Guinea Pig Boar, Slowly Losing Weight, Soft Stools.

[MT_]

Are either of them Neutered? She may just be in season and sensing he's a little off so taking advantage of trying to be top pig.

If it continues and she is acting out of the ordinary then maybe pop her along to the vet next time your boar is due a visit X

Yea my boar has been neutered at age of 3 months i believe, there both 2+ years now, pretty much been together their whole life.

My sow has had periodic seasons until a few months ago, now it looks as if shes continuosly in season

Perhaps i shuld split their belongings so they both have their own stuff

 

[Adelle]

Yea my boar has been neutered at age of 3 months i believe, there both 2+ years now, pretty much been together their whole life.

My sow has had periodic seasons until a few months ago, now it looks as if shes continuosly in season

Perhaps i shuld split their belongings so they both have their own stuff

If she seems constantly in season id have her checked over by a vet as this can be a sign of an ovarian issue.

Good luck and hope it's nothing x

 

[MT_]

Well, he's still alive.... All happy and active as always.

I'm afraid to weigh him at this point as it doesn't really help anything, other than making myself crazy.

He hasnt lost a signifant amount lately tho, I can pretty much observe his bones anyway since he's a skinny.

I'm back on Timothy hay, long stemmed, severely limiting pellets at this point, altho I should soon receive Oxbow Adult for Guineas based on Timothy with 30+% fiber if i'm not mistaken, so I might increase the amount of pellets a bit.

All veggies he gets now is high in fibre, all green leaf, Parsley, Endive, Spinach, Coriander, everything to keep his gut moving and healthy.

Managed to get his droppings formed properly, and initially they all had 'air bubbles' inside while dissecting them but i often find then more 'solid' now so I assume he has less gas buildup as well.

Perhaps he was close to a GI tract stasis condition or at the very least lower intestines movement...

Small question, I often find these things in my timothy hay and Ive seen my skinny eat them occasionally, can it hurt?

 

[Adelle]

Well, he's still alive.... All happy and active as always.

I'm afraid to weigh him at this point as it doesn't really help anything, other than making myself crazy.

He hasnt lost a signifant amount lately tho, I can pretty much observe his bones anyway since he's a skinny.

I'm back on Timothy hay, long stemmed, severely limiting pellets at this point, altho I should soon receive Oxbow Adult for Guineas based on Timothy with 30+% fiber if i'm not mistaken, so I might increase the amount of pellets a bit.

All veggies he gets now is high in fibre, all green leaf, Parsley, Endive, Spinach, Coriander, everything to keep his gut moving and healthy.

Managed to get his droppings formed properly, and initially they all had 'air bubbles' inside while dissecting them but i often find then more 'solid' now so I assume he has less gas buildup as well.

Perhaps he was close to a GI tract stasis condition or at the very least lower intestines movement...

Small question, I often find these things in my timothy hay and Ive seen my skinny eat them occasionally, can it hurt?

Those are seed heads.. Most piggies favourite part of the hay! Soft on the outside with a crunchy stalk on the inside, perfectly normal for them to eat them :-)

Seeing weight loss on the scales is a horrible feeling but it needs to be done. You can't really track his progress without this. It's great his poos are doing better but please do watch his weight.

 

[DM030819]

I don't really have anything helpful to add but I did want to mention a couple of things.

I have a boar with digestive issues and I recently couldn't get hold of his usual pellets so I got a small packet of the Science Selective ones. I slowly introduced them to it, but then he started with soft poops. I'm not sure what caused it but I'm wondering if it were the pellets. I've stopped them and he seems to be getting better.

I remember what someone on the Guinea Lynx forum had a skinny pig boar with very similar issues as your boy. He kept losing weight and having soft poops. It could be worth a look to see if you can find her thread on there. The poster was skinnypigs1.

 

[MT_]

I don't really have anything helpful to add but I did want to mention a couple of things.

I have a boar with digestive issues and I recently couldn't get hold of his usual pellets so I got a small packet of the Science Selective ones. I slowly introduced them to it, but then he started with soft poops. I'm not sure what caused it but I'm wondering if it were the pellets. I've stopped them and he seems to be getting better.

I remember what someone on the Guinea Lynx forum had a skinny pig boar with very similar issues as your boy. He kept losing weight and having soft poops. It could be worth a look to see if you can find her thread on there. The poster was skinnypigs1.

Thanks ill take a look!

Yeah I'm not sure on Science Selective... My other deceased pigs 'thrived' on them, at least as far as i could observe. But it remains an Alfalfa based pellet which doesnt sound optimal for adults. Also the fiber content is imho extremely low at just 14/15% crude fiber

I always gave my guineas unlimited pellets until one of my boars got obese.

 

[Teddybear22]

I think @Jaycey is referring to this thread: Guinea Lynx :: Topic - Mushy Poops, Can't Handle Veggies

I follow her on youtube and in the end Bullseye (the name of the piggy with tummy issues) is ok and has a normal life with normal poos, but with the help of daily medication.

 

[MT_]

Seems like my pig, unable to handle veggies. Ill take a look at it.

Altho in all fairness i have the idea that i ruined his gut by giving them WAY too many veggies. (started to give them 150/175g a day at some point, while the recommended is 50g a day, and my guineas are both smaller than average already.

I just received my Oxbow Adul guinea, highest fiber content ive seen! They both seem to like it And the transition should be easy since i gave them Oxbow For younglings. Its just timothy instead of alfalfa

 

[Kidder]

Did you ever figure anything out about this? I have a boar that seems to have the same problem. He isn't interested in pellets, has a good appetite for hay and veggies, but never seems to be able to gain any weight. He also has the soft poo problem, but I've been giving him way too many veggies too because that was the only thing he would eat for a while so that could be it. I'm thinking I'll cut back and "force" him to eat something else, while giving Critical Care to try to get his weight up a bit. It's getting ridiculous.