Hi, my guinea pig is very normal but I did notice how her poop is smaller than usual. No, it doesn't have a tear shaped which thankgoodness she doesn't have one but, she acts normal. She's hyper, happy, and eats and even drinks perfectly fine. I give her bananas and tomatoes too but I'm still very worried what it could mean. Her poo smells of course but it doesn't seem like diarrhea unless I am wrong. Does this happen with other guineas too or is it just me?
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Guinea pig poop is smaller than usual
- Thread starter Tapi_Taro
- Start date
Do you weigh your guinea pig every week as part of routine care? If not, then please start to do so. Poops being smaller than normal can sometimes indicate that they are not eating enough hay. However, because poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake, it means that poop output a very unreliable method of gauging. The only way you can tell a piggy is eating enough is through the routine weekly weight checks. When you have health concerns about a piggy you then switch to doing the weight checks at the same time every day so you can more closely monitor hay intake. If you notice a piggy is losing weight or has lost more than 50g then you must step in with syringe feeding and see a vet.
In this case, the poops themselves look ok but I would still encourage you to weigh her daily for a few days to see what is happening with her weight. Then you can either see a vet if she is losing weight, or go back to weekly weight checks if things are actually ok.
On a side note, please check the diet. Banana and tomatoes should not be fed routinely. Banana is too sugary and tomato is too acidic and can lead to a lip infection called cheilitis. Any fruit including tomatoes should only ever be fed as a very small amount and as a very occasional treat.
The guides below have been added in for you to read as they contain further information to help you.
Weight Monitoring and Management
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
In this case, the poops themselves look ok but I would still encourage you to weigh her daily for a few days to see what is happening with her weight. Then you can either see a vet if she is losing weight, or go back to weekly weight checks if things are actually ok.
On a side note, please check the diet. Banana and tomatoes should not be fed routinely. Banana is too sugary and tomato is too acidic and can lead to a lip infection called cheilitis. Any fruit including tomatoes should only ever be fed as a very small amount and as a very occasional treat.
The guides below have been added in for you to read as they contain further information to help you.
Weight Monitoring and Management
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
I agree those poops look ok. But as they have recently changed keep a close eye on her. That’s very good advice about weighing weekly. A weight drop is the first sign of any problems. Good luck.
Okay, thanks so much. I don't feed fruits or veggies regularly but I started to feed her more fruits than regularly since my friend's guinea pig died from scurvy and I didn't want mines to die from it too since she did show a few symptoms of scurvy like drinking more water, and what seems to be diarrhea in her poop maybe (unsure because of smell) . But she does eat pretty fine. Thanks so much and I'll start weighing her from now on.
They do need to have a small amount of vegetables in their diet every day - it provides them a good balance of nutrients and water. They get their vit c from all aspects of their diet but having some high vit c vegetables every day is needed and the thing which will go towards them not getting scurvy and ensures their diet contains a good range of nutrients.
They should not have fruit very often (or indeed at all), but they do need some vegetables every day.
Drinking more water as a solitary sign does not mean scurvy - high heat, a dry diet etc will all play their part. Piggies will drink the amount they need from a bowl or bottle but they also get their water intake from fresh grass and their daily vegetables. If you are only feeding a dry diet of just hay and pellets and no vegetables then she will need to drink more from a bottle or bowl without there necessarily being any medical issue.
If you start feeding your piggy too much fruit then you will risk causing her to become ill. It may give her some vit c but it will do so at the risk of causing too much sugar to be introduced into the diet. Piggies do not need sugar and too much sugar can cause overgrowth of the wrong kind of gut bacteria and will lead to digestive upsets - you will see problems with poops, digestion and diarrhoea. Fruit is not something that they should have or even need to have in their diet.
The poops in the picture look ok - the picture does not show diarrhoea at this point.
Please read the diet guide I have added in above and below so you can correct her diet -
You need to ensure you feed unlimited amounts of hay every day. This is the thing which keeps their guts healthy and their teeth wearing properly.
Piggies also need one cup of vegetables per day. A mix leafy veg and herbs (ensure high calcium veg is kept limited) and a high vitamin c veg is added (such as bell pepper). They can have some bell pepper, lettuce, cucumber and cilantro/coriander daily. Fruit should not be given regularly (does not need to be in the diet at all) - mine will have a very small slice of apple or a blueberry once a year as a treat in summer.
Plain guinea pig pellets can be given but kept very limited to just one tablespoon per pig per day.
Do ensure your guinea pigs are weighed every week. This is essential. You can’t know your piggies are eating enough hay without those routine weekly weight checks as you cannot gauge hay intake by eye (hay making 80% of their daily food intake)
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading