Impaction Big Poo

[PiggieMom]

Was it soft or mushy? Could it have been several softer poos (from the cantaloupe perhaps? my pigs sometimes get soft poos from fruit) squished together? Have you checked his sack for impaction?

 

[Sponge]

(Just first of all want to say "Bless you" to you because you keep apologising for being crass when it's something that we shouldn't be embarrassed to talk about. Guinea pig health can be determined by their droppings so it has to be talked about. I've even been discussing my guinea pigs poos with my boyfriend! Never before would I even mention the word! Lol. So chill out, don't be shy!)

I've noticed mine are passing softer poos that all mush themselves together on the way out. I was informed this was probably due to me introducing them to new foods (they are on dry mix so I'm slowly changing them over to pellets and introducing them to veg).

Are you sure it is one large poop? Is he due for a check-up anyway so you can kill two birds with one stone, by getting him checked over by a vet and mentioning that his stools have been looking odd?

 

[Sponge]

I think you're doing the right thing waiting until August if there isn't another one.

And no probs, I'm usually deadly embarrassed about discussing these things but ever since getting my piggies it just all seems to not embarress me anymore!

 

[Africa]

Hi Wheekie, as soon as I read that you found a large ping pong size poo ball I immediately thought of a hair ball. Could it possibly be that he just passed out some poo with some added hair that was becoming like a 'bolus' in their digestive tract? I know cattle do this from time to time and you wonder how on earth that can get that up, but they usually regurgitate it rather than poo it out. Did the poo have quite a few hairs in it? Guinea pig hair is really fine so maybe the hair is not as noticeable in the poo?? Just wondering, might be totally off the mark, not sure??

 

[PiggieMom]

If you aren't checking your boys sack weekly for debris, you should start. Especially now just in case he has had some sort of impaction problem that he passed himself. From what I remember, impaction can become more likely as boys become more elderly.

 

[Africa]

What is their sack?... ha ha, sounds quite wierd, and how do you check it?

 

[Seonta]

What is their sack?... ha ha, sounds quite wierd, and how do you check it?

Male guinea pigs have anal sacks.
I have never done it so i won't try to explain the process but I to would like to know the answer to this.

 

[PiggieMom]

If you look at this page on impaction they have a lot of pictures and information on how to check it and clean it. It's pretty easy to do, you just basically gently pull apart the folds of skin. You can clean out debris with a q-tip and a bit of mineral oil. They may not enjoy it, but it doesn't hurt them.

 

[greybear36]

Does anyone know if you need to check the anal sack on a neutered male as well? I've only ever had females before. (Sorry for butting in)

 

[PiggieMom]

Yes, you should. Neutering lessens the chance of impaction, but doesn't eliminate it. Plus, stuff can still get stuff up there, even if it's just hair or bits of hay he'll feel better if you get it out.

 

[pigsmakemesmile]

It's my understanding that males need their anal sacks cleaned more frequently than females and boy.....let me tell you, you"re in for a surprise because it "stinks." I Check my boys sacks at least once a week to every 2 weeks because I have found all kind of things stuffed up there, shavings, hair from the others, onetime even a pellet. And I also check their thingy's as I often find hair wrapped around it along with small pieces of shavings...poor fellas.