Clumpy, mushy poop

[Lmarie15]

Hello,

One of my guinea pigs is pooping out big clumps of soft, mushy poop. He has had no changes in appetite, water intake or behavior. I havent made any changes to his diet and he gets oxbow timothy hay pellets and unlimited hay. Other than the poop, I havent noticed any changes in him. He had this once before for less than 24 hours and was fine. The vet couldnt identify anything wrong with him last time and said he was healthy (yes it is a vet that regularly treats guinea pigs). His cage mate has not shown any of the same issues and neither have his other two brothers that are in the same cage but separated with a cage divider. Any idea what the cause of this could be? Thanks.

 

[Leafy Lou]

Hi there,

It could be an upset stomach, our youngster Roz had a few of those poos at one point when we first got the piggied but it resolved in a day or two, we did see a vet and did give her a small chunk of cabbage before the occurence, so blamed it on that. Her friend was on a lot of baytril metacalm for her illness, so often worried if that contributed.
We tend to avoid bloaty foods like cabbage, broccoli etc.
Keep an eye out, and it might be a good idea to limit the fresh veg for a day to see if it resolves..maybe a tummy rub?

Hope others can chime in with better advice xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,

One of my guinea pigs is pooping out big clumps of soft, mushy poop. He has had no changes in appetite, water intake or behavior. I havent made any changes to his diet and he gets oxbow timothy hay pellets and unlimited hay. Other than the poop, I havent noticed any changes in him. He had this once before for less than 24 hours and was fine. The vet couldnt identify anything wrong with him last time and said he was healthy (yes it is a vet that regularly treats guinea pigs). His cage mate has not shown any of the same issues and neither have his other two brothers that are in the same cage but separated with a cage divider. Any idea what the cause of this could be? Thanks.

Please take your guinea pigs off any fresh food and keep them off any fresh food until at least 24-48 hours after the poos have normalised again. Start reintroducing fresh veg gradually one more with each meal, starting with the fresh herbs you are feeding and leaving any lettuce for last.

See a vet promptly if there is no visible improvement within 24 hours, if the poo is getting worse or if the problem persists or recurs.

All the best!

 

[Lmarie15]

Thank you. I'm wondering if it could be the grape I gave him a few days ago? Each of my pigs had one although he is the only one with the issue. I know his tummy is more sensitive than the others though too. I dont give them a grape for a treat often but I have a handful of times in the past with no issues. I'm wondering if that could have caused him to get an upset tummy?

 

[Leafy Lou]

It is hard to say, but with soft fruits as treats I only do a quarter of a strawberry and half of a berry each.. once a week if that I don't tend to give grapes anymore, I just worry incase there are seeds lurking inside. But don't worry I am sure it will clear up following wiebkes advice!

They like to worry us that's for sure!

Hope your wee guy is a bit better tomorrow x

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you. I'm wondering if it could be the grape I gave him a few days ago? Each of my pigs had one although he is the only one with the issue. I know his tummy is more sensitive than the others though too. I dont give them a grape for a treat often but I have a handful of times in the past with no issues. I'm wondering if that could have caused him to get an upset tummy?

It is impossible to say but I would recommend to stick to a limited diet without foods that can cause dysbiosis (the fermentation process in the gut going wrong) with any piggy with a tender tummy.
I would recommend to follow the diet recommendations for guinea pigs with digestive issues and see whether that works for the longer term. If not, then it would be worth to have the poo lab tested to get to the bottom of the problem.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

A little very rough fibre like a little brown cardboard may help and is often what guinea pigs with dysbiosis crave to help rebalance their guts, but too much could lead to problems (potential blockage), so please don't overdo it.

Very freshly made 'poo soup' from a healthy companion' poos (i.e. transferring live healthy gut microbiome) can also help.
Please follow the instructions in this guide here. Properly made poo soup is more effective than any probiotic formula powder and it mimics natural behaviour in recovering guinea pigs: Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

 

[Lmarie15]

Hey, just thought I'd update this if anyone else has this issue with their piggies. I realized that although I still noticed them drinking, they werent drinking near as much and I didnt know why and it was actually all 4 of them. I know my boys are extremely picky and found out I needed to add more salt to my water softener and the water was hard and they didnt like it. They immediately began drinking like normal when they were given the new water and are all fine!

 

[Wiebke]

Hey, just thought I'd update this if anyone else has this issue with their piggies. I realized that although I still noticed them drinking, they werent drinking near as much and I didnt know why and it was actually all 4 of them. I know my boys are extremely picky and found out I needed to add more salt to my water softener and the water was hard and they didnt like it. They immediately began drinking like normal when they were given the new water and are all fine!

Thank you for the update.

Instead of adding salt, have you considered filtering your water, which is a long term healthier option?