Very soft poo

[Cambridge Piggles]

Today I noticed none of the poops in the cage are formed. They are completely soft
I changed their hat from meadow to a meadow/timothy mix two days ago. Could this be cause? I’m feeding them normal amount of veggies (one cup a day each). They are eating ok it seems. Shall I just keep an eye on them? I think it’s both of them with an upset tummy.

 

[Posyrose]

This happened to me when I moved from haybox Timothy blend ( hard and soft mixed) to haybox all soft Timothy. I went to the vet and there was nothing wrong with his gut. When I moved back to Timothy blend, all corrected itself in a few days.

 

[Wiebke]

Today I noticed none of the poops in the cage are formed. They are completely soft
I changed their hat from meadow to a meadow/timothy mix two days ago. Could this be cause? I’m feeding them normal amount of veggies (one cup a day each). They are eating ok it seems. Shall I just keep an eye on them? I think it’s both of them with an upset tummy.

Hi

Changing hay can upset the gut microbiome for a short time until it has grown enough newly needed bacteria to cope with the demand; that may take a few days. It can also happen if your piggies don't like the new hay and eat less but you would see smaller poos and a short dip in weight as well.

Please always keep in mind that it takes about a day on average for any food to get from one end to the other, and then you need to make allowance for part of those poos making a second run through the gut.

Weighing on your kitchen scales helps you to get an up to date feedback about the food intake. If you switch from the normal weekly weigh-in and body onceover check to weighing daily if you have concerns or during illness/recovery with feeding support, please weigh first thing in the morning for best day to day comparison since the weight swings around 30g over the course of a day. Weighing first thing in the morning also helps you plan the support feeding level for the coming day as to the necessary frequency of feeds.

The poo output is always running late so you cannot control any weight loss through it but the size, form and composition can tell you what may have happened - mild or more serious tummy upset, diminished food intake and potential dehydration, reaction to antibiotics etc. Any soft poos are in the mild tummy upset category.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

 

[Cambridge Piggles]

Hi

Changing hay can upset the gut microbiome for a short time until it has grown enough newly needed bacteria to cope with the demand; that may take a few days. It can also happen if your piggies don't like the new hay and eat less but you would see smaller poos and a short dip in weight as well.

Please always keep in mind that it takes about a day on average for any food to get from one end to the other, and then you need to make allowance for part of those poos making a second run through the gut.

Weighing on your kitchen scales helps you to get an up to date feedback about the food intake. If you switch from the normal weekly weigh-in and body onceover check to weighing daily if you have concerns or during illness/recovery with feeding support, please weigh first thing in the morning for best day to day comparison since the weight swings around 30g over the course of a day. Weighing first thing in the morning also helps you plan the support feeding level for the coming day as to the necessary frequency of feeds.

The poo output is always running late so you cannot control any weight loss through it but the size, form and composition can tell you what may have happened - mild or more serious tummy upset, diminished food intake and potential dehydration, reaction to antibiotics etc. Any soft poos are in the mild tummy upset category.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

Thanks so much for your in depth reply! I’ll start weighing them now. Never picked them up before so dunno how they are going to react!

 

[Cambridge Piggles]

This happened to me when I moved from haybox Timothy blend ( hard and soft mixed) to haybox all soft Timothy. I went to the vet and there was nothing wrong with his gut. When I moved back to Timothy blend, all corrected itself in a few days.

This is reassuring to know!

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks so much for your in depth reply! I’ll start weighing them now. Never picked them up before so dunno how they are going to react!

You will find these links here very helpful in learning what is normal and what not, and how to spot early signs of illness during the once weekly body check-cum-grooming session. It can help you spot slowly developing health issues early on when the chance of them being treatable is higher.

These are all things you can check and do during your weekly health check. Follow it up with a favourite veg or treat and be lavish with praise and encouragement while you do it. Use a little watered down fruit juice for the syringe training so it is more of a treat.
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?
Early Signs Of Illness

Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths
Guide to Cutting Guinea Pig Nails
An Illustrated Guide to Hair Cutting

Syringe Training Before The Need For Medicating


The weight guide link in my first post is also well worth reading through; it tells you how weight changes over the course of a lifetime; how you can check the BMI by feeling around the ribcage at any age for whether your piggies are a good weight for their individual size at any age - only when you know that can you then put any sudden weight loss or gain into the proper perspective; 100g weight loss in a small piggy is much more concerning than in an overweight piggy where losing some of the yellow fat around the organs is actually a good thing...
It also tells you about when to be concerned about any sudden or slow weight loss and when to see a vet. The guides give you all the background information so you know what you need to do and why you should do it, and you will feel less at sea after a while.