Poop fact: Chinchilla poops approx 250 times throughout the day.
Chinchillas throw their poop when they go through a lot of emotion problems like stress, frustration or even boredom. Most of the time, poop throwing is harmless; however, it could irritate new owners as it’s a bit messy.
If your chinchilla is throwing poop, it’s important to find out the underlying reason for this behavior and solve it.
Read to learn more.
Table of Contents
Do Chinchillas Throw Poop?
Chinchillas do throw poop out of their cage. For new owners, this might sound strange but chinchillas can throw poops at you.
However, their poop doesn’t smell awful, and they are hard and small like a piece of rice, so it won’t make your house smell awful, but the fact is, they poop about 250 times a day!
If they kept throwing poop at you, it could be messy around their cage,
So, what are the reasons for this behavior?
Let’s find out!
Why Do Chinchillas Throw Poop?
Chinchilla can throw their poop for various reasons.
Chinchillas are friendly and do not always throw poop out of their cage. However, if your chins are throwing poop, there could be some underlying reasons behind this behavior.
Some of the reasons could be stress, frustration, anxiety or loneliness. Chins that do not get enough time with their owner or have playmates often experience these types of problems.
Stress And Frustration:
One of the biggest reasons for throwing poop could be stress or frustration. Chinchillas that usually stay alone or are not socialized can experience loneliness, anxiety or frustration.
Like humans, chinchillas also need to socialize; otherwise, they can get depressed. They need your attention, love and care, so it’s important that you spare some time for your little chinchilla and play with them.
Also, you can take them out with you for a walk or to visit the nearest park for a change.
Intense light and sound also can stress out your chinchilla. This is because; chins spend most of their time in a dark and cozy place.
Boredom:
Boredom can be a reason for throwing poop.
In the wild, chinchilla runs, climb, eat and do other playful activity to keep them entertained.
But this is not the case with domesticated chinchillas.
Chinchillas have an enormous amount of energy that needs to channelize in the right direction. Chinchillas that are always kept inside the cage can experience boredom and stress, and throwing poop might be the only way to entertain them.
To avoid this, you should let out your chinchilla at least once a day and meanwhile, you can clean their surroundings or dust baths them.
Note – do not leave your chinchilla out of their cage unsupervised.
Seeking Attention:
Not getting enough attention could be a reason for this strange behavior.
As I mentioned before, chinchillas are social animals, and they get involved with their surroundings and people.
Chinchillas that are frustrated due to lack of attention may throw feces at you to get your attention.
In this case, you should listen to your chinchilla and spare some time from your busy schedule to play with them; otherwise, it can negatively affect their mental health.
If your chinchilla is throwing poop at you, all they want is your attention.
Is It Normal for Chinchillas To Throw Their Poop?
Yes, throwing poop is a normal behavior and can be seen in many chinchillas.
This is the reaction of their boredom, anxiety or stress. However, this needs to address quickly before it turns into sometime serious.
Things that can stress out your chinchilla:
- Lack of entertainment
- Small space
- Lack of attention and care
- Loneliness
- Intense lights and noisy sound
Can You Stop This Behavior?
Most of the time, chinchillas throw poop because of boredom, stress, or to grab your attention.
The good news is that you can stop this behavior by understanding the reasons.
For example, you can reduce their stress by providing a friendly and stress-free environment. Make their life more social, take them for a walk and give them your attention.
Here are some more ways that can help prevent the poop throwing behavior of your chinchilla
Chinchilla Needs a Friendly Environment:
A friendly, engaging environment is important for a healthy chinchilla. They need social engagement just like us.
In the wild, they group up with other chinchillas and spend most of their time doing interactive things such as climbing, jumping, running etc.
However, this is not the case with domesticate chinchillas.
If you have only a single chinchilla, they’ll need your attention. Chinchillas that don’t get enough social interaction often get stressed.
So, you must spare some time from your busy schedule to play with your little chins, so they don’t feel lonely.
Consider Changing Cage Location:
New owners often make this mistake; they place their chin’s cage near a window or at a place where they can watch them.
But this is wrong.
Chinchilla needs a quiet and dark place to live comfortably. Excessive lights, either natural or artificial, can disturb their sleeping patterns and make them stressed and frustrated.
Chinchilla spends most of their day time sleeping, so it’s important to provide them with a dark and cozy place to get stress-free sleep.
Offer Toys:
Toys can help reduce poop-throwing behavior. Chinchillas often get stressed due to insufficient entertainment.
Usually, chinchillas have a little tiny cage without any interactive play. Less playing area can stress out your pet.
In this case, you should provide your chinchilla with a large cage with a lot of interactive toys such as climbing toys, ladders, running wheels and hide-in toys.
These toys will keep your chinchilla entertained throughout the day and help them release their energy.
Chewing toys can also help overcome boredom and restlessness.
Change Their Diet:
“You poop what you eat”, and the same goes for chinchillas. Chinchilla usually eats plant-based food majority of hay and other types of grass.
Chins have small and sensitive digestive tracts that can easily get affected if they have been fed the wrong food.
Wrong food means…
Foods with less fibre but high in sugar and water content are considered bad for chinchillas. It can upset your chinchilla’s digestive system making them poop more often.
For chinchilla, timothy hay and pellets are the best food.
However, occasional healthy treats such as dry fruits, cheerios and rose hips won’t likely harm your chins.
Why Chinchillas Poop so Much?
Chinchilla poop a lot. This is because they have a small digestive tract with a high metabolism rate.
Usually, chins eat a fiber-rich diet consisting of a variety of grasses. They eat throughout the day, and due to their high metabolism, they constantly poop here and there.
In fact, chinchillas can poop up to 250 times a day in the shape of small tiny balls.
However, their poop doesn’t have an awful smell like others and fairly easy to clean since they are solid similar to goat poop.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, chinchillas indeed throw poop out of the cage for various reasons. Mostly stressed, frustrated or bored, chinchillas likely throw poop out of the cage.
As an owner, you should pay attention to your chinchilla, spare some time and play with them. There are a lot of things that you can do with them like dust bathe, hide n’ seek and do other activities.
However, if all this doesn’t work, you should seek expert advice from a professional vet or trainer.
Other Useful Articles: