Everything You've Wanted To Know About Guinea Pig Poop

Guinea pigs can have strange pooping habits at times.

If you're a guinea pig parent, understanding guinea pig feces is crucial in keeping your guinea pig healthy. It is essential for the happiness and health of your guinea pigs.

Guinea pigs hide their ailments well, so they may go unnoticed for a long period. It's possible that by the time you notice disease symptoms, it's too late for your poor pet.

As responsible guinea pig parents and owners, we must keep a close eye on our guinea pigs for any signs of illness and treat them accordingly. We must rely on the small signs that guinea pigs offer us because they can hide symptoms so well.

Guinea pigs produce a lot of feces. They may lay down and at the same time produce a beautiful little mound of excrement since their digestive system is always working to process the food they've been ingesting. Additionally, they must consume food frequently to keep things running efficiently.

Aside from the shape, color, and texture of guinea pig poop, there are a few more intriguing facts to know about it. Continue reading to learn how much they defecate, why they might poop on you, and why they pig out on their own excrement on occasion.

Do guinea pigs poop a lot?

Guinea pigs poop a lot in comparison to other animals, but there are a variety of factors that can influence their pooping habits, smell, and quantity.

Exercise, age, food, and weight are a few of the most frequent factors. The amount of feces they produce varies from one guinea pig to the next, and it is largely determined by their diet and activity.

Guinea pigs, unlike other animals, do not have a set time and pattern for pooping; instead, they poop whenever they feel the desire. Most other rodents do the same thing; they poop whenever they feel like it, whether they're eating, sleeping, or relaxing.

It can be difficult to predict when and how much your guinea pig will poop, but you can make educated guesses based on their lifestyle and eating habits. If your guinea pig eats more than usual in a day, for example, they will poop more regularly.

If you adjust their diet and eating routine, you may notice some changes in their defecation habits.

What should guinea pig poop look like?

Normal guinea pig poop pellets are medium to dark brown and oval-shaped and indicate that your cavy is in good health. It has a medium consistency that is neither too dry nor too moist, and it is little in size.

After pooping when your guinea pigs step on them, they shouldn't turn to mush or break into pieces, but they shouldn't be fully dry either. Small, dry feces could indicate dehydration.

Guinea pigs need to consume 10% of their body weight in water, and they can only last for 24 hours without water, depending on the climate. Due to dehydration they may become awkward and lose their vigor.

Another indication could be that they start to get a fever and lose their appetite. All of these conditions can lead to life-threatening scenarios if not handled promptly, thus guinea pigs must drink plenty of water on a daily basis to avoid dry poop.

If the excrement is tear-shaped, it could indicate a digestive issue. Guinea pigs should consume as much hay as their bodies require. The fiber in hay is an important aspect of a guinea pig's dietary needs to keep their digestive tract in good working order.

Constipation or aging rectal muscles might cause clumped-up poop in your guinea pig's hutch. As previously said, it's critical that your pig has constant access to fresh, clean water and consumes a high-fiber diet like vegetables and fruits.

However, removing grain from your cavy's diet is another thing you may do to aid with any stomach issues that can cause clumped-up poop. To put it another way, there will be no rice, bread, nuts, granola, or chips.

Guinea pigs, like people, can get diarrhea, and their feces becomes soft and smelly. If your pigs' feet and fur are splattered in soft, smelly poop, you can instantly tell if they're suffering from diarrhea.

Bloody poop can be another reason for concern. It's generally due to a blockage, inflammation, or a rip in the Guinea pig's intestines that their droppings turn red and bloody.

It's possible that the blood is coming from its urine, which could indicate bladder stones or other bladder or kidney illnesses. It's a potentially fatal condition that should be addressed as such. If they've eaten vegetables like beetroot, their excrement may become red, but it will shortly return to normal.

Do guinea pigs poop everywhere?

Whether your guinea pig is inside the cage or outside playing with you, they will poop all over the place.

However, other people believe that taking their guinea pigs out of the cage causes them to poop even more. So expect more poops outside of its cage during playtime.

It's completely normal and nothing to be concerned about; it could simply be a result of being in a new environment. It's a good idea to keep an eye on your guinea pigs' poop habits both inside and outside the cage on a regular basis to make sure they're not sick.

So, if their excrement appears to be unusual, you shouldn't ignore it and should consult your veterinarian.

Supplemental fluids may be required to rehydrate the intestines and allow them to begin moving again. Your veterinarian can administer them to your pet.

What does it mean when my guinea pigs' poop is light brown?

Guinea pig feces can reveal information about their health. Because they are prey animals, they are exceptionally good at concealing signs of illness. Any weakness would result in their death in the wild.

Guinea pigs have two different types of feces. Round, fibrous pellets and gleaming dark-colored cecotropes are examples. Poop from guinea pigs is dark brown in color, spherical in shape, hard, and odorless. Cecotropes excrement has a glossy surface and is spherical in shape, small in size, dark in color, and sticks together.

The excrement of one guinea pig may be dark in color, while the poop of another pig may be light brown. When it comes to guinea pig feces color, uniformity is essential.

The same colored pellets will be produced by a healthy guinea pig at all times. If you change a guinea pig's diet drastically, their poop color may shift slightly.

When they are raised in the same family and fed the same diet, they can have a substantial difference in fecal matter color. The poop of one guinea pig may be yellowish, while those of another may be darker.

Is it normal for guinea pigs to poop on their owners?

It is a funny fact, your pet will be pooping on you on a regular basis. Cavies have a fast metabolism and forage and eat throughout the day.

This implies they have to poop wherever they are when they need to. Even if it isn't considered polite, you may rest assured that your pet is in good health.

Is there a way to stop guinea pigs pooping all over the place?

It is feasible to toilet train guinea pigs, though it may take some time. The effort is justified, though, because the cage will be cleaner as a result.

Most animals have a safe place where they can eat, sleep, or do whatever they want. When we go out and need to use the restroom, it's natural to feel more at ease at home; the same is true for animals.

Guinea pigs and other animals usually go pee and eat in the same place. It is feasible to teach a guinea pig to use the correct potty place, but it will take some time, effort, and patience.

Because there are no potty training pads specifically designed for guinea pigs, potty training them is more difficult. It all depends on how quickly your pet picks up on the cue you give them.

Creating a dark area for the litter box is one technique to instruct your little animal. Put the food in the same dimly lit area. Bedding should be used in the litter box. As they adjust, don't move the potty area.

Is it OK if guinea pigs eat their poop?

Yes, guinea pigs eating their cecotropes is perfectly normal and natural behavior.

They eat to get the fiber and vitamins they require, including vitamin C and vitamin K. In a real-life scenario, if one of the guinea pigs becomes ill, they could seek out cecotropes and consume them.

Fresh vitamin C is essential for your pet. If your guinea pig's vitamin C levels are low, it may become unwell and suffer dental problems.

Bunnies and guinea pigs have teeth that need to be chewed on all of the time to keep them healthy. If your guinea pig's teeth aren't healthy, they won't be able to chew effectively, which means their food won't be absorbed properly. Vitamin C should largely be obtained from fresh vegetables.

According to several types of research, cecotropes from healthy guinea pigs can help guinea pigs with major health problems recover.

Coprophagia is a common behavior among guinea pigs. They consume their own feces, but not just any feces. Only the cecal pellets, which are greenish in color.

The greenish cecal pellets contain important nutrients that are only absorbed after traveling twice through their digestive systems. This is something that any healthy guinea pig does, and it is something that should never be prohibited.

It's an emergency if your pig's excrement is watery, and you should take them to the vet straight away.

Can you use guinea pig manure?

You can use guinea pig manure as fertilizer in the garden.

These little rodents are herbivorous. You may use guinea pig's dung as a fertilizer in a variety of ways. Pellets make up their droppings, exactly like rabbits. As a result, they are employed in the garden in a similar manner.

Guinea pig manure can be easily applied to the garden without risking damaging your delicate plants. This manure decomposes quickly and contains all of the nutrients found in rabbit excrements, such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

It's not necessary to compost first. This isn't to suggest that you can't use it in your compost pile. In fact, many people prefer to throw it out in the compost pile.

Pelletized excrement from domestic pets such as guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, and gerbils, as well as the wood or paper shavings used in their cages, can be safely composted. Place the feces on your compost heap, add some straw, and mix it all together.

Allow for several months of composting with other biodegradable things, rotating the compost as needed. Once the compost has sat for at least six months, guinea pig dung can be applied to gardens.