Guinea pig had diarrhoea now seems constipated

[Becca6178]

Hello, hoping someone has some experience of this. Our guinea pig, Rocky approx 10 months old, had diarrhoea 6 days ago. He then went off his food and became very lethargic. We took him to the vets. He was unsure as to what had caused it but thought he may have had a reaction to a tomato. They (then us) started to syringe feed. He has put on between 10-30 grams (depending on when he has been weighed).
He has shown more interest in food but seems really lethargic still whereas he always used to be on the go. He is pooing occasionally but these seem soft and sticky (not runny though). We're still syringe feeding 2-3 times a day (mushed up pellets and water).
Any suggestions on putting more weight on (he's about 610-630 grams) and how to give him more energy!
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, hoping someone has some experience of this. Our guinea pig, Rocky approx 10 months old, had diarrhoea 6 days ago. He then went off his food and became very lethargic. We took him to the vets. He was unsure as to what had caused it but thought he may have had a reaction to a tomato. They (then us) started to syringe feed. He has put on between 10-30 grams (depending on when he has been weighed).
He has shown more interest in food but seems really lethargic still whereas he always used to be on the go. He is pooing occasionally but these seem soft and sticky (not runny though). We're still syringe feeding 2-3 times a day (mushed up pellets and water).
Any suggestions on putting more weight on (he's about 610-630 grams) and how to give him more energy!
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi and welcome!

Guinea pigs don't suffer from constipation, but your lack of poos and their quality shows that you are feeding too little and that his diet contains too little fibre. Please do not feed him any fresh food for the time being.
Please take the time to read out syringe feeding guide, which you may find helpful. Many inexperienced owners and vet are unaware that over 80% of the daily food intake is actually hay and that veg makes only about 10% and pellets should be 5%. That means they vastly underestimate the amount of food a guinea pig needs in a day.
Our illustrated guide has been specifically written for members that have never syringe fed before and is very practical and step by step.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

If problems continue, please have the poos analysed with a float to find out what is causing this.

Is your guinea pig an outdoors or indoors piggy? And is he an only guinea pig or not?
If he has got a companion, you may find that 'poo soup' made by soaking fresh poos (literally as soon as you come out) from a healthy companion in a little water and then syringing the water. do this 2-3 times. This helps to restock the guts with all the 'right stuff', mimics natural behaviour and is - if always really freshly made, more effective than a probiotic.
A course of fibreplex may also help; again, it is it more effective than generic probiotics. You can find information on recovery foods and supportive care products in the syringe feeding guide.

It would also help us a lot if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your account details (accessible via your username on the top bar) to make it appear on the left with every post you make. This allows us to always tailor any advice and recommendations to what is available and relevant where you are straight away. We have members and enquiries from all over the world. In your case, this also includes recommendations for vets with more experience in treating guinea pigs as well as any medical brands. Thank you!

 

[Becca6178]

Hi and welcome!

Guinea pigs don't suffer from constipation, but your lack of poos and their quality shows that you are feeding too little and that his diet contains too little fibre. Please do not feed him any fresh food for the time being.
Please take the time to read out syringe feeding guide, which you may find helpful. Many inexperienced owners and vet are unaware that over 80% of the daily food intake is actually hay and that veg makes only about 10% and pellets should be 5%. That means they vastly underestimate the amount of food a guinea pig needs in a day.
Our illustrated guide has been specifically written for members that have never syringe fed before and is very practical and step by step.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

If problems continue, please have the poos analysed with a float to find out what is causing this.

Is your guinea pig an outdoors or indoors piggy? And is he an only guinea pig or not?
If he has got a companion, you may find that 'poo soup' made by soaking fresh poos (literally as soon as you come out) from a healthy companion in a little water and then syringing the water. do this 2-3 times. This helps to restock the guts with all the 'right stuff', mimics natural behaviour and is - if always really freshly made, more effective than a probiotic.
A course of fibreplex may also help; again, it is it more effective than generic probiotics. You can find information on recovery foods and supportive care products in the syringe feeding guide.

It would also help us a lot if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your account details (accessible via your username on the top bar) to make it appear on the left with every post you make. This allows us to always tailor any advice and recommendations to what is available and relevant where you are straight away. We have members and enquiries from all over the world. In your case, this also includes recommendations for vets with more experience in treating guinea pigs as well as any medical brands. Thank you!

Great, thank you so much for such a detailed reply. I will have a good read of the syringe feeding guide and act accordingly. Really appreciate the help.

 

[Becca6178]

Hi and welcome!

Guinea pigs don't suffer from constipation, but your lack of poos and their quality shows that you are feeding too little and that his diet contains too little fibre. Please do not feed him any fresh food for the time being.
Please take the time to read out syringe feeding guide, which you may find helpful. Many inexperienced owners and vet are unaware that over 80% of the daily food intake is actually hay and that veg makes only about 10% and pellets should be 5%. That means they vastly underestimate the amount of food a guinea pig needs in a day.
Our illustrated guide has been specifically written for members that have never syringe fed before and is very practical and step by step.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

If problems continue, please have the poos analysed with a float to find out what is causing this.

Is your guinea pig an outdoors or indoors piggy? And is he an only guinea pig or not?
If he has got a companion, you may find that 'poo soup' made by soaking fresh poos (literally as soon as you come out) from a healthy companion in a little water and then syringing the water. do this 2-3 times. This helps to restock the guts with all the 'right stuff', mimics natural behaviour and is - if always really freshly made, more effective than a probiotic.
A course of fibreplex may also help; again, it is it more effective than generic probiotics. You can find information on recovery foods and supportive care products in the syringe feeding guide.

It would also help us a lot if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your account details (accessible via your username on the top bar) to make it appear on the left with every post you make. This allows us to always tailor any advice and recommendations to what is available and relevant where you are straight away. We have members and enquiries from all over the world. In your case, this also includes recommendations for vets with more experience in treating guinea pigs as well as any medical brands. Thank you!

 

[Becca6178]

Thank you for your help. We have been following your advice and Rocky seems to be getting better. He is more alert, starting to explore his surroundings again, eating hay and his guinea pig food.
We have been syringe feeding twice a day (mushed up pellets) and giving him water with probotics and vitamin c added (also through a syringe). We were hoping to reduce the syringe feeding as he is becoming much more like his usual self. However, when we weighed him today it seems as though he has lost weight (aprox 10 grams) despite all the positive changes and looking like he is getting bigger. Do you have any idea as to why this might be? His poo still seems quite soft and not formed properly, but he doesn't have diarrhoea.
Any help would be greatly appreciated (again!)

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum
I can’t add any advice but want to offer support to you and Rocky

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your help. We have been following your advice and Rocky seems to be getting better. He is more alert, starting to explore his surroundings again, eating hay and his guinea pig food.
We have been syringe feeding twice a day (mushed up pellets) and giving him water with probotics and vitamin c added (also through a syringe). We were hoping to reduce the syringe feeding as he is becoming much more like his usual self. However, when we weighed him today it seems as though he has lost weight (aprox 10 grams) despite all the positive changes and looking like he is getting bigger. Do you have any idea as to why this might be? His poo still seems quite soft and not formed properly, but he doesn't have diarrhoea.
Any help would be greatly appreciated (again!)

Thank you for the update!

Glad that things are going in the right direction and that Rocky is more himself again! It is great that he has started eating hay again and is keeping his weight.
Please be aware that 10g is the difference between a full and an empty bladder. The daily weight variance throughout a day is around 30-40g. We talk about weight loss from about 50g.

Have you tried fibreplex yet? That is in my own experience the one thing that can really do the trick with gut issues, apart from really fresh poo soup from a healthy companion; the two can be used together.

If problems continue and don't get better over the next few days or if they get worse again, then please see a vet.