If the mucus is surrounding the poo, the irritation is likely higher up in the GI system; if the mucus is at the end of the poo, it's more likely that the anal glands are emptying at the end. If there is brighter red in the stool, then the irritation is likely toward the end of the GI tract.
Yes, cardboard/paper could cause irritation to the GI system. I'd keep him safe in confined area when you're gone...like a bathroom, laundry room or xpen area. You don't want him eating (or choking!!!) on foreign objects.
If his tummy is gurgling from his current food, I'd def switch foods as that too would indicate some sort of irritation / intolerance to something in the food.
If the poo has now cleared up, I don't know that I'd worry too much about it. However, given he's quite young I'd keep a very close eye on it - if it goes soft again, I'd get a fecal asap.
__________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~
°¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° |