yet another poop thread (with picture...)

[MrsM]

I have noticed that one of my piggies (but I don't know which) is making strange poops at the moments. This has been going on for a few weeks. I first noticed that some poops 'look' moldy when I change the litter. I first thought it was because I had left it too long but I have scrupulously changed them every 2 days and still there are pops that appear moldy. Those poops are not the usual shape, they can be shorter, they are soft and squidgy instead of firm and dry. The other poops, from the suspected healthy pig, are normal.

freshly 'squeezed'

Both my pigs have a very healthy appetite. They both drink OK. They both eat hay and pellets aplenty. Finlay has put on a fair amount of weight of late (now 1535g) and looks rather lethargic at times and his coat is rather lacklustre too. Frankkie, is around 1375g, and naturally shy. He's also quite a filthy piggy and being naturally white all over means that it's obvious... so I apologise for any pictures you may see of his '2-tone' bum...
Anyway, I'm just a little concerned about whoever is unwell. Their daily fresh diet is:
- morning 1/2 round lettuce, shared
- evening: a bowl of carrots, green beans and celery. These seem to be the ultimate foods and I will be told if the dish is lacking... y'see what I mean?



Please help me.... I feel really bad.

 

[clairelove]

mmmm I'm not sure do they get much cabbage? for the vit C or other vit C vegs could be their having to much veg which contains to much water IE celery, lettuce, this could be going through him a bit have you been on the poo thread there is laods diff poops on their and what they mean

 

[MrsM]

thanks Claire.

They have brocoli stalk once a week, when we have the rest. No other cabbage.

I'll have a look at the poop threads

 

[MrsM]

bump

 

[wales1000]

i've had this in the past with various guinea pigs, but it only usually lasted one or two days then went, so i am really unsure why yours has started pooing like this - hopefully someone else who has experienced this can shed some light

 

[Shellza]

The only thing I can think of is maybe too much lettuce. That can cause them to have soft poops. Hope you find the cause and your piggy gets better soon.

 

[missy]

mmmm I'm not sure do they get much cabbage? for the vit C or other vit C vegs could be their having to much veg which contains to much water IE celery, lettuce, this could be going through him a bit

Not sure why this would happen all of a sudden but I'd agree with claire's thinking. 1/4 lettuce each sounds like a lot of lettuce and, along with the celery, their daily veg diet contains a lot of watery diuretic veg, which could definitely cause squidgy poops. I also agree that that veg selection doesn't seem to contain enough vitamin C. If you're looking to change their veg diet then I'd perhaps also stop giving carrot every day, as too much vitamin A is apparently thought to cause liver problems (although that's just a general tip - I'm not suggesting that your piggy might have liver problems)

The recommended daily allowance of veg is 50g. It might be that yours are getting more than that and/or their veg is making up too high a proportion of their overall daily food intake....although it still doesn't explain the sudden change in poops.

If you're feeding equal amounts of each different veg, then their current staple veg mix is pretty much the optimum calcium : phosphorous ratio though, so that's really good. There's lots of useful diet advice on these stickies:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=30297
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42

You could try giving your piggies a probiotic for a few days as that might help settle their tums and firm up the poos. It shouldn't do any harm to give the healthy piggy some too.

Hope things clear up soon

 

[missy]

Oh and when you say mouldy poops, do you mean that they develop a whitish coating in places, after sitting in the cage a while? Piggy poos can look this way as a result of being weed on, as when the wee dries, the excess calcium deposits are left on the surface of the poo. If this is what you're seeing then I wouldn't worry - it's normal

 

[missy]

Oh and another thought (I'm not obsessed with poo, I promise!)...

If I were you I'd probably not give them any veg for a few days. As long as they have plenty of hay (& dry food) as usual, then the fibre should hopefully help to get the poops firmed up again. They probably won't be pleased and might wheek the house down, but it should do "the squidgy pooper" good and won't do the other piggy any harm, just for a day or two.

Also, you haven't changed pellet brands or introduced any other new foods recently, have you? If so, changes like that can sometimes cause an upset tum.

 

[MrsM]

nothing new in their diet. But I will stop veg for a while, especially the lettuce as they're not all that fond of it anyway!

As for your question regarding the moldy poop, yes, that's exactly it. I guess, if I rebalance their diet, there should be less calcium in their urine at the same time. Thanks for that...

This is me now bracing myself for some VERY huffed up pigs!

 

[MrsM]

I can confirm my lot are NOT a happy pair tonight... The mountain of hay I've given them has only managed to amuse them this far but now they want HARDCORE vegetables!

 

[doglovinpiggylover]

is it timothy hay? Maybe that is worth a go cos its soooo yummy? Hope they ok x

 

[MrsM]

no it's meadow hay. I have also given them generous helpings of readigrass, the first of which went in no time... not a strand was left.

upon poop inspection tonight... it's still softish but shape is better....

 

[missy]

...upon poop inspection tonight... it's still softish but shape is better....

Glad to hear it! I'm not surprised they were more than a little disgruntled but if their poops are improving then you know it's worth it. Let us know how this morning's poop inspection goes...let's hope they're not so miffed that they go on hunger strike, in protest!

 

[Laura-CCC4]

Any improvements Audrey? Looks dietary to me too so agreeing with the advice thus far.

 

[MrsM]

yes, it's better, not perfect but much imoroved. I've allowed them some green beans for tonight's dinner...

 

[Pebble]

sorry to possibly be a killjoy - but beans affect my piggiesif they are not100%. and tend to contribute to bloat them or give soft poops Therefore I find sticking to the basics: hay, romainelettuce, grass, (plus for variety carrots, dandelions finely chopped celery and cucumber)..... works for sensitive guts...

Sweet potato, parsnip, courgette, tomatoes, pepper, corn, beans etc - too demanding on my piggies tummies when upset.....

HTH

x.

 

[MrsM]

that's OK. They had some romaine lettuce (50p at Morrison's) tonight which they demolished in 2 seconds but I'm keeping just hay and pellets for the rest of the day. Finlay's coat is much improved and poops are near normal...