Diarrhea can appear in several forms, but often starts out as soft and sticky brown stool. Depending on the cause for the diarrhea, it can be slimy and green, have a film over it, be slightly sticky, or be pure liquid.
There are many reasons why a chinchilla may develop diarrhea but diarrhea is a symptom of something else going on. Stress of moving to a new envionment, overfeeding of treats, changing your chinchilla’s food too quickly, moldy hay, improper husbandry (dirty cage, not giving fresh water daily), or diseases such as coccidia or giarrdia can all bring on diarrhea.
What has changed since your chinchilla got the diarrhea? Did you introduce a new animal? Change the feed? Give too many treats last night? If something has changed, then that is probably the reason you are experiencing diarrhea and you want to correct this problem. However if everything has stayed constant, and you have taken both of these steps, it might be time for your chin to see a vet. If you are not familiar with diarrhea or don’t know what the cause is, its best to have the chinchilla checked out by a veterinarian. If you know that you have been overfeeding treats, then you know you need to cut back. If you know you haven’t been caring for your animal as they need, you still may need a vet check if the chinchlla now has internal parasites. This is not something you can diagnose on your own!
There are some simple remedies that can help for mild forms of diarrhea, but these are not always successful! Start out by removing pellets and treats for two days, but leaving the hay. A mini shredded wheat square can be given once daily. Sometimes adding an eyedropper full of plain yogurt once a day while the chinnie has diarrhea can help return the GI tract bacterial flora to normal. If your animal needs medication, ask for Albendezol as its the most gentle on the chinchilla’s sensitive digestive tract. Check with your vet if you should add some pedialyte to your animal’s water. This may help keep the chinchilla’s electrolytes stable, as diarrhea throws the GI tract out of whack.
If you have a scale, watch your chinchilla’s weight. In cases of stubborn or severe diarrhea, weight loss can happen rapidly, and that leads to further complications. Pay attention to the shape and size of stool. You need to be watching for improvement or for a decline in health.
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