Bloated "Broken" poops?

[3lilguineapigs]

Hi, I'm new on here so sorry if I'm not posting this in the right place.

So last night while spot-cleaning the cage I noticed that some of the guinea pigs' poops looked broken up, like they'd been cut in half (and there were a few lone smaller broken pieces too). However, the majority of the poops looked to be healthy, there were just a few that were "broken". I have 3 pigs and so wasn't sure whose poops they were from, and after checking all their tummies noticed that Caramel's tummy was harder and a little bigger than usual. So I split the cage (to monitor her poops better) with her on one side and the other 2 pigs on the other only to find this morning that there were some "broken in half" poops in the side of the cage with the other 2 pigs as well (so I split it again in 2 so all 3 pigs currently have their separate sections... am I maybe being too dramatic by splitting the cage?) After splitting the cage, it seems that Clover also had broken poops and her tummy seemed a little bloated (maybe?). I've only had these pigs since December 2016 and they haven't had any other problems in terms of health up until this point so I'm unsure of what to do and wondering if anyone here has an idea of what could be going on? Or should I be phoning the vet?

All 3 pigs are eating, drinking, running about, wheeking and pooping as normal except for these few broken poops. Their diet consists of lots of hay, water, a few pellets once a day and round lettuce, romaine/little gem lettuce, celery, bell pepper, carrot, cherry tomatoes (not all in one serving). I have temporarily removed veg and pellets from their diet all of today.

 

[Oreo and Peanut]

I don't know about the poops but I wouldn't recommend separating the cage like that, the piggies might get lonely


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[bpatters]

Well, at my house, broken poops wouldn't be enough reason to separate them, or enough reason to take all their vegetables away.

If their weight is stable, and they're eating and behaving normally, I'd just keep an eye on things. If it's anything more than a blip in their normal routine, or if things get worse, you can investigate more.

Poop output depends to a large degree on food input, and it's possible one got less than usual of some vegetable she usually eats. Watch to see if that's the case, or if one is avoiding some particular food.

 

[3lilguineapigs]

Well, at my house, broken poops wouldn't be enough reason to separate them, or enough reason to take all their vegetables away.

If their weight is stable, and they're eating and behaving normally, I'd just keep an eye on things. If it's anything more than a blip in their normal routine, or if things get worse, you can investigate more.

Poop output depends to a large degree on food input, and it's possible one got less than usual of some vegetable she usually eats. Watch to see if that's the case, or if one is avoiding some particular food.

Thank you for your replies, I have since taken away the partitions and the pigs are together again. I'll be sure to keep an eye on things, I suppose I was jumping to conclusions too quickly as I got a bit freaked out.

 

[trickyvikki]

I had this problem to. I have two boys and i tried everything. I gave them more watery veggies in case they were dehydrated but it still happened. upon further inspection it was the poop being broken from them moving there little wooden house. i look for that it could also maybe be from them stepping on it but just go with your gut and dont hesitate to contact a vet. Hope this helps.