Constipated??? Thoughts

[Iggy10flame]

I have an adult squirrel and I noticed his bum losing fur and poop stuck to that area. He has balls of poop there sometimes and now I’m questioning if he has hemroids too. Anyone have any thoughts on how to help him?

[Mel1959]

Can he be handled? If so I’d clean his bum to remove any dried on poo and apply some A &D ointment or something similar. Are you sure it’s not diahrrhea that’s dried and matted? If it’s constipation a small piece of prune might help or sugar water. Pumpkin can help with constipation because of the fiber, but it can also firm the stool. Diluted Apple juice might also help. I think you should monitor him if you can clean him up to determine what is going on. Rodents can have mega colon which can lead to constipation. The intestines don’t contract correctly to push the feces through. If this is what your little guy has it can be helped with Rex medications.

[Clutch&StuartsMommy]

If he's not all that fond of being handled, I gave mine a shower of her own (in a sense) when she had dried-on poop. I put a shelf in the shower, with a washcloth and turned on the shower the condensation soon had her actually cleaning herself a bit. Then afterwards, surprisingly, she was happy for me to dry her off and finish the cleaning process. Now she actually tries to get on her shelf in the shower. My husband gets scared when he's the one taking the shower. LOL!!! Her nails and his bare skin. It's hilarious!

[Iggy10flame]

He is able to be handled. I am going to try and get some of the poop off. He’s a bit crabby about me touching his bum. At this point I do believe it’s constipation. Will it hurt him if that is not the issue and I give him apple juice? I don’t want to make him sicker in any respects.

[Diggie's Friend]

Bake some organic Butternut, Acorn, or any kind of winter squash, even a cooking pumpkin, just not a field pumpkin. Scoop out the portions with a melon baller to freeze in a ziplock bag removing the last of the air with a straw. Then thaw 2 overnight in the fridge to feed the next day. Do not store squash in the fridge it goes bad fast and molds. Do not use canned as it tastes awful, and isn't nearly as healthy!

1/2 Tsp. twice daily.

Pet Flora digestive support Soil based bacteria keeps things going well.

https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Flora-Spectrum-Prebiotic-Probiotic/dp/B073G9K4XV

There is one that is initially cheaper, but this source with 120 caps at 55.00 vs 50 caps for about 46.00, is a far better buy for your money; for at 1/64 Tsp daily this is nearly a 4 years supply, with no shelf issues.

I would see if you can burrito him, and gently squish his bottom into a large deep sponge with slightly warm water, petting him as you do it; then dip just his bottom (with the rest of his tail up out of the water) into tepid water to rinse.

[Iggy10flame]

Okay so I just gave him a bum soak and got some of the main poop chunks off. At this point I’m questioning if it could be diarrhea getting caught in his fur. Ugh. Now what do I do?

[Binkers mom]

Hi Iggy,
How old is your guy and what are you feeding ?
I think it would be important to determine if it were diarrhea or constipation. The treatments will be different. Can you put him in a clean cage and watch to see if he poops pellets or diarrhea ?
Warm tushy soaks ( if constipated, it will help him relax to poop) needed to keep that area clean and allow it to heal if the skin is irritated. I like A&D ointment too. Make sure it is dried well too.

[cava]

If your guy is pooping, it's not constipation (which is inability to poop). He may be losing fur due to stool sticking to the fur and causing irritation. Feces can cause some nasty skin breakdown. I've shaved some poop matts off butts in my time and seen some wicked inflamed skin underneath.

A&D ointment is fine to use on the red areas. Keeping the area clean and dry will help.

Be slow with diet changes, etc. to be sure he's tolerating things and if he does have a problem and you are only introducing one thing at a time, you'll know what thing caused it. I hope he feels better soon.

[Mel1959]

I’m not sure how old your guy is but infant rice cereal added to formula (if he’s taking formula) can help firm up loose stools. If he’s not taking formula pumpkin (canned or baby food) can help as well as banana. It sounds to me like it is loose stools and that the stool has caused his bottom to become irritated and lose fur. You’re on the right track getting it cleaned off of him and applying an ointment.

Let us know what he’s eating and maybe we can uncover what might be triggering the loose stools. I hope he gets better soon. Sore, irritated bottoms are no fun.

[Iggy10flame]

He eats Henry rodent block and a variety of veggies. Leafy greens, beets, sweet potato, some apple and pear at times. Sometimes snap peas and green beens. Some nuts from time to time.

[Diggie's Friend]

If he has some specific issue that requires antibiotics, the next elimination should show something. Be aware that antibiotics destroy the good gut bacteria with the bad; for this reason they should not be used save they are absolutely needed because they can make diarrhea worse from lack of sufficient digestion of foods. If you see something like white mucous globs that may be coccidia that would require antibiotics. Check for worms, for if that is the issue that will require medication to get rid of them. The pre/probiotic will help with the diarrhea also.

The soil based bacteria pre/probitotic regulates the bowel, as it support digestion of foods, and destroys bad bacterias known to cause diarrhea. The fiber in the squash supports theregulation of the bowel. For eliminating most bacteria I would encourage you to get one of these inexpensive water treatment systems that provides really good water; just read what it does. Amazon.com ships quickly.

https://www.amazon.com/Aquasana-Active-Bottle-Filter-Plastic/dp/B072J5VP71

[SammysMom]

Not sure if there was a mention of antibiotic that I missed, but if he is on meds, what are they for?
You can offer sweet potato for help with loose stool as it is binding. It seems more likely that it is diarrhea than constipation if there is stool stuck in his fur. Has he had any new fruits or veggies recently?

[SammysMom]

I am in Connecticut if that helps you.

[Iggy10flame]

I’m going got pick up some a&d today and have some squash for him to have with his breakfast this morning. The area is looking much better than it did before soaking so hopefully with it cleaned up some that will help. I’m going to keep eyes on it and as you all said do my best to keep it clean and dry. I’ll touch base once I know if things are getting better or worse. Thank you all for all the support. I will let you know how he does.