Not pooping as much?

[squeaksandcarrots]

I noticed this morning that my piggy didn't poop a lot last night and she hasn't pooped too much today. She's still acting normal though; she's eating, drinking, and active. I gave her a tiny apple slice since I read that it could help her poop. Could anyone tell me what this situation could mean?

 

[Wiebke]

I noticed this morning that my piggy didn't poop a lot last night and she hasn't pooped too much today. She's still acting normal though; she's eating, drinking, and active. I gave her a tiny apple slice since I read that it could help her poop. Could anyone tell me what this situation could mean?

Hi! Please take a deep breath and do not feed any apple.

If you have worries, please switch from weighing weekly to weighing daily at the same time. It is most likely just a little weather related blip and nothing to worry about. We've had a very hot weekend in the UK.

A lowered poo output can be just due to eating a bit less because of the weather (very hot and/or humid); keep in mind that it takes about 1-2 days to process the poos. If there is a gradual loss of weight over several days, then please see a vet once this goes over 50g and start offering additional syringe feed.

Don't offer more soft food, always offer extra fibre in support of the digestion; too much soft food can lead to fermentation and more problems. Hay makes over 80% of the daily food intake; fibre can even make safely up to 100% when a piggy is seriously ill and relies fully on syringe feed. You can't control that by eye, only by the scales.

 

[squeaksandcarrots]

Hi! Please take a deep breath and do not feed any apple.

If you have worries, please switch from weighing weekly to weighing daily at the same time. It is most likely just a little weather related blip and nothing to worry about. We've had a very hot weekend in the UK.

A lowered poo output can be just due to eating a bit less because of the weather (very hot and/or humid); keep in mind that it takes about 1-2 days to process the poos. If their is a gradual loss of weight over several days, then please see a vet once this goes over 50g and start offering additional syringe feed.
Don't offer more soft food, always offer extra fibre in support of the digestion; too much soft food can lead to fermentation and more problems. Hay makes over 80% of the daily food intake; fibre can even make safely up to 100% when a piggy is seriously ill and relies fully on syringe feed. You can't control that by eye, only by the scales.

Thanks for the advice! I just checked on Penny and she actually has a big pile of poo! Never thought I'd get excited about poop xD Also, is apple not okay to give her then?

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the advice! I just checked on Penny and she actually has a big pile of poo! Never thought I'd get excited about poop xD Also, is apple not okay to give her then?

You can give apple as part of the twice weekly fruit/tomato allowance, but it is not a good idea to feed it to a piggy you suspect has a digestive problem.

It is likely that the heat/some slight overheating has just slowed down the guts a little.