Guinea pig impaction - sticky white residue on impacted poo

[KPig]

Hi all. I'm concerned about my Guinea pig, his an older gentleman at over 6 years old. I noticed that he seemed very lethargic on Wednesday, seeing as a guinea pigs main role is to chillax to the max I decided that he was probably just sleepy and to keep an eye but on Thursday when I noticed that he was still the same I coaxed him into walking about and realised he had a heavy limp on his right side. After checking him over there was no obvious injury but I booked him into the vet for today. Of course I got back from work today plopped him on the carpet and he was walking about like a 2 year old pig about to hit the town, I asked him if he'd put on a limp when his at the vets but he declined so I looked like a tit. They didn't find anything wrong with him other than his lost weight so I am keeping a close eye on this from now on. I mentioned he has impaction however I did not mention that often the poo I help him pass often has a white residue that appears to be sticking his poo together and I wish I had as now I'm worried this is a sign of Ill health. I do not see it on poo around the cage, just the stuff that's stuck. It looks like mold but I clear his sack every night so don't see how it could grow so quick. He has a diet of pellets, plenty of fresh greens, as varried as possible, fresh hay every day and fresh water every day so I'm confident his diet is good.
Watching him in the cage he appears to be eating more hay than usual, when I put in greens he had some then went back to hay but this could just be that he only wanted the cucumber and felt that kale was only suitable for peasant guinea pigs as he is pretty much king around here.
Should I be concerned about the poo?
Please help

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

Only a vet can tell you whether this cause for concern, following a hands on examination. It will be incredibly difficult for us to tell you what this white substance is - it could be anything from mucus to calcium deposits but only a vet is going to be able to help in that regard

A guinea pigs diet should be over 80% hay, so the fact that you say he is eating more than usual is no bad thing. Pellets should be limited to just one tablespoon per day and veg should be limited to around 50g per day. Do you keep calcium rich veg strictly limited? Ie Kale, parsley, spinach - these items should not be fed regularly as they are too high in calcium.

 

[KPig]

They love the leaf and I'm a sukka for a handsome pig so I probably don't limit it as much as I should so I will get stricter on this aspect, thanks for the advice. I'm fairly new at the guinea pig game as these are my partner's and she has had to move away into temporary accomodation for a job so I'm on pig duty. The idea of them getting sick while I'm in charge terrifies me. Do you think it is worth booking another appointment or would you reduce the calcium rich foods and keep a close eye?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Any health concerns should always be checked by a vet. We have no way of knowing what the problem actually is, only a vet can do that with a hands on examination.

The feeding link below should help you with what quantities to feed them. The amount of pellets and veg they should have really is tiny. They really just need hay, hay and more hay!

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Lady Kelly]

I would book another appointment but in the meantime take photos of the poops so you can show the vet what you mean. It's also worth reviewing the diet and limiting calcium rich veg to help minimise the chance of too much excess calcium being excreted or building up in his bladder