| Texture of feces |
Color of feces |
Presence of blood |
Occasional accompanying
symptoms |
Most probable cause |
| Stringy, semi-solid / loose / diarrhea |
Light brown / green |
Usually none, but can be present in cases of heavy
infestation; usually seen as bleeding from the mouth |
Appetite loss; weight loss, sometimes sudden in
onset |
Nematode infestation: Crenosoma striatum
|
| Semi-solid / crumbly:- undigested food present |
Light brown |
Usually none |
Mediocre appetite; very little/no weight gain or
gradual weight loss |
Nematode infestation: Capillaria erinacei or
trematodes such as Brachylaemus spp. |
| Mostly normal, but sometimes slightly loose |
Normal color (dependent on food eaten) with dark
green segment at one end of stool |
Usually none |
Weight gain might be a little slower than expected |
Hymenolepis erinacei |
| Diarrhea |
Bright/very light green |
Usually present. Amount signifies degree of
progression of the infestation/damage to gut wall |
Appetite loss |
Protozoan infestation: Isospora, resulting in
Coccidiosis |
| Diarrhea |
Brown |
Large amount of blood produced from mouth and anus
due to hemorrhaging tissue |
Extremely rapid weight loss leading to emaciated
appearance, dehydration, collapse then death if not treated
immediately |
Bacterial infection: Clostridium perfringens
or threadworms such as Capillaria aerophila |
| Diarrhea, very watery |
Brown |
Not usually |
Extremely restless. Often seen walking purposefully
in the daylight, usually followed by collapse due to exhaustion and
dehydration |
Bacterial infection: Escherichia coli |
| Semi-solid / loose / diarrhea |
Dark green |
Occasionally |
Appetite loss |
Bacterial infection: Salmonella spp. |
| Dry, hard stools |
Black / brown (color essentially determined by diet,
but darker than normal) |
None |
Appetite loss and occasionally restless |
Recent treatment for intestinal worms, which may have
resulted in a blockage / food too dry |
