Poo Problems?

[Piggiemum7]

Sorry if this is tmi...

Ben is 4 and a half (not too old but not young) and I've been reading about impaction. I'm not sure if he has it but if anyone could shed some light on the situation;
He's very healthy, eats all his veggies, hay and most pellets and drinks lots of water on his own. But he's recently started taking a while to poop, one poo could be sitting in his bottom for 5 minutes like it's waiting to fall out. Alternately there will be 2 or sometimes even 3 coming out at once! It doesn't seem to be painful for him or annoying and there are plenty of poops around his cage etc. I have just had to help him to pass a clump of very smelly green poo (about the size of a coffee bean) I then bathed him and he continued pooping as normal in the sink. I've recently noticed his stomach gurgling occasionally (but then again i have been having lots more cuddle time with him as our other piggy died last week) which has also meant he's been spoiled on the veggie front. Any of this a contributing factor do you think? There was quite a bit of slimy green residue left around his bottom with bits of grass in it (can they have too much fresh grass?!) which i have cleaned off. However his poos are still normal (occasionally tapered off at the end like they're at tiny bit soft). He will be going to the vets next week anyway for an all over check up which I thought I would do as he's not been for a while and since losing Jerry i didn't want to risk anything! So I will ask the vet then. In the meantime he has a toilet roll tube and his cardboard house to chew on for roughage!

 

[Posyrose]

Poo problems are not TMI here!

I'm not an expert, but I suspect that your boy is experiencing some impaction. One of my boars needs regular checking and isn't completely bunged up but sometimes leaves half a poo in his sack and, as you say, two or three may come out at once; sometimes all half hanging out and needing a helping hand to pass them. What a pleasant conversation; well, we're amongst friends!

Stomach gurgling and soft poos can be caused by too much green veg or grass (yes they can have too much, especially at the beginning of the season when their tummies aren't used to it).

Good luck, I hope things improve, but it is something that can get worse as out darling boars get on a bit.

 

[Wiebke]

Sorry if this is tmi...

Ben is 4 and a half (not too old but not young) and I've been reading about impaction. I'm not sure if he has it but if anyone could shed some light on the situation;
He's very healthy, eats all his veggies, hay and most pellets and drinks lots of water on his own. But he's recently started taking a while to poop, one poo could be sitting in his bottom for 5 minutes like it's waiting to fall out. Alternately there will be 2 or sometimes even 3 coming out at once! It doesn't seem to be painful for him or annoying and there are plenty of poops around his cage etc. I have just had to help him to pass a clump of very smelly green poo (about the size of a coffee bean) I then bathed him and he continued pooping as normal in the sink. I've recently noticed his stomach gurgling occasionally (but then again i have been having lots more cuddle time with him as our other piggy died last week) which has also meant he's been spoiled on the veggie front. Any of this a contributing factor do you think? There was quite a bit of slimy green residue left around his bottom with bits of grass in it (can they have too much fresh grass?!) which i have cleaned off. However his poos are still normal (occasionally tapered off at the end like they're at tiny bit soft). He will be going to the vets next week anyway for an all over check up which I thought I would do as he's not been for a while and since losing Jerry i didn't want to risk anything! So I will ask the vet then. In the meantime he has a toilet roll tube and his cardboard house to chew on for roughage!

Guinea pig can have too much fresh grass and veg; and it sounds like he has had that. Please be careful and take him off any fresh food until his digestion has stabilised again. You can also offer some brown paper or cardboard to help him rebalance his guts with some very rough, nutritionally poor fibre. If you can order fibreplex (see more info at the end of the syringe feeding guide) and have that at home; this is also great in situations like that. If he is losing weight (over 50g), start topping him up with a bit of syringe feed and see a vet if things don't right themselves again within 24 hours. Slowly re-introduce any fresh food only ideally 24-48 after the poos are normal again. Ideally start with fresh herbs like some sprigs of coriander or parsley and then add veg one by one with every small meal over the first couple of days.

What guinea pigs need is not a lot of veg; they should only make about 10-15% of the daily food intake - what they really need is up to 80% hay. With older boars, a very regular, high fibre diet can help minimising/slow down the occurrence of impaction. Don't feed him treats and lots of grass, but the same daily veg at the same time all the time, which helps to steady the guts and can in mild cases of impaction actually make it subside again until the muscles weaken too much.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Impaction Recovery - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet
(see recommendations for a balanced daily veg diet and stick to that)
Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

 

[VickyMidlands]

This sounds like impaction and it's likely you'll need to check regularly and help him. I push my guineas poo out and it really clears him out then he's fine going again.

 

[Piggiemum7]

This sounds like impaction and it's likely you'll need to check regularly and help him. I push my guineas poo out and it really clears him out then he's fine going again.

Thank you, that's what I thought. I've got him some pro biotics which seem to be helping and he's had some brown paper and cardboard tubes and seems fine. He's on antibiotics for LRI now but still perky as always