Why is my slower rat's poop weirdly shaped with fur in it?

Thanks for reaching out about Brinston. Changes in fecal quality, composition or color can be dietary, intestinal infections (bacteria, virus) or parasites, metabolic disorders and ingested foreign material. If persists, a veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a treatment plan. Continue to monitor feces, try to stabilize diet (no treats). Good luck.

Hi there, Sorry your bunny is having trouble. There are two main concerns that cause this. One is that an incorrect diet with too many carbs, treats, pellets and not enough hay, fiber, good veggies make for excess cecal pellets or loose stool. I suggest follow the www.rabbit.org guidelines. This is the House Rabbit Society, which is a good source of info. Parasites would be another possilbity and a fecal check is a good idea. Last, if your bunny has some arthritis with his age, he may be able to clean his self as well or get down to eat his cecal pellets (the soft night droppings) as well. I suggest a good exam by a vet to rule out arthritis and health problems and making sure diet is optimal.

He may have some minor GI upset. Discontinue feeding any fruits or vegetables temporarily. Feed only timothy hay or similar grasses. Offer as much as he wants. The high fiber may set his GI tract straight again. If not, have him examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating rabbits. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites. Rabbits will also produce softer stool at night which is normal. You may see them eating this "night stool" as part of their diet.

Hello, sorry to hear about Sushi. It sounds like he is experiencing abdominal pain and is grunting because of this. The soft stools with mucus could be a sign of a colitis. These could be associated with multiple primary GI (infections, inflammation of the bowel, dietary indiscretions) or secondary GI (liver or kidney disease). If Sushi's signs continue, then he will need to be seen by his veterinarian soon. I would recommend calling the multiple emergency hospitals in your area to see if any of them see exotics. http://www.vrcc.com, VRCC seems to be a specialty center and they may see exotics there. I would give them a call. In the interim, ensure that Sushi was adequate amounts of water and feed him as long as he continues to want to eat. Hope this helps and best of luck.

In such a young rat the most common reason for hair loss is parasites, I would trear him for them anyway as they can be hard to see. If that doesnt help then I would consider allergy, dust free bedfing can help and good quality pellet food specifically formulated for rats.

Poor Rick! The staining you are describing is porphyrin, which is a normal discharge that gets groomed off. However, when rats are not feeling well it can be produced in larger amounts and lack of grooming causes it to accumulate. If Rick is having trouble breathing, he should be seen by his vet immediately as he may need oxygen supplementation. To keep him comfortable, you can moisten his food slightly or provide a gel diet which is easier to eat.

There could be a medical reason behind Pippen's excessive grooming, such as mites or a diet high in fat. Before getting another rat, I'd recommend having him seen by a vet to rule out a medical cause behind the excessive grooming. If there is one, he can be treated for it, and you can wait until you are ready to get another rat. I'm very sorry you recently lost your other rat :-(