Guinea pigs having poop problems?

[sockney]

I have two male piggies that are approx. 2 years old. One was sitting with me a minute ago (before i put him back to write this) and he was pooping. I instantly noticed how foul it smelled, and it smeared a little bit on the pad he was on. His poop smelled a lot worse than usual and I've been noticing it quite a bit recently. It's also softer and lighter than usual. I give them lettuce daily, occasionally they get green peppers. They got some this morning for the first time in a while. Usually I'd assume that maybe my piggie is sensitive to green pepper, but they've been having it pretty much ever since we got them and they never had a problem with it. They get hay at normal times, always have clean water, and they get a scoop of pellets nightly. None of this is abnormal. What could this be? Thanks.

 

[Wheekallweek]

What kind of lettuce are you feeding? Most lettuce can upset a pigs tummy due to the very high water content.
Piggies should have a varied mixture of different veggies daily to ensure they get all the vits and mins they need - and it’s nice to have variety!
What do you mean hay at normal times? Piggies should have a constant supply of hay to introduce fibre to the diet - this can help to keep poops firm and healthy.
Good luck!

 

[Wiebke]

I have two male piggies that are approx. 2 years old. One was sitting with me a minute ago (before i put him back to write this) and he was pooping. I instantly noticed how foul it smelled, and it smeared a little bit on the pad he was on. His poop smelled a lot worse than usual and I've been noticing it quite a bit recently. It's also softer and lighter than usual. I give them lettuce daily, occasionally they get green peppers. They got some this morning for the first time in a while. Usually I'd assume that maybe my piggie is sensitive to green pepper, but they've been having it pretty much ever since we got them and they never had a problem with it. They get hay at normal times, always have clean water, and they get a scoop of pellets nightly. None of this is abnormal. What could this be? Thanks.

Hi and welcome!

Please take your piggy off any fesh food until the poops have normalised. Make sure that you do not overfeed veg; too much can cause fermentation in the gut (i.e. smelly poos). Hopefully the poos are noticeably better by tomorrow evening and OK by Monday evening. The more hay your piggies eat, the better for long term gut and dental health and a longer life. Please switch from weighing once weekly to once daily at the same time to monitor the daily food intake - you cannot check on hay otherwise, and that is the crucial one.

If poo problems persist and don't clear up within 48 hours or if the belly swells up and goes hard (bloat), please see a vet; very promptly if he is gassing up!

Please stop feeding lettuce; it can cause problems (it is the likely culprit of the current problems) and is not exactly nutritional; but you need to feed more vitamin C veg instead. Take the time to have a look at our diet recommendations, including our sample diet to help our new owners to have something to start out from. I hope that you'll find it helpful. We have made it as detailed as we could.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Seven7]

Welcome.
Are you feeding iceberg lettuce? Iceberg lettuce is not good for them.

For vitamin C and other nutrition, I do feed mine veggies three times a day in small amounts but have never seen issues such as this. So, I wondered if you were feeding iceberg lettuce?

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum

I can’t add to the advice you’ve been given but I hope your piggy recovers quickly