Help! Guinea pig isn’t pooping like usual!

[brookemw]

My guinea pig loves eating and chewing on things he shouldn’t be chewing on. I changed out the fleece in his cage and put him in a play pen. Ever since I changed the fleece he hasn’t been pooping his normal amount today he has probably 15-20 poops in his cage. Usually it’s like 80 poops a day. He’s been eating his hay, veggies, and pellets. I did rescue him so I’m not sure if he has had any issues like this in the past. I called the vet that I go to and they said it’s lack of hay but 1/3 of his cage is full of hay and he has a 3x8 c&c cage. I'm very concerned that it could be deadly because he is my pride and joy. Please help!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Lack of poop output can be a sign of reduced hay intake. The only way to know he is actually eating enough is by weighing him regularly. You cannot know he is eating enough hay simply by watching him eat some as it can be very deceptive. His cage may be full of hay, but it doesn’t mean he is eating enough.
When you have health concerns, you need to switch from routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily. As hay is 80% of their daily food intake, if he hasn’t been eating enough hay, then you will see weight loss. You will need to step in and syringe feed him if he has lost more than a normal weight fluctuation. You will also need to see a vet.

The guides below explain further

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[brookemw]

Lack of poop output can be a sign of reduced hay intake. The only way to know he is actually eating enough is by weighing him regularly. You cannot know he is eating enough hay simply by watching him eat some as it can be very deceptive. His cage may be full of hay, but it doesn’t mean he is eating enough.
When you have health concerns, you need to switch from routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily. As hay is 80% of their daily food intake, if he hasn’t been eating enough hay, then you will see weight loss. You will need to step in and syringe feed him if he has lost more than a normal weight fluctuation. You will also need to see a vet.

The guides below explain further

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Thank you so much! This has really helped me!

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s important to note that poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake. So if he hasn’t pooped much today, then it’s often because he didn’t eat enough yesterday or the day before. If he eats plenty today, then you won’t see the poop output from that until tomorrow or the next day.

This is where the daily weight checks help as they give you real time information on food intake rather than waiting for the delay in seeing poop output as you are then already a couple of days behind any potential problem.

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I hope your piggy is eating ok and starts to poop again.