Know you guinea pig, know your poo

[moonfall]

When you say soft and stinky, how soft and how stinky? Is this a different odor than urine smell, and by soft, does it appear different than poop that has simply been stepped in?

[wenton5]

Can you give some bckround on your pig? Did you check out the normal poo pics?

[moonfall]

I did, and that's what they usually look like. I saw one or two odd-looking pieces but don't know which pig made them. The cage smells a bit already even though I just cleaned it, although I think it's more of a urine smell. I ran out of hay and am hoping that's the only issue (will be getting more, of course.)

[moonfall]

Not able to edit, but I just swept the fleece, and a few pieces were longer and thinner than usual, and I did find broken bits that I am guessing were stepped on. I just went back to fleece after about a month of Carefresh, so I'm hoping that's why I'm smelling something.

[Bookfan]

When I see poo stuck in a pig's foot, poos in the cage squished flat, or when they're squished & stuck to the snugglies I start to be a bit concerned. Being stuck to the snugglies or really stuck to the foot are worse that just being squished flat in the cage.

I can't comment on smell because I've lost my sense of smell.

[wenton5]

If it was me, I would go get hay today. How long has the poo been like that? Has it been hotter? Any change in diet? Behavior? Water consumption? Appetite? How does everyone look? It could be the lack of hay, it could be cut down on the veggies. Observe, how do they seem? Are they all doing their normal quirky things? Anyone sleeping more, lethargic, not hungry, more or less water habits? I smell my gp's poo (sorry), but if I come near the cage and smell poo, then I know something isn't right. The urine smell, that's a whole different issue. Put down some fleece or towel where you can see the color of the urine better. Look for sludge. Sit and watch everyone. How long has it been like this? :) L

[moonfall]

The fleece is white with a print on it, and I haven't seen any urine stains at all. No change in appetite or drinking, and the only behavior change I've seen looks like it's related to being in heat. I've been giving them more carrots and pellets to make up for lack of hay.

I don't smell poo, really, just urine. I'm wondering whether I got used to the Carefresh (which absorbs odor better) and am suddenly more sensitive to urine smell?

ETA: I would have gone to get hay today, but I don't have a vehicle, and the Sunday bus service is pretty lousy.

[moonfall]

Should I get an extra water bottle/food bowl just to make sure no one is hogging the food/water? I have one really dominant sow and one really submissive one, and the third is sort of in the middle. It has been hotter lately, but the indoor environment is a bit cooler than they're used to because my new roommate keeps turning the air conditioner down to below 70.

[moonfall]

I just realized what I thought was an "abnormally long and thin" piece of poo was actually two normal poos lying end-to-end in a way that made them look like a single piece. I feel a bit silly but also relieved, although I am going to continue monitoring the pigs to make sure there isn't anything more serious going on than temporary change in diet.

[Ibepatience]

My foster pig Hanna started having very mushy, smelly poop on Thursday. I started her on Bene-bac and stopped veggies right away and by Friday she wasn't any better so I took her to the vet. The vet did a fecal exam for parasites which came back negative. She prescribed Biosponge and Flagyl in case it was a bacterial infection. 2 days latter and it looks like her poop in solid again.

I agree with what someone else said, if its sticking to them it's probably not normal. I made poop soup while waiting to get her into the vet and normal poop is pretty solid, it's hard to mush it in water even! Someone asked about the smell, Hanna's poop smelled like dog poop, like real poop smells. Guinea pig poop doesn't usually smell, its the urine that smells.

Hanna is a Peruvian and I'll tell you what - long haired pigs and diarrhea are not a good combination!

Here's what her poop looked like Friday

[emilyam19]

long haired pigs and diarrhea are not a good combination!

I know what you mean, Charlie has long hair too. It's hard trying to keep things clean when something that poops as much as a pig has messy poop. I ended up giving Charlie a buzz. He was surprisingly ok with it. I originally tried trimming it with scissors but it was taking too long and he was getting anxious (the clippers let me finish in under 5 minutes). It isn't very fashionable but it helps keep things a little cleaner.

[Ibepatience]

If she was mine I'd cut it short but since she's a foster looking for a forever home I didn't think I should. We did have to trim her butt hair a little though.