Poop Issue Or Behaviour Issue

[Katiedid]

help please my 2 boars are driving me mad (and each other).

Until Christmas they lived side by side and all was well. At Christmas we managed a reintroduction and it has generally been for the best, they have lost weight so are healthy, they are athletic and much more lively and able to do things like go up the ramps. But there is one issue.

It started about a month after they were together - so 6 weeks ago. Jet started to chase dozy to eat his poop, we noticed jet was producing very little poops and was trying to eat dozys poop out his bottom. I changed the veg to something he really liked and it went away after a couple of days.

Then it happened again. Again after a couple of days it resolved itself. Then it happened to dozy and he chased jet - again small poops which resolved after a few days, then yesterday Jet started his third bout of this and he is really pestering Dozy, again small poops desperate to eat Dozy's poop.

Each time they have been slightly off food, so leaving the veg and going to bed earlier than normal, but still eating and drinking.

Any ideas what it could be, is it behavioural or do I need to take them to the vet. There seems to be no pattern and nothing which starts it bug tonight it's been distressing watching dozy being pestered. That said he has his own upstairs area that jet doesn't go in and he didn't go there but jet is even trying to turn his bed over to get him out and get to the poop.

 

[Wiebke]

help please my 2 boars are driving me mad (and each other).

Until Christmas they lived side by side and all was well. At Christmas we managed a reintroduction and it has generally been for the best, they have lost weight so are healthy, they are athletic and much more lively and able to do things like go up the ramps. But there is one issue.

It started about a month after they were together - so 6 weeks ago. Jet started to chase dozy to eat his poop, we noticed jet was producing very little poops and was trying to eat dozys poop out his bottom. I changed the veg to something he really liked and it went away after a couple of days.

Then it happened again. Again after a couple of days it resolved itself. Then it happened to dozy and he chased jet - again small poops which resolved after a few days, then yesterday Jet started his third bout of this and he is really pestering Dozy, again small poops desperate to eat Dozy's poop.

Each time they have been slightly off food, so leaving the veg and going to bed earlier than normal, but still eating and drinking.

Any ideas what it could be, is it behavioural or do I need to take them to the vet. There seems to be no pattern and nothing which starts it bug tonight it's been distressing watching dozy being pestered. That said he has his own upstairs area that jet doesn't go in and he didn't go there but jet is even trying to turn his bed over to get him out and get to the poop.

Hi! Please have them checked by a vet and weigh them regularly to monitor their food intake. Small poops generally mean eating less or a problem in the guts. Trying to eat a companions redigestible poos is an attempt to re-stock the own guts with the right bacteria. Please be a aware that around 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, and that you cannot control that intake. Veg make only about 10-15% and pellets about 5-10% of the daily food intake.

I would also recommend to consider giving a pinch of probiotics with the veg or a full course of fibreplex, but please be aware that this only a supportive measure and does not address the cause of the problem.
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

 

[Katiedid]

They have access to as much hay as they can eat, 2 large trays downstairs cleaned and filled daily and piles of fresh hay in each of their dens as well as a small amount of redigrass, a small amount of pellets and some veg each evening.

They haven't lost any weight during the last 6 weeks so after the initial month where they toned and lost what was blubber (they were very heavy) they have maintained at a decent weight. I will take them to the vets and see what they say.

 

[SuperRupa]

Good morning

100% ditto to Wiebke's advice, I suspect Jet may have some gut flora issue. I would give them probiotic powder or fibreplex and see the vet.

Years ago our first piggies Merry and Pippin had a short course of baytril. In hindsight it was totally unnecessary but I was a novice slave back then and didn't know any cavy savvy vets.

Anyway, Merry was fine with it, but Pippin reacted to baytril very badly. He became very lethargic and lost appetite, so I stopped giving it to him after about three days.

Then Pippin soon started following Merry around like a stalker, sticking his nose right to Merry's bum, and as soon as Merry pooed Pippin ate them. Don't know what Merry thought about it, but Pippin looked really desperate. I'm sure it's his instinct kicked in for restoring his gut flora.

I guess this is what you are finding with your piggies.

At that time I didn't know anything about probiotic supplements etc, but if I had known I'd definitely given it to them.