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Massive Poos!

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alynch201

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Hi all.

We have a guinea pig who seems to be eating/drinking normally. He's also pooping normally most of the time. Plenty of normal, healthy looking poops, but just every now and again (about once every other day) there is a giant clump of poop, like maybe the size of a conker? Sometimes even bigger?

It doesn't seem to upset him or worry him. The poop itself doesn't look unhealthy, like it's not slimy or runny or anything. For info, he's four and a half and is a Himalayan breed.

The reason we're particularly worried is because he just lost a guinea pig a few weeks ago, with similar symptoms. Except his impaction was really bad, and it did upset him and he needed help to poop all the time.

Any ideas what's going on or what we can do?

Thanks
 
It does sound a bit like your boar may have a bit of an impaction problem. I’m linking the guide to boar bits. Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths
Personally, I would check his anal sac each day in case he’s getting a build up of caecotrophs in there. And he may need help to keep on top of the issue.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. Older boars like your boys (and mine) are the most prone to impaction. George (neutered) is a chubby 1.4 kg and has a bit of arthritis (stiff knees, swollen pudgy little feet), and both of those things mean he doesn't move around much - although his shy nature meant that he's spent a lot of his life hiding and not galloping around anyway! Impaction is where the soft, squishy caecotroph poop that they usually eat straight from their own 'source' (ahem) is binding together with the hard pellet-shape waste poops that we all recognise, and thus they get bunged up with a big cork. Sometimes they can pass this on their own and sometimes not. Their anal sack is usually kinda stretched and baggy by this point so without owners assistance it becomes even harder for the old boys to poop on their own.

I check George almost every evening and remove any impaction using a dribble of warm water (for lubrication) and gentle pressure (a bit like squeezing a bit spot). I then gently dab him clean with a cotton wool pad and more warm water. This is important because George's penis is tucked inside his anal pouch and impaction caused him a bladder infection - that's when we discovered it - so I don't want to risk that again. All this takes less than a minute! I read that the caecotroph poop is produced more at night so I want to clear him before he settles down for the evening. The vet told me to leave the cork in the cage in case he wants to eat it but George looks horrified at the idea and none of the pigs go near it! I do get concerned he's not getting all his nutrients sometimes but his condition is OK so I'm assuming he's eating some of the fresh stuff. When they identified his arthritis they pointed out that he was getting hair stuck in his teeth at the front (the bottom incisors are tucked in a little gummy pocket which you can gently pull down to see the bottom of the teeth there) which he also has removed. He's nibbling at his achy joints apparently - this can be another clue towards that. George hasn't got any obvious bald spots though.

By unbunging him every night (if needed) it has helped his pouch shrink down to a more normal size and although he gets impacted it's not anywhere near as much as before. We've also got him on long term metacam (loxicom) for the arthritis and he's moving around more as a result which is helping. He also likes to chew a cardboard box every once in a while and this seems to improve things for him too.

I'd go check things out with a vet first of all, because there can be complications with this sort of thing, but as long as he's healthy it's just part of the maintenance of a much loved older boy x
 
Hi!

I am very sorry for your loss.

It sounds like your remaining boy may have suffer from the onset of impaction; a progressive condition that affects about 10% of mostly aging boars.
Here is the direct link to our impaction care guide with care videos and dietary tips: Impaction - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.
 
Thanks everyone for your advice!

He seems to be passing these impactions just fine on his own (for the time being). Do you think the stress of being de-bunged up every day would be worse than seeing how he does on his own? Is this something which is just likely to continue and get worse?

Thanks again. its a great community here.
 
George only has a small plug each evening now and most importantly can poop around it easily during the day so it doesn't affect his busy lifestyle of stuffing his face and waddling about. I hope to avoid the awful situation where he can't poop because he's completely blocked. The only time I don't bother to check him is if I find a big fresh cork lurking scarily in the hay during the evening spot clean of the cages! A small plug of poops is easy enough to remove and he has got used to what is happening - in the early stages when the plugs were large it really stretched his tender skin and he squeaked in pain. But by using a cotton wool pad soaked in warm water and applied to his bum before unblocking him it makes things easier, he has learned it will be over quickly and he doesn't struggle. And he gets a little veggie treat afterwards and a gentle fuzzle for being such a brave boar. George likes the fuzzle best of all 💕
 
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