# Stinky/soft poop



## bonas95 (Sep 5, 2014)

Hello! Sorry for the gross subject, but I'm a bit concerned about my pet rats. We adopted them 3 months ago when they were 6 weeks old (so they're almost 5 months old now), and pretty much ever since we got them, I've noticed that they often have very soft, wet, and extremely smelly poop. I thought at first that it might be "fear poop" that I had read about, but I think the ratties are used to us and their surroundings by now. They are very comfortable with us and we handle them daily, so I would guess it's something else. I've taken them to the vet to rule out an infection or parasite - both tests came back clean. Any other thoughts? I feel bad for them if they have tummy aches - plus it's also hard to keep their cage smelling decent - and their living area is constantly getting covered in the soft, wet poop since they track it around. They also have some more normal, dry poop - I'd say 75% is normal, but that 25% is pretty toxic!

Please let me know if you have any thoughts. We've also limited their diet to just Harlan lab blocks, thinking maybe other things are upsetting their tummies (and we've swapped out lab blocks, too.) Nothing seems to make a difference.

Thanks in advance!
Wendy


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## [email protected] (Nov 26, 2016)

Hi!
What did you feed them previously before switching to the blocks?

Also, have you noticed any fights between them for dominance or else? They might be stressed because there is a bully in the cage? Or do they all seem calm and friendly and getting along?

You say that 75% of the poop seems ok. Have you noticed when the runny poops happens? Is it at the same time for all of them? Or different times of the day? I know it's not easy to pin point which poop belongs to who but maybe it's just one of them having stress poop because they havent figured out their relations in the cage yet?


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## bonas95 (Sep 5, 2014)

Thanks for responding. When we first got the rats, we gave them mostly the lab blocks, but supplemented with a little amount of veggies and a mix including oatmeal, seeds, dried peas, etc. But the majority was still the lab blocks, and we've cut everything else out for about a month already.

We only have 2 rats, and they seem to fight/play similar to other rats we've had in the past. I occasionally will hear squeaking and see one of them grooming the other, but for the most part, they seem to be friendly with each other.

As for who is having these poops and when - I have't really been able to figure this out. It happens when we're not playing with them, and I haven't been able to catch either of them.

Again, thanks for your time!


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## [email protected] (Nov 26, 2016)

No worries. Well, the good news is that 75% of the poop is normal. I'd be more worried if the ratio was higher. 

I would definitely not cut out all other food and just leave them on the blocks all the time. Must be really boring for them. Fruits and veggies are great source of fiber. I'm sure they'll love boiled chicken (no spices) too, uncooked pasta, dried bread, etc. Perhaps try to experiment with different foods and see what the effect on the poop is? I'm not saying not to feed them blocks, they should still have proper rat food as the majority of their diet, but reward them with some snacks too.


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## bonas95 (Sep 5, 2014)

Right, I'll add back in some other foods - hopefully this will just clear up with more time!


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