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Light brown/dry poops

aly13

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all, all my pigs get a small cup of veggies twice a day, burgess pellets and unlimited hay and water. They all do great on this and have "normal" poops except one of my newer girls. I'm 99% sure its her because of where she sits. the poops are a lighter brown and arent super crumbly or anything, they're a normal shape and size however they often break in half and seem quite dry.

She comes from a background of not having any hay previously and they do eat a lot of hay now, however her roommates poops are normal color. Does anyone else ever have a piggie with poops like this and could it be her nromal? Her behaviour and eating is all 100% okay, so I dont really want to stress her out getting blood drawn at the vets if there isnt a proper reason to.
 
Hiya. I’d say it’s probably her normal. But just in case I’d weigh her daily for a few days to make sure she isn’t losing any weight and is definitely eating enough. How new is she? She may still be settling in.
 
Hiya. I’d say it’s probably her normal. But just in case I’d weigh her daily for a few days to make sure she isn’t losing any weight and is definitely eating enough. How new is she? She may still be settling in.
Okay thanks! Ive had them for just over 2 months now, they've both gained about 100/150g since coming here and having a better diet
 
If the other pigs have normal poops you could always have a try at replenishing her microbial gut flora by making 'poop soup' - here's the info:

Emergency or additional treatment
- 'Poo soup' (i.e. live healthy guinea pig gut microbiome transfer)

Alternatively or additionally to any of the other probiotic prodcuts, you can give 'poo soup' - the water in which very freshly dropped poos from a healthy piggy (i.e. on ethat not on any antibiotics or lots of other meds and who has healthy poos themselves) have been soaked.
If you can keep the period between the poo being dropped by a healthy companion and you syringing the water in which the fresh poos have been soaked to 10-15 minutes then a good deal of the gut microbiome will arrive still live in the ill piggy's gut and can get to work there.
The best way of getting hold of really freshly dropped poos is to sit a healthy piggy on a towel/in a cosy or on your lap blanket in a carrier or on your lap and feed them a bit of fresh grass or veg. Eating usually triggers poo dropping, so you should see some perfect poos for soaking within a few minutes. ;)

Live healthy gut microbiome transfer mimics natural behaviour in which recovering piggies pick poos straight from the anal opening of their healthy comrades. Redigested poos would be ideal but are hard to come by; but even normal waste poos will do the trick.

If the poos are really fresh from the source, poo soup can be very effective; more so than probiotic powder! Piggies tend to make poos reflexively when eating, so giving a healthy companion their veg dinner outside the cage on a towel will provide you with a convenient supply!

...and the link to the forum page it is from! Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

It could be that she just needs a little boost to get to the same place as her companions.
When I make this up I don't just syringe in neat poop, I use the water to mix into a little Critical Care food (or mushed pellets) and give that. When my girl had bloat I used my boar as the source of healthy poop soup and assumed she wouldn't be able to taste anything but she looked genuinely horrified! It worked for her though. I was kinda surprised she was such a fusspot as she'll gorge on pretty much anything (which was how she got her issue in the first place!)

I'd be a little concerned about the 'dry' aspect. Is she confident enough to be able to access the drinking bottles/bowls? Perhaps adding extra might help her feel more comfortable having a little drink.

Good luck little girl - and well done you for giving her a wonderful, hay-filled home x
 
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