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8 weeks old piggy harrasing other for poop!

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Basia1

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Hello
I wonder if someone could shed some light. I have an 8 week old guinea pig who is literally harrasing my neutered boar for poop! To the point he has a sore on his bum! She is eating well and is very alert but constantly follows the boar. He is putting up with this nonsense but has become very quiet.... I am giving the little piggy some probiotics ( I thought maybe change of diet causes some imbalance in her gut). Her poops are looking good tho... She's 407g ( I weighted her yesterday). She gets plenty of hay, veggies rich in calcium.... But still she is gluted to my boars a*se! I don't know what to do!
 
Are you sure the sore bum is from her harassing him for poops? How is it sore exactly?
 
How old is the boar? I ask because my 3 1/2 year old had a poorly cage-mate last year and one day she showed a lot of interest in his back end, trying to lift it with her nose. I assumed she was after poops but it was actually because he had become slightly impacted and he was bunged up with a smelly 'cork' of poop. She was trying to see what on earth that smell was! It was a problem with the soft caecotrophs but he was able to pass normal poops round the blockage so I hadn't picked it up. Over the next 2 weeks he had to be checked and occasionally 'unbunged'. Some of the older ones get this - he's in the early stages and has very little trouble usually unless he gets stressed.

In truth I would check the boar over carefully and if in doubt take him to the vet. You might well have the right interpretation here but I would want to double-check on my boar's health - and if there is something sore round there I would wonder about a problem with the grease gland, or maybe a little wound that has become infected? Possibly he has become quiet because he's not feeling quite himself. If nothing is obvious I would still get them checked, particularly if this has been going on for a while.
 
Free Ranger said:
How old is the boar? I ask because my 3 1/2 year old had a poorly cage-mate last year and one day she showed a lot of interest in his back end, trying to lift it with her nose. I assumed she was after poops but it was actually because he had become slightly impacted and he was bunged up with a smelly 'cork' of poop. She was trying to see what on earth that smell was! It was a problem with the soft caecotrophs but he was able to pass normal poops round the blockage so I hadn't picked it up. Over the next 2 weeks he had to be checked and occasionally 'unbunged'. Some of the older ones get this - he's in the early stages and has very little trouble usually unless he gets stressed.

In truth I would check the boar over carefully and if in doubt take him to the vet. You might well have the right interpretation here but I would want to double-check on my boar's health - and if there is something sore round there I would wonder about a problem with the grease gland, or maybe a little wound that has become infected? Possibly he has become quiet because he's not feeling quite himself. If nothing is obvious I would still get them checked, particularly if this has been going on for a while.
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They both have been checked. Specially the little sow. She has a little upset stomach. I got her 3 weeks ago and of course my diet is different to the one from the breeder.... I think I will separate him from the rest of the herd to allow him to heal.....
 
Basia1 said:
They both have been checked. Specially the little sow. She has a little upset stomach. I got her 3 weeks ago and of course my diet is different to the one from the breeder.... I think I will separate him from the rest of the herd to allow him to heal.....
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What she is doing is natural and is her way of helping herself feel better and settle her tummy - it’s directly replacing the gut bacteria from a healthy piggy and she knows this. They take them directly from another piggy’s bottom because they must be very fresh to have the desired effect. If you can make her poop soup then it replaces the gut bacteria better than the probiotics.
Soak very fresh poops from a healthy companion (literally collect the poops just as they are produced - you can put a piggy into a carrier and offer some veg and poops will come along very quickly) in water and then syringe the water to the poorly piggy. You can still offer a probiotic as well as poop soup.
Separating him will likely mean she will just go and do it to another piggy

You say you’re giving her plenty of veggies - while she has an upset tummy she must not have any veggies. Giving her veg will be making her worse. Stop giving veggies until poops normalise and then still withhold veg for a further 24 hours after poops normalise. Feed only hay (and a limited amount of pellets) to give her guts time to rebalance. You can then reintroduce veg 24 hours after her poops normalise but you must start slowly. Herbs are the best way to start - a few sprigs of coriander for a couple of days and monitor how her tummy copes with it before slowly introducing other things.

I would think twice before separating him. If you can give her poop soup and stop veg, then she could be feeling better in a few days. We obviously can’t see how sore his bum is, but do be aware that if you separate him, you will have to go through the neutral territory rebonding process to be able to put him back with the girls.

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

You say she is having veg rich in calcium. Do be careful here with calcium content. Very small babies do need a little more calcium but you don’t want to deliberately feed high calcium veg to a piggy of her age as they get enough from a normal diet.
 
Last edited:
Piggies&buns said:
What she is doing is natural and is her way of helping herself feel better and settle her tummy - it’s directly replacing the gut bacteria from a healthy piggy and she knows this. They take them directly from another piggy’s bottom because they must be very fresh to have the desired effect. If you can make her poop soup then it replaces the gut bacteria better than the probiotics.
Soak very fresh poops from a healthy companion (literally collect the poops just as they are produced - you can put a piggy into a carrier and offer some veg and poops will come along very quickly) in water and then syringe the water to the poorly piggy. You can still offer a probiotic as well as poop soup.
Separating him will likely mean she will just go and do it to another piggy

You say you’re giving her plenty of veggies - while she has an upset tummy she must not have any veggies. Giving her veg will be making her worse. Stop giving veggies until poops normalise and then still withhold veg for a further 24 hours after poops normalise. Feed only hay (and a limited amount of pellets) to give her guts time to rebalance. You can then reintroduce veg 24 hours after her poops normalise but you must start slowly. Herbs are the best way to start - a few sprigs of coriander for a couple of days and monitor how her tummy copes with it before slowly introducing other things.

I would think twice before separating him. If you can give her poop soup and stop veg, then she could be feeling better in a few days. We obviously can’t see how sore his bum is, but do be aware that if you separate him, you will have to go through the neutral territory rebonding process to be able to put him back with the girls.

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

You say she is having veg rich in calcium. Do be careful here with calcium content. Very small babies do need a little more calcium but you don’t want to deliberately feed high calcium veg to a piggy of her age as they get enough from a normal diet.
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I have separated him to let him heal. His bum was literally bleeding this morning. He is now more relaxed and walking around the cage instead hiding constantly from her. She will not go to other pigs for poops because they are older sows and there is no way they will let her come near their bums. I will feed her poop soup and give her fibreplex. She is now settled and she is eating hay with other pigs. I will just have to reintroduce them again. He is 2 year old boar and pretty big and the sows are very laid back so I can't see the problem of reintroducing them again. I just couldn't watch him suffer. He is such a good boy and loves his ladies ( to the point he let's one of them rip his bum to pieces 🤦‍♀️)
 
Piggies&buns said:
What she is doing is natural and is her way of helping herself feel better and settle her tummy - it’s directly replacing the gut bacteria from a healthy piggy and she knows this. They take them directly from another piggy’s bottom because they must be very fresh to have the desired effect. If you can make her poop soup then it replaces the gut bacteria better than the probiotics.
Soak very fresh poops from a healthy companion (literally collect the poops just as they are produced - you can put a piggy into a carrier and offer some veg and poops will come along very quickly) in water and then syringe the water to the poorly piggy. You can still offer a probiotic as well as poop soup.
Separating him will likely mean she will just go and do it to another piggy

You say you’re giving her plenty of veggies - while she has an upset tummy she must not have any veggies. Giving her veg will be making her worse. Stop giving veggies until poops normalise and then still withhold veg for a further 24 hours after poops normalise. Feed only hay (and a limited amount of pellets) to give her guts time to rebalance. You can then reintroduce veg 24 hours after her poops normalise but you must start slowly. Herbs are the best way to start - a few sprigs of coriander for a couple of days and monitor how her tummy copes with it before slowly introducing other things.

I would think twice before separating him. If you can give her poop soup and stop veg, then she could be feeling better in a few days. We obviously can’t see how sore his bum is, but do be aware that if you separate him, you will have to go through the neutral territory rebonding process to be able to put him back with the girls.

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

You say she is having veg rich in calcium. Do be careful here with calcium content. Very small babies do need a little more calcium but you don’t want to deliberately feed high calcium veg to a piggy of her age as they get enough from a normal diet.
Click to expand...
I keep watching her and she seems to eat a lot more hay now she isn't constantly chasing my boars bum
 
I don’t think he can get a sore bum from her just going fishing for poos. Where exactly is it sore? Is it his grease gland area or his genital area?
 
Siikibam said:
I don’t think he can get a sore bum from her just going fishing for poos. Where exactly is it sore? Is it his grease gland area or his genital area?
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Is the sking fold in his genital area. Its been going on for days now. Fist it was rubbed off skin. I took them to the vet and she confirmed its from the sow nibbling on his butt. I was given fibreplex for the sow and antibacterial cream for the boar. But overnight she must have been nibbling him again
 
Free Ranger said:
Poor boy! He must have the patience of a saint ❤
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He really is very gentle and patient boy. He loves his girls and they do love him back, always cuddling to him. Never had such problem with little one nibbling on other pigs.... She is the youngest one in the herd and because still a baby they all let her get away with murder
 
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