My 1 1/2 year old female guiena pig

[Kaylamonette08]

HI, my name is Kayla and I'm new here. I have 2 female Guinea pigs about 1 1/2 years old, Bella the one I cant seem to figure out is having some problems that I seem to not get answers too. About 7 months ago me and my bf noticed she has very squishy poops every where in her cage. So I was very concerned because I also noticed she seemed to kind of squeal in pain when she was pooping, but it would only last for a week and stopped. but she still had problems with squishy poops. My bf and I would give Bella and Ginger the other female Guinea pig the same amount of veggies and would give them 2 carrots, cut up a slice of pepper, and maybe some lettuce because they can be picky lol. Well we noticed it was getting worse so we took her to the vet near us and explained everything to her, she told us to stop giving her veggies all together and just pellets and hay and vitamin c drops. So we did but when we put the vitamin c drops in her water she didn't wanna drink water, which then I got very concerned. So we took her back to the doctors and she didn't say much but just make sure she drinks water even without the drops in it, so once we had plain water she started to drink normally, but very lazy. about 4 months ago out of no where we found a lump by her vagina area and got surgery done and she seems fine, but now her and her sister CANNOT be in the same cage anymore. because we had to separate them for awhile because of the surgery and now they fight... anyways after that she STILL had problems so the vet told us to take it slow and give her small portions of veggies and it was okay for a bit but if we giver her TO MUCH which we never know what to much is she has her problems again, so now were absolutely clueless right now. yes we know she has a sensitive gastric but we can ONLY feed her one small carrot and we feel bad sooo much because we know she loved veggies. so can anyone help? I think I included everything in here but I'm not sure.

 

[Piggies&buns]

When piggies have soft poops you need to stop feeding all veg And only feed hay and their portion of pellets (which is just one tablespoon per piggy per day) Until poops normalise. When they normalise you can start very slowly reintroducing veg and monitoring. You are best to just give her one sprig of a herb (coriander/cilantro for example is fine for them to be fed daily) each day to see how she tolerates it. Herbs tend to be more mild on their tummies. Only increase the amount if she is ok. Stopping all veg If her poops go soft again.

Please don’t put anything in their drinking water. As you’ve found it can stop them from wanting to drink.

Carrot should not feature regularly in their diet. It should be considered as only a treat and not fed any more than one small piece and only given once per week. It’s too high in sugar for them to eat carrot every day.

Unfortunately separating piggies due to a medical issue can mean their bond breaks and they can not live together any more. This is why we do not recommend separating piggies under such circumstances.

Please switch from the regular weekly weighing of your piggy to weighing her daily. Weigh her each day at the same time each day to ensure she is eating enough hay. You cannot gauge hay intake by eye so this is why weighing is so important.

 

[Kaylamonette08]

When piggies have soft poops you need to stop feeding all veg And only feed hay and their portion of pellets (which is just one tablespoon per piggy per day) Until poops normalise. When they normalise you can start very slowly reintroducing veg and monitoring. You are best to just give her one sprig of a herb (coriander/cilantro for example is find for them to be fed daily) each day to see how she tolerates it. Herbs tend to be more mild on their tummies. Only increase the amount if she is ok. Stopping all veg If her poops go soft again.

Please don’t put anything in their drinking water. As you’ve found it can stop them from wanting to drink.

Carrot not feature regularly in their diet. It should be considered as only a treat and not fed any more than one small piece and only given once per week. It’s too high in sugar for them to eat carrot every day.

Unfortunately separating piggies due to a medical issue can mean their bond breaks and they can not live together any more. This is why we do not recommend separating piggies under such circumstances.

Please switch from the regular weekly weighing of your piggy to weighing her daily. Weigh her each day at the same time each day to ensure she is eating enough hay. You cannot gauge hay intake by eye so this is why weighing is so important.

Thank you so much this was very helpful and we will be doing this all! and unfortunately I didn't know it would break the bond they had i just listened to the vet. but everything is okay on that they have gotten much better.

 

[Wiebke]

HI, my name is Kayla and I'm new here. I have 2 female Guinea pigs about 1 1/2 years old, Bella the one I cant seem to figure out is having some problems that I seem to not get answers too. About 7 months ago me and my bf noticed she has very squishy poops every where in her cage. So I was very concerned because I also noticed she seemed to kind of squeal in pain when she was pooping, but it would only last for a week and stopped. but she still had problems with squishy poops. My bf and I would give Bella and Ginger the other female Guinea pig the same amount of veggies and would give them 2 carrots, cut up a slice of pepper, and maybe some lettuce because they can be picky lol. Well we noticed it was getting worse so we took her to the vet near us and explained everything to her, she told us to stop giving her veggies all together and just pellets and hay and vitamin c drops. So we did but when we put the vitamin c drops in her water she didn't wanna drink water, which then I got very concerned. So we took her back to the doctors and she didn't say much but just make sure she drinks water even without the drops in it, so once we had plain water she started to drink normally, but very lazy. about 4 months ago out of no where we found a lump by her vagina area and got surgery done and she seems fine, but now her and her sister CANNOT be in the same cage anymore. because we had to separate them for awhile because of the surgery and now they fight... anyways after that she STILL had problems so the vet told us to take it slow and give her small portions of veggies and it was okay for a bit but if we giver her TO MUCH which we never know what to much is she has her problems again, so now were absolutely clueless right now. yes we know she has a sensitive gastric but we can ONLY feed her one small carrot and we feel bad sooo much because we know she loved veggies. so can anyone help? I think I included everything in here but I'm not sure.

Hi and welcome!

Please take the time to carefully read our diet guide. It looks at the diet as a whole and all food groups in detail. You should find it very helpful because a good diet can add 1-2 years to a healthy life span and can also minimise the risk of several avoidable illnesses.
Here is the link: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Be aware that the mainstay of any guinea pig diet is hay, hay, hay and more hay. Fresh grass is high in vitamin C and hay also still contains enough. It is the reason why guinea pigs never had the need to make their own vitamin C in the first place. No forum guinea pig on a hay based diet has ever been diagnosed with scurvy in nearly 15 years.
The only piggies that were have been either freshly rescued or were piggies that had been overdosed on vitamin C and whose bodies had got used to the much higher than normal level of vitamin C. As soon as this level dropped for some reason, they would react with scurby symptoms even though their vitamin C level would still be above normal levels. Additives to water are not recommended because they lead to piggies drinking less (they have double the taste buds than humans and 5 times that of cats and don't like most additives). The additives also promote the growth of algae, which in turn can lead to digestive problems.
Hay is also crucial for long term dental health because the chewing teeth at the back of the mouth (the molars and premolars) have evolved against theevery abrasive silica in hay. The front teeth (incisors) are self-sharpening in a balanced dental system. The are there to pick up and cut food.

Dysbiosis (i.e. overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut) is very often the result of a diet too high in sugar and too low in grass/hay fibre. it can come out as either diarrhoea or as bloating.
Please take a guinea pig off any fresh food until the poos have been fully normal for at least 24-48 hours. See a vet promptly within 24 hours if the poos do not start firming up very noticeably within 24 hours or if you are dealing with runny diarrhoea - the latter counts as an emergency.
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating