Guinea Pig Pellets

[Tony9302]

Hi guys, I have two young guinea pigs(females) and when I give them pellets they poop in humoungous amounts I assume due to the fiber in the diet, how much and how often should I give them pellets because when I have pellets out all day the cage gets really smelly quick. What should I do?

 

[Piggies&buns]

The only food they need constantly is hay. Guinea pigs need a high fibre diet and lots of poops is always good (lack of poops and you go on alert).

Pellets should be kept limited to one tablespoon per pig per day. They are the least healthy and least important part of their diet and should not have constant access to pellets. I give my two about half a hour or so to eat their portion and then remove any uneaten pellets, not giving any more until the next day.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Black piggies]

If the piggies are well, then some common reasons for a cage to get smelly include not being cleaned out often enough, not using absorbent bedding, not washing fleece in hot enough temperatures etc. They do poop a lot and it's good to pick up the poops once or twice a day.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi guys, I have two young guinea pigs(females) and when I give them pellets they poop in humoungous amounts I assume due to the fiber in the diet, how much and how often should I give them pellets because when I have pellets out all day the cage gets really smelly quick. What should I do?

Hi!

Apart from pellets, how much veg are you feeding? Veg and fresh herbs (together with pellets) should only take the supplementary role that wild forage used to have in the fresh grass/hay diet that guinea pigs have evolved on.
The crucial grinding back teeth have evolved against the highly abrasive silica in grass/hay fibre and the gut is laid out for two runs through it in order to break down the nutritious fibre fully. Fresh green grass is actually high in vitamin C and the reason why guinea pigs never had the need to make their own. The correct food proportions can make a real difference in general long term health and can help to extend a healthy life span.
Please take the time to carefully read these guide links here. They can really make a difference for your piggies and you:
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Weight - Monitoring and Management

The poos that contain the nutritious bits of fibre for the second run through the gut are called caecotrophs ('eaten poos') and are usually picked straight from the anus. You get waste poos with the undigestible fibre from both runs; which is why there are so many poos.
Eating generally also triggers pooing; piggies also use their poos to scent mark their territory (apart from rubbing their scent gland on the bedding), that is the reason why you will see new poos as soon as you have cleared away their old ones. Unlike in humans, scent is one of the strongest senses in guinea pigs so you have to live with the natural scent marking aspect to a certain extent and find a good balance for you in terms of regular poo patrol and cage cleaning; it is an issue that comes with any pets.