**Tiny poops (1/5 size as usual)**

[Aubrey&Lup'sMum]

I am going to get the girls into an exotic vet tomorrow asap (it's about 1am here), but in the meantime I need some advice! I'm getting so worried I'm wondering if I should stay up all night with them.

Tonight I realised that my girl Lup has been doing poops all day that are tiny, about 1/4 or 1/5 the usual size. My other girl, Aubrey, is pooping normally. I have attached a pic of Lup's poo next to Aubrey's (with a AA battery for reference). Some are even smaller.

Colour, texture, smell and number seem normal.

I noticed last night during floor time that she was doing these tiny poops, but thought maybe she just hadn't had enough wet vegetables or it was a fluke.

When putting her back in the cage, I thought she felt a bit bloated, but my partner didn't think so, so I just thought I'd keep an eye on her. Unfortunately I didn't put the two together

I'm concerned she's still bloated now (pics attached but don't know if you can tell).

Today she's been drinking and eating normally. She is a bit quieter than usual, but her sister Aubrey has been having some serious hormonal or dominance issues (I'm also going to get the vet to check her out), and for the last few days she been constantly hassling, chasing and jumping Lup. I figured Lup was just trying to stay out of Aubrey's way...

The only other thing I noticed that might be weird, was last night I felt that Lup was having trouble controlling her back left leg. It seemed like during floor time that it kept slipping further and further back, until she'd have to totally readjust. This was on a picnic blanket which is a bit smoother than fleece but normally no problem.

Do these things together mean anything to anyone?

Does anyone know if stress from dealing with her sister might have caused the poop issue?

 

[Wiebke]

I am going to get the girls into an exotic vet tomorrow asap (it's about 1am here), but in the meantime I need some advice! I'm getting so worried I'm wondering if I should stay up all night with them.

Tonight I realised that my girl Lup has been doing poops all day that are tiny, about 1/4 or 1/5 the usual size. My other girl, Aubrey, is pooping normally. I have attached a pic of Lup's poo next to Aubrey's (with a AA battery for reference). Some are even smaller.

Colour, texture, smell and number seem normal.

I noticed last night during floor time that she was doing these tiny poops, but thought maybe she just hadn't had enough wet vegetables or it was a fluke.

When putting her back in the cage, I thought she felt a bit bloated, but my partner didn't think so, so I just thought I'd keep an eye on her. Unfortunately I didn't put the two together

I'm concerned she's still bloated now (pics attached but don't know if you can tell).

Today she's been drinking and eating normally. She is a bit quieter than usual, but her sister Aubrey has been having some serious hormonal or dominance issues (I'm also going to get the vet to check her out), and for the last few days she been constantly hassling, chasing and jumping Lup. I figured Lup was just trying to stay out of Aubrey's way...

The only other thing I noticed that might be weird, was last night I felt that Lup was having trouble controlling her back left leg. It seemed like during floor time that it kept slipping further and further back, until she'd have to totally readjust. This was on a picnic blanket which is a bit smoother than fleece but normally no problem.

Do these things together mean anything to anyone?

Does anyone know if stress from dealing with her sister might have caused the poop issue?

Hi!

Here is our bloat advice. Bloat, GI Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Please switch to weighing daily and offering syringe feed top up if a piggy is not well. Unlike other pet species guinea pigs and rabbits cannot stay without a regular food intake for long. Please be aware that the poo output is always lagging 1-2 days behind the input.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Administering Medications And Syringe Feed

Please make sure that your piggy is kept as cool as possible in the current Australian summer heatwave; the heat can also impact on the appetite. Hot weather management and heat strokes

 

[Aubrey&Lup'sMum]

Hi!

Here is our bloat advice. Bloat, GI Stasis ( No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Please switch to weighing daily and offering syringe feed top up if a piggy is not well. Unlike other pet species guinea pigs and rabbits cannot stay without a regular food intake for long. Please be aware that the poo output is always lagging 1-2 days behind the input.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Administering Medications And Syringe Feed

Please make sure that your piggy is kept as cool as possible in the current Australian summer heatwave; the heat can also impact on the appetite. Hot weather management and heat strokes

Thanks Wiebke!

I have read the bloat/stasis guide already, looking for info. Interesting though to know that the poo is 1-2 days behind...

Our piggies are indoor piggies only - they are in the same room as the aircon, and I love the cold so it's plenty cool enough for them (like 18-20 degrees Celsius).

I guess what I am wondering at this stage is:
1) Can the bloating (if she is bloated) cause the change in poop size?; and/or
2) Is stress known to effect their GI functioning/poop? Like it does in people, so we thought maybe it does since theirs is sensitive...?

 

[Merab]

Hope all goes well at the vets (went well)
Let us know how things are please

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks Wiebke!

I have read the bloat/stasis guide already, looking for info. Interesting though to know that the poo is 1-2 days behind...

Our piggies are indoor piggies only - they are in the same room as the aircon, and I love the cold so it's plenty cool enough for them (like 18-20 degrees Celsius).

I guess what I am wondering at this stage is:
1) Can the bloating (if she is bloated) cause the change in poop size?; and/or
2) Is stress known to effect their GI functioning/poop? Like it does in people, so we thought maybe it does since theirs is sensitive...?

Bloating is very painful and will impact on the appetite - and that is reflected in turn by the poo size.
Stress can trigger any underlying issues; loss of appetite is secondary to what issue comes up with a lowered immune system. Severe bloat can however happen completely out of the blue. Please try to not connect too many dots; you can all too easily come up with the wrong culprit.

 

[Aubrey&Lup'sMum]

Update: Currently sitting at the vet waiting. They took her out the back as soon as we got here and that was at least an hour ago. Starting to get pretty stressed but hopefully they're just busy not something really bad :/

 

[Swissgreys]

Thanks for the update.
Hopefully they took her out the back becasue it is quieter and less stressful for her there.
Fingers crossed you get to the bottom of the problem, and well done for getting her to the vat so quickly.

 

[Aubrey&Lup'sMum]

Thanks Swissgreys. Apparently that's their standard response for emergency appts - they do an initial assessment while you fill out the paperwork.
Lup was definitely not appearing any worse today, so I am hopeful it's minor.
But seeing someone walk out bawling with an empty cage has put worst case scenario in my head... *Deep breaths*

 

[Aubrey&Lup'sMum]

So, um... I'm still kind of in shock.
Aubrey seems to have been mis-sexed by the refuge. She is not a she!
So you can imagine where this goes...
At least 3 babies due any day now!

 

[Allie0078]

So, um... I'm still kind of in shock.
Aubrey seems to have been mis-sexed by the refuge. She is not a she!
So you can imagine where this goes...
At least 3 babies due any day now!

Oh my goodness! Not sure whether to say congratulations or commiserations
Good luck as not an easy position to be in. Is shocking how often this happens!

 

[Wiebke]

Update: Currently sitting at the vet waiting. They took her out the back as soon as we got here and that was at least an hour ago. Starting to get pretty stressed but hopefully they're just busy not something really bad :/

Fingers very firmly crossed! The waiting is always the worst in my experience.

Concentrate on sending your piggy loving and healing thoughts whenever your fears are trying to take over. I find that that helps me channelling all the churning emotions into something positive.

 

[Aubrey&Lup'sMum]

For those interested, just wanted to clarify that the result of Lup's vet visit is that she is VERY pregnant. My gorgeous floofy girl (with the softest hair in the world) is doing fine

I had them do an x-ray and that showed 3 foetuses, though there could be more and obviously there's the possibility that some won't survive.

We have separated the piggies. Their cages are next to each other and they won't be back together until we make the appropriate arrangements. I have included some photos, including some of the gorgeous mum-to-be having some quiet time. Our apartment is now literally 20% guinea pig cage haha

Lup is actually slightly *underweight*, unfortunately. Given that we didn't know and so couldn't feed accordingly, she's always been on the small side, and the babies have been taking most of it, it's not surprising. She is on Critical Care now, and I'm all over your info on pregnancy and baby diets. She is eating small amounts of her usual food pretty constantly since she got home, so that's great

This explains literally _all_ the symptoms and weirdness that I'd noticed. I want to put them here for readers' information, but this CANNOT replace a visit to an exotic vet, and is specific to Lup's situation only. NEVER ignore your instincts, and always better to be safe than sorry!
- Lup isn't bloated, she is carrying 3+ pups! This is why she suddenly looked bigger, but didn't have all of the "signs" of bloating that I'd read about.
- Lup's appetite is still there, but she has been eating less more often, so it wasn't super noticeable like if she was eating distinctly less.
- Some days she has been more thirsty than usual, but that wasn't something I worried about at the time (my piggies are always saying "these pellets are making me thirsty!"). In hindsight it was a sign!
- Her back legs were having trouble holding her up during floor time because she was feeling so heavy
- She looked a little like hair was thinning in recent photos because her skin is stretched taut
- She's been a bit more quiet and inactive than usual because she's SUPER PREGGERS
- The guinea pig previously known as "Miss" Aubrey spent so much time chasing, rumblestrutting, humping Lup's face and smelling her butt not because she was having very heavy heats or had hormonal issues or was obsessed with asserting her dominance, but because she was a he.

Currently my partner and I are pretty stressed, trying to work out what to do. I'd love to keep the babies - I've always wanted more piggies - but we were going to move into a house first. Our apartment realistically can't house so many piggies But I get upset thinking of giving them away... I guess we'll see.


Trying to see Aubrey as the boy he is is really weird :/

I also feel so horribly guilty I didn't notice earlier. I feel like a terrible guinea pig mum, even though logically I know that if I didn't know my piggies and their poops it would have been a lot worse (surprise pups and probably a back-to-back pregnancy). If any newbies are reading this, I can't stress enough how important it is to trust your gut and have confidence in your expertise as a guinea pig mum/dad.

Please send good vibes. I will of course post baby pics!

 

[Aubrey&Lup'sMum]

Oh my goodness! Not sure whether to say congratulations or commiserations
Good luck as not an easy position to be in. Is shocking how often this happens!

Thanks @Allie0078 . i will take both! So nice that you understand ... too many shocks for one day haha

 

[Allie0078]

For those interested, just wanted to clarify that the result of Lup's vet visit is that she is VERY pregnant. My gorgeous floofy girl (with the softest hair in the world) is doing fine

I had them do an x-ray and that showed 3 foetuses, though there could be more and obviously there's the possibility that some won't survive.

We have separated the piggies. Their cages are next to each other and they won't be back together until we make the appropriate arrangements. I have included some photos, including some of the gorgeous mum-to-be having some quiet time. Our apartment is now literally 20% guinea pig cage haha

Lup is actually slightly *underweight*, unfortunately. Given that we didn't know and so couldn't feed accordingly, she's always been on the small side, and the babies have been taking most of it, it's not surprising. She is on Critical Care now, and I'm all over your info on pregnancy and baby diets. She is eating small amounts of her usual food pretty constantly since she got home, so that's great

This explains literally _all_ the symptoms and weirdness that I'd noticed. I want to put them here for readers' information, but this CANNOT replace a visit to an exotic vet, and is specific to Lup's situation only. NEVER ignore your instincts, and always better to be safe than sorry!
- Lup isn't bloated, she is carrying 3+ pups! This is why she suddenly looked bigger, but didn't have all of the "signs" of bloating that I'd read about.
- Lup's appetite is still there, but she has been eating less more often, so it wasn't super noticeable like if she was eating distinctly less.
- Some days she has been more thirsty than usual, but that wasn't something I worried about at the time (my piggies are always saying "these pellets are making me thirsty!"). In hindsight it was a sign!
- Her back legs were having trouble holding her up during floor time because she was feeling so heavy
- She looked a little like hair was thinning in recent photos because her skin is stretched taut
- She's been a bit more quiet and inactive than usual because she's SUPER PREGGERS
- The guinea pig previously known as "Miss" Aubrey spent so much time chasing, rumblestrutting, humping Lup's face and smelling her butt not because she was having very heavy heats or had hormonal issues or was obsessed with asserting her dominance, but because she was a he.

Currently my partner and I are pretty stressed, trying to work out what to do. I'd love to keep the babies - I've always wanted more piggies - but we were going to move into a house first. Our apartment realistically can't house so many piggies But I get upset thinking of giving them away... I guess we'll see.


Trying to see Aubrey as the boy he is is really weird :/

I also feel so horribly guilty I didn't notice earlier. I feel like a terrible guinea pig mum, even though logically I know that if I didn't know my piggies and their poops it would have been a lot worse (surprise pups and probably a back-to-back pregnancy). If any newbies are reading this, I can't stress enough how important it is to trust your gut and have confidence in your expertise as a guinea pig mum/dad.

Please send good vibes. I will of course post baby pics!

Ahhh you seem like a very good guinea pig mum to me! And actually why should we have to question the gender when someone who should know has already supposedly sexed them? There are so many challenges for you to take on. Whatever you chose I’m sure you’ll make the best decisions for your piggies x

 

[Wiebke]

For those interested, just wanted to clarify that the result of Lup's vet visit is that she is VERY pregnant. My gorgeous floofy girl (with the softest hair in the world) is doing fine

I had them do an x-ray and that showed 3 foetuses, though there could be more and obviously there's the possibility that some won't survive.

We have separated the piggies. Their cages are next to each other and they won't be back together until we make the appropriate arrangements. I have included some photos, including some of the gorgeous mum-to-be having some quiet time. Our apartment is now literally 20% guinea pig cage haha

Lup is actually slightly *underweight*, unfortunately. Given that we didn't know and so couldn't feed accordingly, she's always been on the small side, and the babies have been taking most of it, it's not surprising. She is on Critical Care now, and I'm all over your info on pregnancy and baby diets. She is eating small amounts of her usual food pretty constantly since she got home, so that's great

This explains literally _all_ the symptoms and weirdness that I'd noticed. I want to put them here for readers' information, but this CANNOT replace a visit to an exotic vet, and is specific to Lup's situation only. NEVER ignore your instincts, and always better to be safe than sorry!
- Lup isn't bloated, she is carrying 3+ pups! This is why she suddenly looked bigger, but didn't have all of the "signs" of bloating that I'd read about.
- Lup's appetite is still there, but she has been eating less more often, so it wasn't super noticeable like if she was eating distinctly less.
- Some days she has been more thirsty than usual, but that wasn't something I worried about at the time (my piggies are always saying "these pellets are making me thirsty!"). In hindsight it was a sign!
- Her back legs were having trouble holding her up during floor time because she was feeling so heavy
- She looked a little like hair was thinning in recent photos because her skin is stretched taut
- She's been a bit more quiet and inactive than usual because she's SUPER PREGGERS
- The guinea pig previously known as "Miss" Aubrey spent so much time chasing, rumblestrutting, humping Lup's face and smelling her butt not because she was having very heavy heats or had hormonal issues or was obsessed with asserting her dominance, but because she was a he.

Currently my partner and I are pretty stressed, trying to work out what to do. I'd love to keep the babies - I've always wanted more piggies - but we were going to move into a house first. Our apartment realistically can't house so many piggies But I get upset thinking of giving them away... I guess we'll see.


Trying to see Aubrey as the boy he is is really weird :/

I also feel so horribly guilty I didn't notice earlier. I feel like a terrible guinea pig mum, even though logically I know that if I didn't know my piggies and their poops it would have been a lot worse (surprise pups and probably a back-to-back pregnancy). If any newbies are reading this, I can't stress enough how important it is to trust your gut and have confidence in your expertise as a guinea pig mum/dad.

Please send good vibes. I will of course post baby pics!

Oh dear!

Please take the time to read our detailed pregnancy advice, which covers the whole period through birth, mother and baby care until sexing and separation as well as diet advice. You will find it very helpful as we have written the guides specifically for owners without experience and have made them as practical and precise as possible.
You can access all guides in order via this link here: Pregnancy & Baby Care Guide's

Open an ongoing support thread in our specially monitored pregnancy section, which we run specially for any members finding themselves with an unplanned pregnancy or surprise babies and which is not visible until you have signed up and consented to our forum rules. You are welcome to ask any questions and concerns throughout the whole period.

Please double-check the gender of the companion to see whether you have acquired an already pregnant sow or a victim of mis-sexing.
Sexing Guide