Why does my guinea pig cry at pellets & get soft poop from veggies?

Thanks for reaching out about Miss Piggy. Yes, soft stool can be a result of stress, but stress also lowers the immune system that can lead to bacterial overgrowth or parasitic overgrowth. Since she is still eating well and acting well, try limiting her diet to hay only for 1-2 days, to see if that will firm the stool. Vegetables and fruit can be too rich for the diet and lead to soft stool also. If the clinical signs does not improve, seek an appointment with a veterinarian with experience in companion exotic mammals.

Yes, guinea pigs needs a high fiber diet to aid in digestion and to promote a healthy gut. If he was picking out select bits, he may not have been getting enough fiber. The Oxbow Orchard grass is an acceptable substitute.

It sounds like Kinako may not be getting enough fibre from her diet, so her poop is small and dry. Make sure you offer her fresh hay and pelleted food made for g.pigs that has a high fibre content. Raspberries are higher in fibre, so worth trying to offer her some. If this problem continues, your vet should examine her teeth to make sure there are no sharp spurs which may prevent her chewing properly. Change her water daily.

This can be caused by parasites, dietary indiscretion or poor diet. Submit a stool sample to your veterinarian to diagnose intestinal parasites. Treat if indicated. Discontinue feeding any fruits or vegetables for now. Feed only timothy hay and a small amount of pellets daily. Once the stool is normal, you can gradually offer tiny bits of vegetables. Limit fruit though to prevent diarrhea or obesity.

Hello. Any change in formulation of feed can change the color & consistency of the feces, especially in hindgut fermenters like guinea pigs. It does take time for the bacteria to adapt. But if your pigs are only picking out the good parts, then it makes sense to change back to their regular hay. This should not be too upsetting to their GI tract since you are doing a relatively fast switch back. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Any eye problems should be examining by a veterinarian. You should not leave an eye problem untreated. Constipation can be caused by many things but usually it is due to a poor/incorrect diet. You need to make sure your husbandry is 100% correct. Your guinea pig's daily diet should contain hay, clean water and fresh greens. Pellets provide vegetable matter combined with vitamin C, but if your cavy eats too many in proportion to his regular diet he may get constipated. I suggest you feed him some low-sugar fruits (such as a piece of unpeeled apple or pear peel) and some leafy greens as they have a high water content. Putting a few drops of olive oil on a treat he enjoys can also help move things along. Finally, you should start him on a probiotic. ( https://www.jefferspet.com/products/bene-bac-plus ) ( https://www.petco.com/content/petco/PetcoStore/en_US/pet-services/resource-center/food-nutrition/guinea-pig-care-diet-and-feeding-tips.html ) I would recommend Oxbow hay and pellets that you can buy at your local Petco or online. If he is still having trouble in 12-24 hours I suggest you have him examined by your local vet.

This is a normal poop. Actually the round on should be a bit bigger and squishyer as it is from the caecum. Make sure your piggy drinks enough fresh water, and offer lots of greens and a bit of cucumber, This will help the digestion. One often does not see the round poop pellets, as guinea pigs tend to eat them in order to keep the bacteria in their gut healthy.