Poo problem

[Godfrey]

My male desexed Ginny pig has had a bad poo problem for a while he has large lumps of poo get stuck he is pretty old for a while we removed it out self but it just keep coming back there is no blood involved. Could we get some advice on what to feed him to help and what to do. Please help

 

[Maui & Marigold]

I only have females now, so I'm not sure. Maybe have a vet check that out

 

[Godfrey]

I only have females now, so I'm not sure. Maybe have a vet check that out

 

[Grand Guinea Pigs]

My male desexed Ginny pig has had a bad poo problem for a while he has large lumps of poo get stuck he is pretty old for a while we removed it out self but it just keep coming back there is no blood involved. Could we get some advice on what to feed him to help and what to do. Please help

I do daily soaking baths and then massage it out with clean reusable gloves on. Baluster is eight years old. It must’ve started about a year ago.

Hope this helps. Other members will be on later.

 

[Godfrey]

I do daily soaking baths and then massage it out with clean reusable gloves on. Baluster is eight years old. It must’ve started about a year ago.

Hope this helps. Other members will be on later.

Thanks for

 

[Godfrey]

I do daily soaking baths and then massage it out with clean reusable gloves on. Baluster is eight years old. It must’ve started about a year ago.

Hope this helps. Other members will be on later.

Thanks so much for the advice hopefully it will help him

 

[Godfrey]

My male desexed Ginny pig has had a bad poo problem for a while he has large lumps of poo get stuck he is pretty old for a while we removed it out self but it just keep coming back there is no blood involved. Could we get some advice on what to feed him to help and what to do. Please help

Why are feeding him mushed pellets and banana right now until we can get him some special food please comment if you advise not to

 

[Godfrey]

Help what do I do with this! It was huge five mins ago !

 

[My Piggies]

Why are feeding him mushed pellets and banana right now until we can get him some special food please comment if you advise not to

That's totally fine until you can get him recovery food. He could probably do without the banana as it is high in sugar, but if he won't eat the mushed pellets without it that's fine.
More experienced members will be along later.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It sounds as if he is suffering with impaction. This can happen when they get old and the muscles lose tone.
It is a good idea to see a vet to check that is actually what the issue is though.

A good hay based diet can help. They should also have one cup of veg and one tablespoon of plain guinea pig pellets per day
You mention ‘grain’ on your other post. What do you mean by this - do you mean plain guinea pig pellets? Piggies should not eat grain

If he needs a recovery feed due to not eating enough hay, then that is fine and absolutely the right thing to do - it provides the high fibre content that he needs, but I would cut out the banana. The high sugar content of fruit will not help him.

The guides below may help you

Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths
Impaction - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[weepweeps]

Hello. I had an older piggy with impaction. Firstly I would get him checked over to make sure there is nothing else going on. He doesn’t have to be separated from his friends. Why does he need mushed pellets. Is he not eating for himself?

So back to the impaction. You don’t have to wash piggy daily to clear it. You just have to gently squeeze it out. It’s very very smelly and you may want to use gloves. . The first few times you might struggle but it gets easier and quicker. Read the impaction guide attached above. Good luck.

 

[Piggies&buns]

He definitely does not need to separated from his cage mate for impaction. Separating piggies is stressful for them, so please carry out a reintroduction on neutral territory to see if they will accept each other back. If they do, then please put them back into a cleaned out cage together once you are sure they are happy to be back together

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

 

[Godfrey]

Thanks for this the mushed pellets is while we get him the recovery food clearly his old pellet are not agreeing with him

 

[Piggies&buns]

Is he eating hay and maintaining his weight every day?
If not, then syringe feeding is the right thing to do. You must also see a vet if he isn’t eating hay properly.

What do you mean by the pellets aren’t agreeing with him?
Impaction, if that is what he is struggling with, is not necessarily anything to do with the pellets. Impaction is when the muscles cannot push poop out properly.
If he is unwell and having a digestive upset then that can be a very a different thing.

If he is eating hay and maintaining daily, then that is the most important thing. You do not need to worry about him not eating pellets as they are the least important part of the diet

 

[Godfrey]

It sounds as if he is suffering with impaction. This can happen when they get old and the muscles lose tone.
It is a good idea to see a vet to check that is actually what the issue is though.

A good hay based diet can help. They should also have one cup of veg and one tablespoon of plain guinea pig pellets per day
You mention ‘grain’ on your other post. What do you mean by this - do you mean plain guinea pig pellets? Piggies should not eat grain

If he needs a recovery feed due to not eating enough hay, then that is fine and absolutely the right thing to do - it provides the high fibre content that he needs, but I would cut out the banana. The high sugar content of fruit will not help him.

The guides below may help you

Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths
Impaction - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Thanks so much for this by grain I meant a pellet mix he must just have a different digestive system we have raised pigs for years and this diet has always kept them healthy anyway this will really help

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks so much for this by grain I meant a pellet mix he must just have a different digestive system we have raised pigs for years and this diet has always kept them healthy anyway this will really help

The digestive system is the same - they all need high fibre and their diet to be 80% hay and grass every day, one cup of veg and one tablespoon of pellets (pellets being the least healthy part of the diet and should never be the main part).
If he is eating more pellets than hay, then it may mean he isn’t getting enough fibre and that can contribute to poop problems

If he is struggling with impaction then the guides I linked in can help, but he will need to see a vet to check him over

 

[metalhead]

Nothing new to add really, def looks like he has impaction, you could use some recovery food to top up his fibre, oxbow critical care is very good. I would get him to a vet though, to be sure x

 

[Bill & Ted]

yes I agree Godfrey has impaction, it’s not caused usually caused by medical problem in older boys, if you are worried a vet check will put your mind at rest. Likely it’s just a slack anal sac which can occur in some older boars, my Ted got this in his last year. Give him plenty of fibre and clean out the sac regularly. Make sure he gets regular exercise, running around with his friends.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

I agree that Godfrey has impaction and should see a vet for a check for all his boy bits. About 10% of older boars develop impaction.

No need to separate him. Apart from needing a regular service and a very regular and strict diet (details for this see impaction link below), he can lead a perfectly normal life. Impaction is not an illness and it is not contagious.

For diet recommendations (which can help to ease the impaction especially in the earlier and milder stages) and regular impaction care with videos, please click on this link here. You should find it very helpful: Impaction - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.

 

[Claire W]

I also agree that Godfrey has impaction which can happen in older boars. He just needs a little help by you cleaning his poo out

Please don’t separate him from his friend as this will cause unnecessary stress for both piggies.

But please do see a vet just to make sure nothing medical is going on

 

[VickiA]

I agree that Godfrey has impaction. The guide that Wiebke has linked for you tells you all about how to manage it. Your piggy will need daily checking and regular help from you to manage this condition.

 

[Grand Guinea Pigs]

Baluster is eight years old.

Autocorrect! Baulder...