and then as treats. I will definitely be back to check out your blog, if you get a chance come by and check out mine at http://www.chinchillaplace.com.

  4. admin Says:
    September 3rd, 2008 at 8:03 pm

    Thanks for visiting my site.
    I have been to your website a few times.
    In fact, I’ve included your website in my “Links” page :-)

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