Purple/ red in poop

[Stretters91]

Hey guys !
My little man Digby has a bit of a poorly bum !
He’s around 2 and half years old , and he seems to be eating fine ! His veg anyway !
But my wife rang and said he didn’t eat his pea flakes this morning which never happens !
I’m wondering if you guys had any clue what this could be from ?
He has been eating red pepper recently though ……
We have to clean his bum as he struggles to shift his poop out and just lays on it !
Thanks everyone !

 

[Stretters91]

Just found out he has beetroot in his foraging hay aswell so this could be why it’s that colour ?

 

[Wiebke]

Just found out he has beetroot in his foraging hay aswell so this could be why it’s that colour ?

Hi

I just wanted to ask whether your piggy has had some beetroot. That purplish/pink shade is typical for it.

However, the poos are looking too soft. Please check whether your boy has got impaction or whether you overfeed on veg (keep in mind that hay and fresh growing grass should make around 75-80% of the daily food intake because that is the mainstay they have evolved on that their dental grow in the crucial back teeth and digestive system is laid out for). Any veg, forage and pellets only replace the original supplementary role of wild forage in combination but they are often overfed.

We do no longer recommend to feed root veg often; they should be more in the way of a treat. If your boy has indeed got impaction (which is a progressive problem affecting ca. 10% o aging boars), then he should be on a very regular diet. If it is just a little tummy upset, then please see whether a couple of days off any fresh food will settle the gut; please reintroduce fresh food only slowly at first or you may upset the gut again. If problems continue, please see a vet.

Here is some helpful information:
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Impaction - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.

 

[Bill & Ted]

the beetroot strikes again!

 

[Stretters91]

Thanks for the replies- his poop went back to normal after plenty of hay so it looks like something he ate! Glad we didn’t end up with a trip to the vets!

 

[VickiA]

You wouldn’t be the first to be alarmed by either pinky purple wee or pinky purple poop as a result of beetroot being consumed! It has a similar effect on humans - there’s a pseudo condition known as beetroot haematuria (beetroot mimicking blood in the urine) that has taken many humans to see the doctor!