Stomach Making Gurgling Noises?

[Kat190]

For a few days my Guinea Pig's stomach has been making weird noises and her stools have been quite soft, not loose but softer than normal. She was spayed a few months ago. Her diet is cabbage, carrots, apples and occasionally grapes and cucumbers. Any advice on what this is? I've never experienced it before. Thank you.

 

[Julesie]

How often do you feed cabbage?

It should be fed minimally or not at all as it can make them very bloated as its a gassy vegetable.

Best diet would be more veg, less fruit. Green beans, celery, cucumber, coriander, pepper (red green or yellow), carrots occasionally.

 

[Amanda1801]

Gurgling noises aren't unusual, its a sign that the gut is moving as it should. You can often hear them if you put your ear to your pigs abdomen. If they're loud and you can hear them normally, she's probably gassy - cabbage should be fed minimally due to its gassy nature!

Stop feeding veg all together until poos are normal again, then start re-introducing it slowly again.

Here's a link to a very useful chart which gives an idea of vegetables that are safe to feed, and how often to feed them. Fruit should be an infrequent treat, if fed at all as it's high in sugar with little nutritional value.

 

[Jess]

I would say - avoid grapes & apples and use them as treats - like above: peppers (Piggies will love 'them!)
Herbs they will go crazy for

You'll need to mix it up a bit so they don't get bored either

 

[Wiebke]

A stomach that is not gurgling at all is a tummy in stasis, so do want some bowel movement; just not too much!

Please be aware that 80% of the daily food intake should be unlimited hay. It is the fibre that is keeping the guts steady and the piggy healthy (including wearing down the crucial back teeth). Veg - about 50g/1 cupful per piggy per day - should make about 10-15% and pellets about 5-10% of the daily diet.

I would strongly recommend to stay off fresh veg for a day to stabilise the guts, especially the cabbage.

Please feed any fruit (including tomato) not more than twice in a week, but add one veg or fresh herb high in vitamin C into the veg mix every day, like a slice of sweet pepper of any colour or a floret/piece of stem of broccoli or a sprig of fresh herbs like cilantro/coriander, parsley, dill or mint. Please vary between these.
Carrot is high in vitamin A, which can build up in the liver, so please don't feed it daily. Some cabbage varieties are high in calcium like kale and Asian cabbages, as is spinach. Feed those only occasionally, as they can contribute towards bladder stones in piggies with a genetic disposition for them.
Here is a list of which veg, herbs and fruit they can eat: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/