Guinea pig impaction

[Rachlatham]

Hi,
My gorgeous guinea pig Bill is suffering from impaction. It’s happened before and as we adopted him were not sure of his age or other history. Poor little man was neglected.
He does have lots of veg and hay in his diet, but I was wondering what fruit/veg is soft for him that might be easier for him to pass?

Thanks!

 

[Swissgreys]

There is a great guide to caring for boar bots (including impaction guides) here:
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,
My gorgeous guinea pig Bill is suffering from impaction. It’s happened before and as we adopted him were not sure of his age or other history. Poor little man was neglected.
He does have lots of veg and hay in his diet, but I was wondering what fruit/veg is soft for him that might be easier for him to pass?

Thanks!

Hi!

Please go easy on the veg; too much can make impaction worse! The more hay in the diet, the better.

Impaction in boars is NOT constipation. It is caused by weakening muscles at the back end that are no longer able to express the caecotrophs, i.e. the poos that contain the not yet fully broken down fibre for a second run through the gut. Waste poos from both runs will still be formed normally. The problem is progressive but with the right diet and care you can slow it down in the earlier stages for a while and may even reverse symptoms temporarily. In the longer term, it will get worse again. There is no treatment for it.

Our impaction guide has got a chapter on diet and long term impaction care. Please take the time to read and bookmark it: Impaction - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.

 

[Rachlatham]

Thank you both!