Guinea pig consistently does small poos?

[WDSgpigs]

Hello Everyone,

I recently adopted another pig to add to my herd (I'm now have sows and one boar), she is a teddy, weighs just over 900g (less than all my other pigs who are about 1.2kg)

I noticed pretty quickly that she does tiny poos! I'm messaged the rescue about it (they are lovely and very supportive and helpful with lots of experience) and they said that initially they were concerned but that she steadily gained weight since coming to rescue but her poos just stayed tiny.

Her poos are the right colour, texture, moistness and don't smell offence and she seems to do a decent amount of them. I have also seen her eating hay and veggies and having water. I have attached a picture of two of her poos next to one of my other piggies standard poos.

I'm going to make sure to weigh her frequently but has anyone else had similar? Can anyone shed light on why she does this, and is it something to actually be at all concerned about?

Thanks!

 

[Betsy]

My Rainbow Piggy Pretty Patsy had small poos. She ate well, weighed the same every week, was healthy and the vet wasn't worried. It was just her and how she was. As long as she eats well, poops plenty your vet isn't concerned then neither should you be.

 

[Idris]

Interesting! I’ve only seen the mini ones when ours have been ill - either going off their food or while recovering. How long have you had her? Could be a change in diet so maybe check what she had at the rescue

 

[Wiebke]

Hello Everyone,

I recently adopted another pig to add to my herd (I'm now have sows and one boar), she is a teddy, weighs just over 900g (less than all my other pigs who are about 1.2kg)

I noticed pretty quickly that she does tiny poos! I'm messaged the rescue about it (they are lovely and very supportive and helpful with lots of experience) and they said that initially they were concerned but that she steadily gained weight since coming to rescue but her poos just stayed tiny.

Her poos are the right colour, texture, moistness and don't smell offence and she seems to do a decent amount of them. I have also seen her eating hay and veggies and having water. I have attached a picture of two of her poos next to one of my other piggies standard poos.

I'm going to make sure to weigh her frequently but has anyone else had similar? Can anyone shed light on why she does this, and is it something to actually be at all concerned about?

Thanks!

Hi

The good news is that the poos are plump and healthy looking, so it is not an issue of eating too little.

Poos are formed right at the end of the gut. There is a certain individual variation in their normal length but also between full (not neutered/de-sexed) boars and sows.
However, sometimes pain in the lower body - bladder (stones, sludge, bacterial or sterile infection; kidneys; lower spine (arthritis); in sows also from large ovarian cysts or the womb and in boars in penis shaft or a small percentage of mainly older boars from impaction - can radiate into the lower gut, which is very tightly packed around those organs.

If the poos are genuinely always the same with a piggy checked for any health issues (including potential arthritis and large cysts in mainly older piggies), then there is nothing to worry. It is just your piggy's normal way.

If there are noticeable changes in poo sizes, especially in connection with other signs of pain in the area (squeaking when peeing and pooing; arching the back end very noticeably etc.), red urine or sheer fresh blood then I would have the piggy vet checked for a health issue with any of the body parts mentioned above. What guinea pigs do not suffer from is constipation. Impaction in a minority of mainly older boars is a very different problem.

I hope that this helps you?

 

[WDSgpigs]

Hi

The good news is that the poos are plump and healthy looking, so it is not an issue of eating too little.

Poos are formed right at the end of the gut. There is a certain individual variation in their normal length but also between full (not neutered/de-sexed) boars and sows.
However, sometimes pain in the lower body - bladder (stones, sludge, bacterial or sterile infection; kidneys; lower spine (arthritis); in sows also from large ovarian cysts or the womb and in boars in penis shaft or a small percentage of mainly older boars from impaction - can radiate into the lower gut, which is very tightly packed around those organs.

If the poos are genuinely the always the same with a piggy checked for any health issues (including potential arthritis and large cysts in mainly older piggies), then there is nothing to worry. It is just your piggy's normal way.
If there are noticeable changes in poo sizes , especially in connection with other signs of pain in the area (squeaking when peeing and pooing; arching the back end very noticeably etc.), red urine or sheer fresh blood then I would have the piggy vet checked for a health issue with any of the body parts mentioned above. What guinea pigs do not suffer from is constipation.

I hope that this helps you?

Thank you that is all very good to know, I will keep a very close eye on her as I do with all my piggles and should anything even slightly untaward arise she will be taken to the vets. Given that she has been at the resuce a few months (the lady there is very experienced and does take pigs to the vets if needed as well as carrying out regular general checks herself) and has not had any even slight signs of pain, blood, weightloss, squeaking etc. I won't take her to the vet with small poo and nothing else as I'd probably just get the response to monitor her and bring her back.... But if anything else occurs then of course.

 

[WDSgpigs]

Interesting! I’ve only seen the mini ones when ours have been ill - either going off their food or while recovering. How long have you had her? Could be a change in diet so maybe check what she had at the rescue

Thanks, yes that's all I could find when googling online, small poos post op etc. She may be eating a little less than when she is here longer as it's her first week so will get extra confident but I buy the same hay and pellets as the resuce

 

[WDSgpigs]

My Rainbow Piggy Pretty Patsy had small poos. She ate well, weighed the same every week, was healthy and the vet wasn't worried. It was just her and how she was. As long as she eats well, poops plenty your vet isn't concerned then neither should you be.

Ah ok, thank you for posting as it's nice to know I don't have the only guinea pig in the world that regularly does tiny poops! Also what a cute name x

 

[Free Ranger]

One of my pigs has distinctly shorter and fatter poops than the others - but it's the sameness of them that will reassure you. Usually when people talk about smaller poops they mean compared to previous larger poops. If my pigs have become ill the poops have gotten thinner - maybe a bit shorter but noticeably thinner because they're not eating so much fibre. George has impaction which interferes with his poop formation so he just does proper randoms and I've given up trying to unpick what this might mean! But firm, fat poops are a good sign - and pretty easy to sweep up too

 

[WDSgpigs]

One of my pigs has distinctly shorter and fatter poops than the others - but it's the sameness of them that will reassure you. Usually when people talk about smaller poops they mean compared to previous larger poops. If my pigs have become ill the poops have gotten thinner - maybe a bit shorter but noticeably thinner because they're not eating so much fibre. George has impaction which interferes with his poop formation so he just does proper randoms and I've given up trying to unpick what this might mean! But firm, fat poops are a good sign - and pretty easy to sweep up too

Thank you, yes not seen any variance yet. Thank you oh no haha hope George stops worrying you soon! Xx