# To cut hair or pull it? hair in poop



## terracolson (Feb 25, 2010)

So it seems my baby leo has eaten my hair! Its not the first time is seems or it might be..

wel anyway a week ago it was a coconut string from the eco earth... i found his poop was following him in his bath..

i cut it off and then next poop it came out....

i tried to tugg it a little and he squirmed... so i stopped...

the second week, i found one of my long blond hairs.... i cut it to discover that... i gave a little tug and it came right out with out him squirming and it pulled out some more poop....

What would be the correct thing to do... besides try to keep hair away from him, i and see that being easy!
3 cats 2 dog and 3 humans


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## matt41gb (Feb 25, 2010)

Just do what I did; shave it all off! Ha! I would assume a stray hair here and there is pretty benign. It's when a lot of hair is ingested and causes impaction problems. I'm not sure how your hair is getting in his mouth. Do you hover over the enclosure? I guess your hair could shed at that moment. Are you letting him roam the house on the floor? 

-Matt


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## Yvonne G (Feb 25, 2010)

I don't know how true it is, and I'm not a doctor or a scientist, but I've always heard that a single hair might wrap around and cut the intestine. Don't really know how that can happen, but its what I've heard.

After I posted this I did a GOOGLE search to see if I could find anything and this is all I found:

The reason string can be fatal to animals (or people, for that matter) is that the bowel tries to pass the string along by peristalsis. This results in two peristaltic waves acting as "anchor" points, which eventually causes the string to become taut. Intermediate peristaltic waves then act on the linear foreign body produced by the taut length of string, trying unsuccessfully to move it along. Repeated movement against the string actually saws through the bowel wall, leading to perforation, peritonitis and eventual death.


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## matt41gb (Feb 25, 2010)

Yikes! Good find Yvonne.


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## terracolson (Feb 25, 2010)

lots of big words in that... and its talking about string.. not a hair...that would break easier.. but I will make sure to cut it if i find another one... and yes i am over the enclsure every day, but my hair is always pulled back... and no he doesnt roam, he is only a inch big!


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## Maggie Cummings (Feb 25, 2010)

I also have long hair and more then several times I have seen my hair coming out covered in poop. I gently pull on it until a gentle tug doesn't work. I have always been able to pull the hair out. I have really thought about this, trying to figure it all out. My hair must fall into the habitat as I am working in the enclosure. Short of using Matts suggestion I don't think there's much those of us with long hair can do. I don't think that our long hair can cut an intestine like what Yvonne posted. I think that our long hair causing injury would really be a long shot...at least that's what I hope...


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## kimmikins (Feb 25, 2010)

i had it in my own poop once lol [/align]


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## dmmj (Feb 25, 2010)

Big.... words..... make..... brain.... hurt.....


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## Tom (Feb 25, 2010)

A lot of plant fibers look like hair. I've been pulling a fair amount of "hair" out of Daisy's behind during soaks, but nobody with long hair goes anywhere near her enclosure.


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## terracolson (Feb 25, 2010)

ok, so it could be from his food.. and you carefully remove them... cool thank you


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## Laura (Feb 25, 2010)

I wouldnt pull.. just let it come out on its own. try to prevent. extra soaks.


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## matt41gb (Feb 25, 2010)

kimmikins said:


> i had it in my own poop once lol [/align]



Hahahah!


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## tortoisenerd (Feb 25, 2010)

Many of the greens have veins on them (not sure the technical name) that are long and stringy, as do substrates. Hair is one of the reasons we suggest not to have your tort roam around the house.


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## terracolson (Feb 25, 2010)

well i am glad mine dont roam my house.. they would get turtle hairballs


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## Tom (Feb 25, 2010)

terracolson said:


> ok, so it could be from his food.. and you carefully remove them... cool thank you



Are you feeding any grass or weeds? That could be it.

I don't like her walking around with stuff halfway hanging out of her cloaca, so I give it a gentle tug. So far there has never been any resistance, but if there was, I'd just leave her in the soak longer until she pooped it all out.


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## chpete79 (Feb 27, 2010)

Human hair as a substrate? Hmm learn something new every day. haha


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