Poos ... is it vet time?

[KHBz]

Hello,

We are new to guinea pigs, having only had ours (Bianca and Ophelia) for little more than two months. It has been a steep learning curve and I have spent hours every evening reading your guides as well as thread after thread. I have very many questions, but this one comes first. Bianca's poos have been almost black and slightly soft (but not particularly so) for a while and I realised, from reading this forum, that we were probably giving her too many vegetables even though we were trying to follow your guide. (Ophelia's appear normal.) On Sunday, as we are still trying to get them to allow us to stroke them (without success), between the three of us (my daughters and I) we must have fed them far too much lush grass as Bianca's poos then had a 'stalk' at the end and, the following day, were also longer. Accordingly, we cut out all veg for 24 hours and yesterday I thought all was good and, even, better than before. I therefore re-introduced a very small amount of one veg (coriander) yesterday evening. The poos still seemed fine first thing this morning. However, I have just discovered long and very squishy ones, which must be courtesy of Bianca. Although not black (more green), they are very squishy and smelly. I attach a photo, although this does not show the green tinge. They broke and squashed when picking them out of the hay (delightful!) so they were originally the shape I would expect. Is it time to take her to vet? Thank you for bearing with me.

 

[Siikibam]

It may be a very mild upset tummy. Take her off all veg for two days, until they’re back to normal. She can still have pellets and hay as usual though. If it recurs, then I would take her to the vet just to be on the safe side.

 

[KHBz]

It may be a very mild upset tummy. Take her off all veg for two days, until they’re back to normal. She can still have pellets and hay as usual though. If it recurs, then I would take her to the vet just to be on the safe side.

Thank you for such a swift reply. I'm relieved that I don't need to take her to the vet this very moment! So I'll give it 48 hours this time. I don't understand how it came back worse just with a little coriander after a 24-hour break. (Poor Ophelia has to submit to this regime too.)

 

[Siikibam]

That’s ok. Another thing is you have to be careful with grass. If they’ve not had it in a while/not had it much before, then you need to introduce it slowly. A little at a time and increase the amount gradually. Hopefully it won’t happen again after the 48 hours.

 

[KHBz]

That’s ok. Another thing is you have to be careful with grass. If they’ve not had it in a while/not had it much before, then you need to introduce it slowly. A little at a time and increase the amount gradually. Hopefully it won’t happen again after the 48 hours.

Yes, we must have overdone it. I had been giving them a little every day so I thought that more would now be fine, but it hadn't been a gradual increase - more of a leap which was silly of me. Another thing I don't understand is why grass can be such a problem, given that if they were living on a lawn they would be eating it constantly.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you for such a swift reply. I'm relieved that I don't need to take her to the vet this very moment! So I'll give it 48 hours this time. I don't understand how it came back worse just with a little coriander after a 24-hour break. (Poor Ophelia has to submit to this regime too.)

Her tummy must not have been completely settled before you gave the coriander. it is best to still leave out the veg for another 24 hours after they have returned to normal to ensure everything is properly settled.

Yes, we must have overdone it. I had been giving them a little every day so I thought that more would now be fine, but it hadn't been a gradual increase - more of a leap which was silly of me. Another thing I don't understand is why grass can be such a problem, given that if they were living on a lawn they would be eating it constantly.

It’s a problem when they aren’t used to it due to a long break off grass, for the winter for example. When you put piggies back out on the lawn when it warms up in spring/summer, you still need to do it very gradually. Pick a handful of grass and feed it to them in the cage, increasing the amount over time, then put them out in a lawn run for a few minutes and building it up etc until they are used to it and can spend longer out on the grass without any problems.

 

[Livia Rabideau]

I switched to grain free pellets and my piggies have perfect poo. I tried everything with mine. I cut out veggies, probiotics, nothing worked until this.

 

[KHBz]

Her tummy must not have been completely settled before you gave the coriander. it is best to still leave out the veg for another 24 hours after they have returned to normal to ensure everything is properly settled.



It’s a problem when they aren’t used to it due to a long break off grass, for the winter for example. When you put piggies back out on the lawn when it warms up in spring/summer, you still need to do it very gradually. Pick a handful of grass and feed it to them in the cage, increasing the amount over time, then put them out in a lawn run for a few minutes and building it up etc until they are used to it and can spend longer out on the grass without any problems.

Thank you. This is helpful. My better judgement had told me to give it another 24 hours to be sure that Bianca's tummy would be ok, but I hadn't the heart to do so when faced with all their excited wheeks at veggie-time. We've resorted to picking out ears of timothy hay and putting them in a bowl so as to give them some semblance of 'meal time'. (They love those ears of hay.)
Is readi-grass ok (in tiny quantities), or is that too 'grassy'?)

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s their look of disappointment when they realise they aren’t getting their veggies, they know how to tug on those heart strings!
Readigrass is ok but as a small treat only. It is too rich to be fed too much too often

 

[KHBz]

I switched to grain free pellets and my piggies have perfect poo. I tried everything with mine. I cut out veggies, probiotics, nothing worked until this.

I'll look into this as it sounds like a very good idea with regards to Bianca. I've been feeding them Burgess nuggets but I'm not sure what the grain content is. I had tried them with HayBox's 5-grain pellets as a treat (so precisely not what would be advised, then!) but they would. not. touch. them. At all.

What UK brand would others advise? I know there is a thread about nuggets but the comparison chart all the comments refer to isn't there. I don't think I can be the only one who has looked for it in vain, as someone else asked where it was but was just referred to the first page of the thread. Maybe it's my computer?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'll look into this as it sounds like a very good idea with regards to Bianca. I've been feeding them Burgess nuggets but I'm not sure what the grain content is. I had tried them with HayBox's 5-grain pellets as a treat (so precisely not what would be advised, then!) but they would. not. touch. them. At all.

What UK brand would others advise? I know there is a thread about nuggets but the comparison chart all the comments refer to isn't there. I don't think I can be the only one who has looked for it in vain, as someone else asked where it was but was just referred to the first page of the thread. Maybe it's my computer?

The comparison chart is the table on the very first page. I’ve added a screenshot of it below.

I used to feed my two piggies burgess (in fact my rabbit still has the bunny version of them), but they do contain grains. I’ve now switched my piggies to science selective grain free.

 

[KHBz]

It’s their look of disappointment when they realise they aren’t getting their veggies, they know how to tug on those heart strings!
Readigrass is ok but as a small treat only. It is too rich to be fed too much too often

They certainly do! Ophelia rushes up to me when I check on them throughout the day so I have occasionally been offering her a pinch of readigrass in compensation. Each time she has looked at it and walked off. (They're not really interested now that they're being fed HayBox timothy hay.) To anthropomorphise, I would say that she walks off in disgust! She is not the slightest bit interested in me now that I'm not clutching fresh green grass. Ironically, Bianca, the one with the digestive problems, isn't as interested as Ophelia in vegetables and will quite happily return to hay before finishing her portion. (I wonder if she is aware that it is the vegetables making her feel uncomfortable?)

 

[KHBz]

The comparison chart is the table on the very first page. I’ve added a screenshot of it below.

I used to feed my two piggies burgess (in fact my rabbit still has the bunny version of them), but they do contain grains. I’ve now switched my piggies to science selective grain free.

The comparison chart is the table on the very first page. I’ve added a screenshot of it below.

I used to feed my two piggies burgess (in fact my rabbit still has the bunny version of them), but they do contain grains. I’ve now switched my piggies to science selective grain free.

Thank you for the chart. I thanked you on the wrong thread, going back to look for it -- really very very scrambled brain! Clicking on the link took me right there whereas I just hadn't found it before. I will switch what the piggies have and look into the one you use now.

 

[KHBz]

Hello, Both piggies have now been off all vegetables for 48 hours and their poos are indistinguishable. Should I give it another 24 hours just to be sure that Bianca doesn't get worse again as soon as a little bit is reintroduced? Or would that actually be detrimental? They are both drinking a huge amount now. (Bianca barely drank before the vegetables were taken away so it shows just how much she was getting from them.)

 

[VickiA]

If the poops are now normal then you can reintroduce veggies SLOWLY and in small quantities. I would start with perhaps just a sprig of coriander and a slice of bell pepper each. That way they will get their vit c and something fresh but without any risk of overdoing it.
Have you had a read of the diet guides? They give a good visual example of a day’s veg intake for an adult piggy so that you can check you are not over feeding Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

I will also link the guide about grass that explains about how to prepare piggies before giving them access to grass.https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/feeding-grass-and-preparing-your-piggies-for-lawn-time.111794/

 

[KHBz]

If the poops are now normal then you can reintroduce veggies SLOWLY and in small quantities. I would start with perhaps just a sprig of coriander and a slice of bell pepper each. That way they will get their vit c and something fresh but without any risk of overdoing it.
Have you had a read of the diet guides? They give a good visual example of a day’s veg intake for an adult piggy so that you can check you are not over feeding Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

I will also link the guide about grass that explains about how to prepare piggies before giving them access to grass.https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/feeding-grass-and-preparing-your-piggies-for-lawn-time.111794/

Thank you -- and thank you for telling me precisely what to give them. I was thinking coriander but wasn't sure whether pepper would be ok at this stage or not. I will do that now as it is almost veggie time. I'm so relieved that we won't have crest-fallen piggies, yet again!

I have all the pages of the diet guides printed out and stuck to the fridge and they are constantly being referenced. I also have the picture printed out as it has been really helpful to see a sample plate as Pets Corner just advise a mug-full of veggies.

What I find interesting is that the diet sheet we were given by that pet shop actually contradicts some of your detailed and authoritative information -- eg. kale 'often - most days', cucumber 'occasionally - once a week'. Even the RSPCA says "Fresh grass/leafy greens e.g. kale/broccoli (excellent Vitamin C sources) daily". Don't worry, of course I'm following your guides, so why are they asserting the opposite for some things?

Thank you again for telling me what to give them and taking the worry out of that decision.

 

[VickiA]

Thank you -- and thank you for telling me precisely what to give them. I was thinking coriander but wasn't sure whether pepper would be ok at this stage or not. I will do that now as it is almost veggie time. I'm so relieved that we won't have crest-fallen piggies, yet again!

I have all the pages of the diet guides printed out and stuck to the fridge and they are constantly being referenced. I also have the picture printed out as it has been really helpful to see a sample plate as Pets Corner just advise a mug-full of veggies.

What I find interesting is that the diet sheet we were given by that pet shop actually contradicts some of your detailed and authoritative information -- eg. kale 'often - most days', cucumber 'occasionally - once a week'. Even the RSPCA says "Fresh grass/leafy greens e.g. kale/broccoli (excellent Vitamin C sources) daily". Don't worry, of course I'm following your guides, so why are they asserting the opposite for some things?

Thank you again for telling me what to give them and taking the worry out of that decision.

it’s a constant balancing between giving them veggies with Vit C and being wary of veggies with high calcium content or that are gassy and can cause bloat.

Our guides have been compiled after years of careful studying of guinea pigs and are backed by our own experience and plenty of research. Sadly not all shops, rescues, breeders or even vets give consistent advice And the Internet is full of conflicting advice. But we try to just be helpful and practical.