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Young piggy with hard stomach

Dan Angelis

Dan Angelis

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello, I know this may be a weird question but is it normal for a young guinea pig to have a stomach hard and this fat? I noticed that her stomach seems to be more round and hard then my other older guinea pigs. She also seems to fart more and have some diarrhea here and there, but the two times I took her to the vet they said that she was fine since she still eats and drinks.
 

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How old is she and how long have you had her? And what (veg) do you feed her? When you say diarrhoea is the poo soft or more liquid in consistency? If the latter she needs to be seen by a vet soon. If the former then take her off veg until they’re back to normal for 24 hours. Then you can start reintroducing veg with a sprig of coriander for a few days. They add on a slice of pepper. If she gets soft poo then repeat and think about getting her checked out again.
 
Siikibam said:
How old is she and how long have you had her? And what (veg) do you feed her? When you say diarrhoea is the poo soft or more liquid in consistency? If the latter she needs to be seen by a vet soon. If the former then take her off veg until they’re back to normal for 24 hours. Then you can start reintroducing veg with a sprig of coriander for a few days. They add on a slice of pepper. If she gets soft poo then repeat and think about getting her checked out again.
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She is 1 year with 8 months, and I had her for a year. And her poop are super soft. But she doesn’t get veggies often because of the diarrhea, but the one I give her are romaine lettuce, green peppers, carrots
 
When she has diarrhoea is it actually watery? Stop giving her veg entirely and perhaps give her a bit of probiotic to help settle her tummy.
 
Dan Angelis said:
She is 1 year with 8 months, and her poop are super soft. But she doesn’t get veggies often because of the diarrhea
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Siikibam said:
When she has diarrhoea is it actually watery? Stop giving her veg entirely and perhaps give her a bit of probiotic to help settle her tummy.
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it is a bit watery and I’m gonna stop the veggie. What kind of probiotic can help? Can it also help with her farting and hard stomach?
 
Siikibam said:
You’ll have to get her checked out for the hard stomach. But if it’s a bit watery you need to get her seen by the vet as soon as. You could also give her poo soup using the companion’s (fresh) poo.

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
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I send her to the vet and they keep saying that her stomach is fine. And her diarrhea appears only when I give her veggies even if it is romaine lettuce
 
Sounds weird, Do you feed her nuggets and hay?
 
They need to look into what is causing the diarrhoea when she eats veg. Have they ever asked for a sample to test? Take her off veg completely for now. That stomach also needs looking at.
 
Siikibam said:
They need to look into what is causing the diarrhoea when she eats veg. Have they ever asked for a sample to test? Take her off veg completely for now. That stomach also needs looking at.
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No they never asked for a sample, because she is
Siikibam said:
They need to look into what is causing the diarrhoea when she eats veg. Have they ever asked for a sample to test? Take her off veg completely for now. That stomach also needs looking at.
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they never asked for a sample since she is eating and drinking, and her diarrhea isn’t that often
 
LucyP said:
Hello

I’m sorry I can’t help with any advice but have you checked out these articles on digestion in case any of it is relevant at all (it might not be). You may have already seen them.

Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Sounds like this has been going on a while? Hope you can find a solution soon.

Best wishes
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I did the massage that it shows and I heard a lot of guts sounds and she did pup some small soft poops, now her stomach looks almost like that of a normal guinea pig. So what does that mean?
 
Dan Angelis said:
I did the massage that it shows and I heard a lot of guts sounds and she did pup some small soft poops, now her stomach looks almost like that of a normal guinea pig. So what does that mean?
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she definitely needs a thorough examination by an exotic vet. Something is not right if she has soft poops/diarrhoea and gas often.

Is she having just one tablespoon of pellets per day and plenty of hay? Hay needs to be the main thing they eat, pellets kept strictly limited
 
Piggies&buns said:
she definitely needs a thorough examination by an exotic vet. Something is not right if she has soft poops/diarrhoea and gas often.

Is she having just one tablespoon of pellets per day and plenty of hay? Hay needs to be the main thing they eat, pellets kept strictly limited
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They always have a small amount of pallets in their bowl and always have hay with them. And the thing is she has already been seen by the same exotic vet two times and they said that she seemed fine, since she is eating and drinking they don’t seem to think is a big problem
 
How many times has she had the watery diarrhoea? And do you think there’s a particular veg that sets her off? The issue is that it’s happened more than twice (I’m assuming) in which case it does need investigating.
 
Siikibam said:
How many times has she had the watery diarrhoea? And do you think there’s a particular veg that sets her off? The issue is that it’s happened more than twice (I’m assuming) in which case it does need investigating.
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The only veggies she has been eating recently are romaine lettuce and carrots, her diarrhea however is hard to predict since it happens randomly, so i guess like three times
 
How often does she eat carrot? Too sugary a diet can cause a gut imbalance. Carrot should be a very occasional treat, no more than once per week.
 
How has her weight been over the past few weeks? Carrots shouldn’t be fed too often as they’re high in sugar. Does she eat bell pepper or any herbs or green beans?
 
Piggies&buns said:
How often does she eat carrot? Too sugary a diet can cause a gut imbalance. Carrot should be a very occasional treat, no more than once per week.
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She and the others eat it once every other week. And I don’t think she lost weight? Since her stomach always seems bloated
 
That’s good.
So otherwise is the only veg she is eating is lettuce then?
As said above, if a piggy has soft poops, then taking them of off all veg up until it settles down and then reintroducing slowly, and starting with herbs such as coriander is often best as herbs tend to be gentler on the tummy but still offer a good amount of vit c.
Do they not have a Vit c rich veg such as bell pepper or coriander (Cilantro) Regularly? They really do need it in their diet. Lettuce is low in nutrients and watery.
 
Have you been weighing her? So do they only have lettuce in the week with carrot every other week?
 
Piggies&buns said:
That’s good.
So otherwise is the only veg she is eating is lettuce then?
As said above, if a piggy has soft poops, then taking them of off all veg up until it settles down and then reintroducing slowly, and starting with herbs such as coriander is often best as herbs tend to be gentler on the tummy but still offer a good amount of vit c.
Do they not have a Vit c rich veg such as bell pepper or coriander (Cilantro) Regularly? They really do need it in their diet. Lettuce is low in nutrients and watery.
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Yes they do have lettuce two times a week and I haven’t giving her coriander so I should start that. Bell peppers is a bit hard to get so she eats that when I can get it
 
Is bell pepper not available in supermarkets there? I would make sure to get some when you can. What was she eating at here she was previously? I would buy some coriander and give them a sprig each a day. And a slice of cucumber. Perhaps a green bean a few times a week. Their diet is very narrow.

You should weigh your piggies every week at the same time. It’s part of their lifelong health check. When you’re worried they’re ill you switch to weighing every day at the same time. Digital kitchen scales do the job well enough so I’d get some soon as and start weighing them.

Weight - Monitoring and Management
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
Dan Angelis said:
Yes they do have lettuce two times a week and I haven’t giving her coriander so I should start that. Bell peppers is a bit hard to get so she eats that when I can get it
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They need a variety of veg every single day, including a vit c rich veg. Every day my piggies get lettuce, cucumber, a slice of bell pepper and a herb (usually coriander daily).

If she has only been eating lettuce and that causes her to have soft poops, then I would cut the lettuce out entirely, try her on herbs and see what happens.

Guinea pigs need to be weighed every week as part of life long care. It’s the only way to know they are eating enough hay. You then switch to daily weighing when there is a health concern.

But, if she is having a hard tummy and diarrhoea, then it sounds as if there is a digestive issue. You need to be absolutely certain there isn’t a health issue, I would get her checked by a vet again if this is continuing.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
 
Piggies&buns said:
They need a variety of veg every single day, including a vit c rich veg. Every day my piggies get lettuce, cucumber, a slice of bell pepper and a herb (usually coriander daily).

If she has only been eating lettuce and that causes her to have soft poops, then I would cut the lettuce out entirely, try her on herbs and see what happens.

Guinea pigs need to be weighed every week as part of life long care. It’s the only way to know they are eating enough hay. You then switch to daily weighing when there is a health concern.

But, if she is having a hard tummy and diarrhoea, then it sounds as if there is a digestive issue. You need to be absolutely certain there isn’t a health issue, I would get her checked by a vet again if this is continuing.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Click to expand...
I will try to give them veggies daily but it’s a bit expensive. And how would I go with weighting her?
 
Get some digital kitchen scales. Make sure you tare (set to zero) with the bowl on it then sit them in.

I’m afraid they really need the variety in their veg so you’ll have to suffer silently. You can give them the staples and completely cut out the carrot, it’s not necessary.

I would take that girl off veg until her poos have been normal for at least 48 hours. Then try her on a sprig of coriander a day.
 
Dan Angelis said:
I will try to give them veggies daily but it’s a bit expensive. And how would I go with weighting her?
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A healthy piggy needs veg daily. Yes it can add up, but it is what they need. Do you have access to dog pee free grass, do you have a garden? If so, grass is their natural diet so a good thing to give to them.

If she is having diarrhoea regularly, then all your other piggies need to have veg daily but you do need to be careful with the poorly piggy. It isn’t normal to have diarrhoea so something isn’t quite right with her.

you need to get a normal digital kitchen scale and pop your piggy in a container on the scale and weigh them all every week. Keep a record of their weekly weights so you know they are well. If a piggy loses weight beyond daily fluctuation then you need to step in syringe feed and see a vet. All the guides I linked in a couple of replies ago, give you all the information you need
 
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