The JBL Research Informs: White Faeces or Intestinal Mucosa?

Dog owners aren’t squeamish about dog waste because they have to dispose of it on a regular basis. Aquarium and pond owners also observe their fish when they go to the toilet. When their excrement turns whitish instead of dark, the alarm bells start to go off for quite a few people, because the first Google hit on this topic is usually the diagnosis "intestinal flagellates". This is also possible, but other reasons are much more likely:

Just after the winter or some other long break in feeding, whitish, slime-like excretions often occur. The intestinal cells have continued to multiply even without food and are then rejected during renewal. The pond owner then perceives this as "white excrement". This can also occur after a food change. It has nothing to do with good or bad food, but simply with the change and can last for 14 days or more, until the intestinal bacteria have adapted. If the new food then contains substances like carotenes, the translucent excretion can appear reddish. Since the change of food often has a reason and shouldn’t be undone, we recommend you mix the "old" and the "new" food in order to get the animals used to it. If the whitish, translucent excreta can still be seen after several days, a microscopic examination for intestinal flagellates might be advisable. Otherwise, just think about what it was like when you first tried exotic food from street stalls. It's all a question of getting used to it…

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