Is Your Pet Rat Poop White? Here’s Why!

You might find white poop from your pet rats from time to time. This happens especially if they’re allowed to leave their cage to play on the floor or even on a couch or bed. You might also find loose white droppings in their cage.

In general, white poop in pet rats means that the droppings themselves are very old. Usually, pet rat stools turn white as they dry. Rats’ poop also turns white when they eat their own bedding or in rarer cases, they might have a health issue. For that reason, it’s important to know how old are the droppings you’ve just found.

But unless it’s something constant or there are other symptoms, there should be nothing to worry about. Of course, there are other reasons why your pet rat poop is white and we’ll go over them right here and now!

Reasons To Why Your Pet Rat Poop Is White

Old Pet Rat Poop

The first thing you should notice is how old are the droppings you found.

As time passes, the droppings become dry and become whiter. This is pretty normal to happen. Especially if you let your pet rats loose in the house or playground.

It’s normal for them to poop here and there while outside of the cage. Some pet rats are just too lazy to go to the litter while playing. And for that reason, you might find old droppings as you clean the playground.

If you suspect the droppings you found have been there for some time, then there’s no reason to worry.

Ingesting Bedding

Another reason for their droppings to appear white is if they ate some of the bedding. If you use paper, toilet paper or other kinds of shavings, it’s possible that they might’ve eaten some of it.

our adorable pet rats looking out of their cage!
Freya and Sheik poking around

Pet rats will chew on anything and it’s fairly easy to chew on their bedding. We give our girls old pieces of cloth for their beds, and it’s full of holes! So, as you can imagine, the paper is easy for them to ingest.

This shouldn’t be a problem, as long as it’s not printed paper. The inks used are usually toxic for pet rats and for that reason should be avoided.

If they managed to eat some paper or bedding, it will also leave their body and that white you notice in their droppings might be it!

High Calcium Diet

Lastly, white droppings might be caused by high calcium in their diet.

Be sure you’re using food that is specifically designed for pet rats. Pet rat rations are pretty balanced and they don’t need extra supplements.

On the other hand, if your pet rat was prescribed with some kind of vitamins or supplements. They could be providing too much calcium to your rodent friends, causing the white droppings.

If that’s the case, I recommend speaking with your veterinarian so they can investigate the situation!

In the case that none of these situations apply to your pet rat, then it’s important to check not only the color but the consistency of your pet rat droppings. Pay attention to your rodent friend behavior as well, if they’re sick or becoming sick, they’ll become more lethargic.

If both their behavior, lack of activity and droppings are starting to worry you, then it’s best to bring them to a veterinarian for a check-up!

What’s The Normal Color Of Pet Rat Poop?

Pet rat’s droppings are usually dark brown, somewhat firm and neither too squishy nor dry. Their consistency should let you easily pick them up with a tissue, gloves or a litter shovel.

Now there’s a lot of reasons why your pet rats droppings might change. Both in color and consistency!

For example, if your pet rat had some carrots or pumpkins, it’s normal for their droppings to appear orange. On the other hand if they had green veggies, you might find dark green or green droppings in the litter afterward.

This is pretty normal and no cause for alarm. Truth is, the same happens to us after having certain food!

Furthermore, if you give your pet rat a food they never had before, it’s normal for their systems to have some trouble digesting it. Their poop consistency might appear a bit more liquid/squishy.

This happens with most raw veggies, especially carrots!

They’re known to cause runny droppings. But, again, there’s no reason for you to worry.

Most of the time it’s a matter of giving them smaller quantities of said vegetables and for them to not eat it often. As they get used to the new food, their digestive system will also digest these veggies better as time goes by.

Also, if for some reason, your pet rat often eats purées it’s natural for their droppings to be a bit runnier as well. If they’re not ingesting a lot of solid food, then that’ll show!

Unless you see an unusual look or consistency of their droppings for too long, there should be no reason to worry about it.

Again, always pay attention to your rodent friend’s activity and behavior if you’re in doubt. The way they act should tell you if they’re feeling healthy or not!

If You’re Still Worried, See A Veterinarian 

In case you notice your pet rats droppings constantly white, even when they’re fresh. Or if their droppings consistency isn’t usual for too long and it’s worrying you, then it’s always best to contact a veterinarian.

You can first call them, tell them your concerns and if it’s nothing too serious, the veterinarian will assuage your fears and you won’t even have to bring the pet rat to the office. Alternatively, the veterinarian might want to examine your pet rat, to be sure that there’s no problem with them.

A lot of times, they might ask for some dropping samples, so they can test and be sure that everything’s alright. Some health problems might indeed show through the droppings, but again, if it’s something serious, your pet rat will also show signs of it!

Pet rats are very active and when they’re feeling sick they’ll become lethargic, refuse to eat as well as avoid your touch.

These are some of the signs to look for if you suspect your pet rat is sick!

Now if you haven’t yet, I highly recommend getting a litter and train your pet rats to use it! Pet rats will naturally choose a space on their cage to use as a bathroom, so it’s fairly easy to teach them.

I wrote a guide on how to litter train your pet rat, so if it’s something you want to know more about, do check it out!

The reason why the litter is helpful is that it not only keeps the cage cleaner for longer, you can also check their droppings more easily. If you’re worried, you can check the litter every morning and know if there are any changes or not.

It’s also very important to keep a clean cage. This means making a daily cleaning of their droppings and dirty bedding. This will help keep your pet rat healthy! Not only don’t they like living in dirty places, but their feces and urine also produce bacteria that can make your pet rats sick.

With a litter, you can very easily pick up the droppings, change some of the litter, so it’s cleaner and it doesn’t smell and it won’t take more than 5 minutes every morning!

This way you can keep an eye on their droppings if you’re worried, but also keep their cage clean for longer!

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