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Guinea Pig Poop smaller

HarukoJay

New Born Pup
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Hi All ,
i came back from work and happen to see that my pig poop is smaller than usual.
It is normal ? if not what should i do ?

I have attached the picture for your reference it looks black in the picture but its actually dark brown (maybe due to lighting).
Not dry ..

Thanks
 

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Is it just one which is smaller? If so, then I wouldn’t be concerned at this point, but keep an eye on it.

If all poop is becoming smaller, then that can indicate a reduced hay intake. Switch from routine weekly weighing and instead weigh your piggies daily (at the same time each day). If their hay intake is reduced, their poop will get smaller and they will start to show weight loss. If this occurs, then you need to step in and syringe feed to stabilise the weight loss and see a vet.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
It is good practice to note any changes in poops as this can be the first indication of changes in health. It is almost impossible to judge how much hay is going in the front end without weighing those piggies!

Do you have boys or girls and how old are they? I ask because my older boar George (who is a big boy and not very active) suffers from mild impaction. He is a bit 'baggy' round the back end, if you know what I mean, so a boar like him can produce all shapes and sizes of poops and I just have to monitor that he keeps producing something and is not getting bunged up. My girls' poops are so standard I can tell who did what even in a mixed pile!
 
Is it just one which is smaller? If so, then I wouldn’t be concerned at this point, but keep an eye on it.

If all poop is becoming smaller, then that can indicate a reduced hay intake. Switch from routine weekly weighing and instead weigh your piggies daily (at the same time each day). If their hay intake is reduced, their poop will get smaller and they will start to show weight loss. If this occurs, then you need to step in and syringe feed to stabilise the weight loss and see a vet.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Hi
Its not just 1 poop looks like half of the poop are smaller than usual.
He have been eating fresh veg daily once , pallets (2 table spoon ) & hay ...

should i cut down on vegs or pallets so he focus more on hay ?

I will start weight him daily normally i would do weekly ...

fyi- he is almost 1 year old (11mth ++)
 
It is good practice to note any changes in poops as this can be the first indication of changes in health. It is almost impossible to judge how much hay is going in the front end without weighing those piggies!

Do you have boys or girls and how old are they? I ask because my older boar George (who is a big boy and not very active) suffers from mild impaction. He is a bit 'baggy' round the back end, if you know what I mean, so a boar like him can produce all shapes and sizes of poops and I just have to monitor that he keeps producing something and is not getting bunged up. My girls' poops are so standard I can tell who did what even in a mixed pile!

Mine is boys, he is almost 1 year old (11 month ++) an abby breed .
He is not bonded with the rest, on separate C&C cage beside the older ones.
He is active daily running around and all .
 
Hi
Its not just 1 poop looks like half of the poop are smaller than usual.
He have been eating fresh veg daily once , pallets (2 table spoon ) & hay ...

should i cut down on vegs or pallets so he focus more on hay ?

I will start weight him daily normally i would do weekly ...

fyi- he is almost 1 year old (11mth ++)

Two tablespoons of pellets per day is too much. Pellets are the least healthy and least important part of the diet . He should only have one tablespoon per day, so yes, do cut down the pellets permanently . Veg just one cup per day.
Hay is the most important part of the diet, he needs to eat more hay than anything else.

Its essential he is weighed daily while you have health concerns as you cannot know he is eating enough hay without it.
If his weight is going down by more than normal daily fluctuations, then you will need to step in and syringe feed and see a vet
 
For an adult piggy (mine are all over 1 kilo) any weight loss of 50g or more is a worry. If you weigh when they are healthy you would be looking once per week. Daily weight can be confusing as it goes up and down normally: maybe by 20-30g each day depending on whether they have just eaten or just peed etc. If less than 50g weight loss but losing losing losing over the days it is also a problem.

I'm not sure about what the weight of 1 year old should be as my pigs are usually older when I get them! George was 3 and had some stress with poorly partners when he first got impaction. His cage mate kept sticking her nose under him and having a good look - not her usual behaviour. I turned him over to have a look and he was bulging like he was about to lay an egg! Luckily it was not too big a blockage... maybe 2 or 3cm across. Once it was 'removed' he felt better. A young and active boar sounds like impaction should not be a problem, but that is what to look for.

If everything down below is OK and he is not losing weight then there is not much else to look for... just to keep an eye on him for a few weeks to make sure no other changes. One of my girls recently had different shaped poops and I was looking only at the diet but it turns out she had been eating newspaper and when this was removed from the cage it affected her poop. I had heard her tearing it up but didn't realise she was eating it! I returned the newspaper (it is in the bit where the food bowl is so they don't kick bits of bedding in there) and her poops went back to normal. Of course, I don't recommend 'feeding' newspaper but it helped me get to the bottom of this problem as to why her poop changed. They also chew on the cardboard boxes I put in there for them to hide - I think that is pretty normal! 😅
 
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