The Infamous Guinea Pig Poops

[KawaiiBunny]

One of my piggies (Maple) has been having unusual poops lately, so of course I’m concerned. They’re not any unusual color, they’re dark brown, but they’re all kinda different. One of them is shaped like a banana with a ball at the top. Some are kinda crumbly.
I know it was recent because I spot cleaned last night before bed.

I stopped feeding them veggies and pellets (of which Maple ate far too much of) a day ago because her poop was pretty squishy, got on her paws, and was kinda pasty. My plan was to put them on a short hay cleanse and then reintroduce veggies as well as pellets, which will be given in small,limited amounts for the rest of their piggy lives (pellets, not veggies).

Today she did drop a nice, wet, oval shaped one on my blanket (apologies for the graphic language, but it’s important). Is that a normal poo? I’ve had two boys in the past and never saw anything unusual with their stool so this is new to me. After lap time, I found those crumbly, oddly shaped pops from earlier. I don’t think it’s Pecan, my other girl, because she’s never dropped anything unusual during lap time or floortime.

Now, Maple has not been behaving differently than a normal, happy piggy should as well as Pecan. They popcorn, drink plenty of water (sometimes butting each other out just because), and both are eating hay everytime I check on them. Let me know if perhaps this is just her digestive system reacting to the changes I’ve made in their diet, or if something else is up.

 

[Wiebke]

One of my piggies (Maple) has been having unusual poops lately, so of course I’m concerned. They’re not any unusual color, they’re dark brown, but they’re all kinda different. One of them is shaped like a banana with a ball at the top. Some are kinda crumbly.
I know it was recent because I spot cleaned last night before bed.

I stopped feeding them veggies and pellets (of which Maple ate far too much of) a day ago because her poop was pretty squishy, got on her paws, and was kinda pasty. My plan was to put them on a short hay cleanse and then reintroduce veggies as well as pellets, which will be given in small,limited amounts for the rest of their piggy lives (pellets, not veggies).

Today she did drop a nice, wet, oval shaped one on my blanket (apologies for the graphic language, but it’s important). Is that a normal poo? I’ve had two boys in the past and never saw anything unusual with their stool so this is new to me. After lap time, I found those crumbly, oddly shaped pops from earlier. I don’t think it’s Pecan, my other girl, because she’s never dropped anything unusual during lap time or floortime.

Now, Maple has not been behaving differently than a normal, happy piggy should as well as Pecan. They popcorn, drink plenty of water (sometimes butting each other out just because), and both are eating hay everytime I check on them. Let me know if perhaps this is just her digestive system reacting to the changes I’ve made in their diet, or if something else is up.

Hi!

I think her poos are going in the right direction. Please keep her off fresh food for another day and continue to weigh her daily at the same time for a few more days (instead of the regular weekly weigh-in) to monitor especially her hay intake. It makes over 80% of the daily food intake but cannot be controlled by eye but is often the first food group to be impacted when there is an issue.
Darker poos usually mean that there is less hay and mis-shapen poos mean that there has been a minor tummy upset of some sort. Keep in mind that the poo output lags about 1-2 days behind the input.

See a vet if problems return, if she looks off or if there is a weight loss over 50g/2 oz. The daily weight fluctuation is around 30-40g (1- 1 1/2 oz), depending on what stage of eating/digesting your piggy is currently at.
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

 

[KawaiiBunny]

Hi!

I think her poos are going in the right direction. Please keep her off fresh food for another day and continue to weigh her daily at the same time for a few more days (instead of the regular weekly weigh-in) to monitor especially her hay intake. It makes over 80% of the daily food intake but cannot be controlled by eye but is often the first food group to be impacted when there is an issue.
Darker poos usually mean that there is less hay and mis-shapen poos mean that there has been a minor tummy upset of some sort. Keep in mind that the poo output lags about 1-2 days behind the input.

See a vet if problems return, if she looks off or if there is a weight loss over 50g/2 oz. The daily weight fluctuation is around 30-40g (1- 1 1/2 oz), depending on what stage of eating/digesting your piggy is currently at.
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

Thank you so much! I’ll keep weighing them both! They’re growing piggies, so I want to make sure they’re getting what they need in order to develop into healthy guinea pigs. If I find anything else that looks off, I’ll ask.

 

[KawaiiBunny]

My guinea pigs are both gaining weight as usual, and behaving normally. I kept them off veggies for about four days now. I gave them kale, bell peppers, and cucumber today without any pellets. Pecan is having normal poop. Maple seemed to as well. Then I took her to the bath because all down her chest was veggie juice (nice and dried and spiky). Of course, she pooped herself, but some were long poops. Others more small, but soft. She has also been getting little bits of poop on my hands from stepping in it. It doesn’t look dark, it’s a little green, but still soft. Perhaps four days wasn’t enough time?

 

[Beemz]

Maybe it was too much veg too soon?

 

[KawaiiBunny]

Maybe. I actually took them off veggies for three days, not four

 

[Beemz]

Maybe. I actually took them off veggies for three days, not four

Was just wondering as the cucumber and pepper is both quite watery. Maybe a much more gradual reintroduction?

 

[KawaiiBunny]

I’ll have to try that instead. My only worry is dragging it out if something is wrong. I do have a picture of something she just made, but I don’t want to post it unless someone asks and is okay with it.