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Post by hazelrah on Jun 10, 2011 11:45:31 GMT -5
So, being a pretty new and entirely paranoid ferret owner, I've found myself a bit obsessed with my ferret's poop ;D Everything even slightly off have sorted itself out after one poop in the past, but Oryx has now had several skinny poops in a row. Now, I've read tons of horror stories of blockages, but I've never seen one, and I can't find pictures of blockage-indicating poop to compare with. I've been watching her for the last hour and she's playing like crazy (NOT lethargic  . It didn't look like she was straining or anything, the poops were just skinnier and longer than normal. I looked around, and couldn't find anything that she was chewing on or that shouldn't have been on the floor (not that I'd see it if she ate it). So, should I be feeding pumpkin or something just in case? Am I overreacting? After reading about blockages, I have nightmares about missing one because I don't know what to look for  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2011 13:03:30 GMT -5
Hi,
blockage poops can be thinner, liquidy or none existent. Has her diet changed? is she switching to raw? this can change the size of her poops.
Is she grinding her teeth, or pawing at her face? Any other behaviour changes?
Pumpkin and olive oil can lube things up pretty good and get things moving, if you are worried about blockage. If you get an orange poop with in a few hrs of giving, things should be clear.
I"m sure of given too many doses of pumpkin just in case, outof fear lol though I've lived through a blockage and never want to go back.
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Post by hazelrah on Jun 10, 2011 13:19:41 GMT -5
Hi, thanks for the help  I did start mixing a couple kinds of kibble about six days ago, but I'd have thought that poop changes from that would have shown up earlier? She hasn't shown any behavioral changes, but I'll definitely keep an eye out for teeth grinding and face pawing. I've been freaking out every time she wants to go to sleep today  She has pooped again since I posted, and this last one was kind of shapeless and seedy looking. I'm thinking I'm going to do the pumpkin thing out of paranoia  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2011 13:37:18 GMT -5
Were the kibbles you started mixing in a higher quality than the original kibble? The better the food, the smaller the poops generally. For example raw food poop will me much less bulky than kibble poop. I'm not sure if the same goes for a higher quality kibble vs. a lower quality kibble, but in general the more food they are able to use, the less they will poop out. And the change isn't instant either, it does take a few days or longer.
How thin is thin? I've never seen blockage poops personally but my girls do have thinner longer poops some days, and smaller, thicker poops other days. I think with blockage poops you're looking for "spaghetti thin" poops, pure liquid diarrhea, straining, running into the litter box looking like they need to poop and then not pooping and then repeating this behaviour (sometimes they do just pee though without pooping).
I too give pumpkin/olive oil and even hairball meds when I start to get paranoid about poops, so it honestly can't hurt. Give a bit extra, see it the poop starts flowing again, and if not or if you notice any of the other bad signs of a blockage that were mentioned above, a trip to the vet is probably in order. Most expereinced vets can palpate and feel for a blockage, but an xray is usually needed to confirm.
Hopefully the scare passes soon! I am a fairly new owner myself, and am constantly digging through ferret poop!
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Post by hazelrah on Jun 10, 2011 15:01:41 GMT -5
Yes, they are! I had a decent kibble before, but I bought a bag of better quality to mix until I can switch to raw. Thanks so much for letting me know about the better quality food=smaller poops thing. I'm so glad I heard about that before going raw, or I would've had a heart attack They've been about the size of three or so spaghetti pieces together, so not quite that bad Now that I've SEEN her poop a couple of times since then instead of just finding the skinny poop in the litter box, I'm feeling a lot better. She doesn't seem to be straining at all, and she's going every three hours like usual! I gave her some olive oil and pumpkin just in case, but I'm pretty sure I was being over cautious. So really, it seems like things are working out to be the best case scenario She's the first ferret I've had after years of wanting one, and I just can't imagine what I'd do if something happened and I missed it! My boyfriend is starting to think I'm crazy for the amount of time I spend staring intently at poop, lol. |
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Post by Sherry on Jun 10, 2011 17:05:28 GMT -5
For the interim, give the pumpkin a couple more times to be safe. And don't worry about the paranoia- it comes with owning a ferret!
And by the way- we are ALL obsessed with poops ;D
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2011 18:28:53 GMT -5
Paranoia - the daily life of a ferrent ;D I'd give pumpkin just in case I'd rather be too cautious |
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Post by hazelrah on Jun 10, 2011 19:01:50 GMT -5
Absolutely, will do! Thanks so much for the help, I think I'm be freaking out all the time if it wasn't for this forum  |
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Post by Sherry on Jun 10, 2011 21:40:15 GMT -5
I know the feeling ;D
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