Guinea Pig Has Stopped Eating His Soft Poo

[pete42]

Hi everyone, I'm new here but i have a medical concern about my guinea pig. He has stopped eating the smaller soft poo and I'm worried it may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition. He is 3 years old and has recently lost his cage-mate, i don't know if that has any baring. Any help is much appreciated

 

[pete42]

Sorry, I should say that he is not impacted. He is just leaving them on the floor and it's not something I've seen him do before

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome!

Which country are you in and how old is your boy?You can add your country, state or (for the UK) your county to details by clicking on your username on the top bar, then going to personal details and scrolling down to location. As we are dealing with members from all over the world, this will help us enormously to always adapt our advice to your local options, brands and conditions straight away.

I would strongly recommend to weigh him daily at the same time and if necessary have him seen by a vet and top him up with hand feed. You might also want to up his vitamin C intake to strengthen his immune system. Keep an eye out for fresh caecotrophs. Soak them in some boiled, cooled water and syringe the water to get them at least partially back into his system. Most ill piggies love poo soup, even though it is a bit gross.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/

It could be that the stress of losing of his mate has lowered his immune system and triggered some underlying problem; that is not all that rare especially in older piggies.

 

[pete42]

Thanks for the reply. I'm in the UK and he is 3 years old. I weigh him fairly regularly and he has lost about 140g in 2 months, however his cage-mate died between those 2 weighings so maybe he doesn't feel the need to eat as much now. He now weighs 1360g where as he always used to weigh about 1500g.

He is still eating plenty of hay, pellets (Pets at Home pellets) and is fed fruit and veg twice a day and seems to have a healthy appetite still so I don't think he is off his food.
He used to be the dominant one of a pair and was always trying to steal the other piggy's food, so I'm hoping he has just cut down the amount he eats now.

Do you think it is worth taking him to a vet? I don't like wasting their time but it always best to catch things early and with the Christmas period coming up, I may not get another chance for a few days.

 

[Wiebke]

I would have him checked, to be on the safe side - I have done so with piggies of mine at this time of year. Even though your boy is quite chunky and the weight loss is gradual, the amount is definitely reason enough for a vet check. Not eating the vita poos is a sign that something is not right, as they are vital for good digestive health. The body weight in itself is still high enough to not be any reason for a panic, though.

You may want to check and if necessary limit the amount of pellets and fruit you are feeding, though. You can check whether your boy is too fat or not for his size by feeling his ribcage. If you can just feel the ribs, then he is an ideal weight; if you can't feel the ribs, then he is too porky.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/

Are you aware that there are good piggy savvy guinea pig rescues that offer dating your boar with a new (healty/quarantined) friend under expert supervision at the rescue, at minimal risk for you and your bereaved boy for coming home with a companion that hasn't clicked. You will also have the rescue to fall back on throughout the whole life of their boar. A new friend in the new year (most rescues are closed over the holidays) may help to perk up your boy again.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/looking-after-a-bereaved-piggy.110463/

You are welcome to post a tribute to the piggy you have lost in our Rainbow Bridge section anytime that feels right for you.

 

[helen105281]

Hi welcome to the forum. I agree that it is best to get him checked out. He may even have some joint pain that is stopping him being able to duck down.

 

[pete42]

Thank you both for your advice. I have him booked into the vet's this afternoon so I will update you as to what he says.

 

[pete42]

Quick update for you all. Mufasa, the pig in question, has been given a clean bill of health. The vet gave him a thorough check, feeling for lumps, checking his mouth and bum for any problems and anything else he could think of and didn't find anything. But he did say that if he had a virus then there may not be any proper symptoms yet.

So I guess there are 3 possibilities that I can think of;
1) It's all in my head and I'm still effected by the loss of my other piggy
2) He has something that is just not producing any real symptoms yet
3) He's feeling glum and lonely and is slowly getting bored and depressed.

I must confess that I have been thinking of getting him a new friend, as he isn't his usual self but I would want to make sure it's for the right reasons.

P.S. thank you for the link to a balanced diet. I always make sure he has hay and pellets available but I may have been guilty of feeding him slightly too much fruit and veg...it's just difficult to resist the squeaks

 

[Wiebke]

If I were you, I'd contact Honeybunnies after the New Year to see whether they have a suitable potential friend for Mufasa. Character compatibility is key with guinea pigs, and even more so with boars. It often doesn't work just getting a little baby and expecting the two to get on.