Let's refresh:
A few weeks ago, we talked about the two different types of poops hamsters make:
#1 normal fecal pellets
#2 Caecotropes (aka "soft poops")
But how are they each formed?
#1 Normal fecal pellets
basically: food → stomach → small intestine (nutrients absorbed) → large intestine (water absorbed) → pellet
To be clear, both normal fecal pellets and caecotropes are formed at the same time, but caecotropes have nutrients in them that are sorted differently.
2 Caecotropes (a.k.a. “soft poops”)
The process starts pretty similar:
food → stomach → small intestine (nutrients absorbed)
When it gets to the large intestine the gut sorts particles, normal pellets carry on, but finer particles and fermentable material get pushed into the cecum.
cecum = fermentation chamber
In the cecum, bacteria/yeast ferment those finer particle and “upgrade” it nutritionally.
Thus producing:
Caecotropes
Which your hamster will go ahead and re-eat to get a second round of nutrients!
Remember: while caecotropes are more liquidy, here’s what’s not normal: watery diarrhea, lots of mucus, blood, or a sudden big change in amount/consistency of poop.
The more you know
