Guinea pigs with air in stomack

[Miellez]

Hello ! I am writting to see if anyone have the same problem as my piggies have.
Milka and Moka are my 8th and 9th piggies and I've never experienced such problems : since the beggining of the year they both happens to have air in their stomachs (X-ray of Milka attached).
I treated Milka for it in february and it worked. Then in late may both experienced the same symptoms and had medication for it, but the specialised vet said it was seird that both had the same trouble. And now it seems to happen again (the vet explained to me how to listen to the stomach)
They are 2 and 3 years old, live free in the kitchen area with a park to rest and hide (therefore they walk on a daily basis), and eat once in the day pepperbells, cucumbers, zuchinis, celery, with occasionnaly grass. They also have pea flakes, science selective pebbles. And of course thimoty hay all day.
I really can't see where the problem is. My other piggies lived like this and never had such problems. I found myself a bit stuck as even the specialised vet doesn't know what is happening and wondered if any of you had any ideas or advices ?

 

[Wiebke]

Hello ! I am writting to see if anyone have the same problem as my piggies have.
Milka and Moka are my 8th and 9th piggies and I've never experienced such problems : since the beggining of the year they both happens to have air in their stomachs (X-ray of Milka attached).
I treated Milka for it in february and it worked. Then in late may both experienced the same symptoms and had medication for it, but the specialised vet said it was seird that both had the same trouble. And now it seems to happen again (the vet explained to me how to listen to the stomach)
They are 2 and 3 years old, live free in the kitchen area with a park to rest and hide (therefore they walk on a daily basis), and eat once in the day pepperbells, cucumbers, zuchinis, celery, with occasionnaly grass. They also have pea flakes, science selective pebbles. And of course thimoty hay all day.
I really can't see where the problem is. My other piggies lived like this and never had such problems. I found myself a bit stuck as even the specialised vet doesn't know what is happening and wondered if any of you had any ideas or advices ?

Hi and welcome

How much veg are you feeding? We recommend a cupful (250ml). Very little pellets, about 1 tablespoon per piggy per day maximum. Pea flakes are a treat.

Do you give fresh grass regularly or do give a lot but with longer intervals? How do harvest the fresh grass? (Ripping, scissors, mowed grass?) Only dry grass or damp grass as well?
Grass can cause fatal bloating in a sensitive digestive system if there is not enough digestive specialist microbiome around and you have not built up the specialist digestive bacteria over the course of several days.
Have the bloating episodes and the grass feeding episodes overlapped or is there no correlation?

Has the hay been always sweet swelling or has it occasionally had a sour/musty smell?

Guinea pig digestion is still comparatively little researched, unfortunately. Severe bloating can hit seemingly hit out of the blue but not usually two guinea pigs at once without a food angle. The biggest cause in those cases is putting unprepared guinea pigs out on the lawn in spring.

I am asking all these questions in order to see whether there could be a diet related issue.






Some guinea pigs can de

 

[Merab]

Sorry your piggies are unwell.
Holding you in my thoughts

 

[Miellez]

Hi and welcome

How much veg are you feeding? We recommend a cupful (250ml). Very little pellets, about 1 tablespoon per piggy per day maximum. Pea flakes are a treat.

Do you give fresh grass regularly or do give a lot but with longer intervals? How do harvest the fresh grass? (Ripping, scissors, mowed grass?) Only dry grass or damp grass as well?
Grass can cause fatal bloating in a sensitive digestive system if there is not enough digestive specialist microbiome around and you have not built up the specialist digestive bacteria over the course of several days.
Have the bloating episodes and the grass feeding episodes overlapped or is there no correlation?

Has the hay been always sweet swelling or has it occasionally had a sour/musty smell?

Guinea pig digestion is still comparatively little researched, unfortunately. Severe bloating can hit seemingly hit out of the blue but not usually two guinea pigs at once without a food angle. The biggest cause in those cases is putting unprepared guinea pigs out on the lawn in spring.

I am asking all these questions in order to see whether there could be a diet related issue.






Some guinea pigs can de

Thank you for the reply ! No problem, I'm really trying to find the issue too because this is worrying me.

They are having a cupfull of veg, not so much pellets (1 tsp the morning and one the evening) and some pea flakes occasionnaly.

I stopped giving fresh grass when the first symptoms appeared : it is grass from my garden, free of everything, cut with scissors, but they didn't have any since february. So I don't think that is the problem anymore.

I don't really know about the hay : I am buying 20kg of timothy hay from a farm, who has good reviews from people with guinea pigs and piggies sanctuaries. I did start to buy it last year now that I'm thinking about it, but I'm not sure it could be the problem ? I will check on it, I usually keep it in a bag so it is dry and doesn't moist. Do you think that could be the problem ?