If it’s your first guinea pig you’re probably shocked by how often they can poop and, well, much on something. Little cute poop machines!
So, is it normal? Why do guinea pigs poop so much? What can we do to make sure the cavy is healthy?
Firstly, it is normal and healthy for young guinea pigs to poop a lot, up to 100-200 poopy pellets per day on a balanced diet. Skinny guinea pigs poop more than regular cavies. Old and less mobile guinea pig can poop less.
They are eating herbivore diet – a lot of hay and vegetables, most of foods are low in nutrition and cvies have good metabolism when healthy – so food goes fast through their digestive system resulting in so much poop!
If you see no poop (50 and fewer) or too much (more than 100), the issues probably start with unbalanced diet.
*Some reddit users who own guinea pigs report that their piggies make up to 400 poo pellets per day being absolutely healthy – so pooping so much is absolutely normal for a piggy!
It is important to know how to interpret your guinea pig’s poop as it can indicate issues in gut health and unbalanced diet or malnutrition.
Let’s set all impoortant things straight in this guinea pigs poop guide 🙂
Table of Contents
Guinea Pigs Poop Can Indicate Health Issues
You can tell if there is a change in a diet, infections, dehydration or slow gut movements by observing your guinea pig poop.
The digestive system of a small cavy is very delicate and depends a lot on the diet we, as owners, provide. They have to constantly eat to keep guts moving.
If you have ever seen a guinea pig’s X-RAY you will notice that the little body almost all consists of intestines.
The guinea pigs should always have access to hay to graze and help gut motility and water to stay hydrated. Then poop will be abundant and healthy.
You should specifically pay attention to 7 factors:
- amount
- size
- color
- smell
- consistency
- coprophagia
- age (older pigs can poop less)
If you see green color poop, less poopl, diarhea or the poop starts to smell or the guinea pigs do not eat their own poos, it is sign you need to see the doctor and list all the foods on your pet’s diet.
Potential reasons and types of poop:
- Your pig simply is not eating enough! Results: less poop, small poos
- Dehydration, bladder stones and issues with gut movements results in altered shape of poos, super dry poo and less poop.
- Green poos are rare sight but if you see them it means your piggy couldn’t eat them straight out of its anus – potential joints issues preventing your pet from accessing easily its anus.
- Poos became too soft and don’t hold shape – too much veggies but not enough hay, unbalanced diet. Too much veggies can also lead to weight loss if not supported by 80%-hay diet.
- Deformed poos can also be a result of feeding guinea pigs grains (which are not safe for them)
- Constipation – sometimes happens to old males.
- Watery poop is very dangerous for the guinea pigs’ health and you need to see the vet immediately. Can be a sign of an infection and diarrhea makes guinea pigs dehydrated quickly.
- Poop smells – likely infection! But consult the doctor as it can be a change in the diet simply.
- Blood – sign to go to the vet immediately! Most likely there is a physical rupture in intestines or around anus.
Why do guinea pigs eat their poop?
Eating poop is absolutely normal and vital for guinea pigs and is the only way they can ingest some important nutrients and bacteria.
In science world, it is called coprophagic.
However, guinea pigs do not eat ALL the poos they make. They produce 2 types of poop:
- caecotrophs or green poop
There is green softer poop that they eat directly coming out of their anuses. We normally don’t see it in the cage.
Green poop is the poop that passed through the guinea pigs system only one time – “first pass”.
Eating green poop helps guinea pigs have healthy gut bacteria and get all nutrients from food.
- poop we normally see in the cage – dark brown firm poo.
Funny enough, many dog owners notice that dogs will eat guinea pigs’ poop like snacks! Weird, I know, but well!
How do I get my guinea pig to stop pooping so much?
If your guinea pigs produce up to 100 poos per day – it is normal and healthy.
Guinea pigs poop often and a lot!
And if you have a skinny – they poop even more as they need to maintain constant warmth, so the metabolism is working non-stop and faster.
So when A lot is Too much?
- If during daily or weekly cleaning you notice layers of poop everywhere. When a simple scoop is not enough to get all the poop out of the bedding.
However, if you see diarrhea or your guinea piggy poops hundreds of poos daily so you have to clean multiple times a day – you will need to adjust your diet to recommended one and see the vet.
How often do you clean guinea pig poop?
Good practice is to spot-clean the guinea pigs’ cage from poop daily and do a deep cleaning once a week.
It is easier to clean fleece liners than wooden shavings or pellets.
Despite pooping so much, guinea pigs are extremely clean and odorless creatures. Guinea pigs’ poos are easiest to clean.
You can throw guinea pigs poop in the trash, they don’t spread diseases, or if you have a garden or yard – they make a great fertilizer. If you have solid bedding, you can use a small vacuum daily.
Cleaning is the best opportunity for you to check if the poos are healthy and interact with your cavy.
Guinea Pigs Poop FAQ
Why do guinea pigs poop near their food?
As guinea pigs eat their own poop as a part of a healthy diet, they don’t seek to poop in a hidden special place.
They can poop next and even in the food (rarely) and it is not something to be worried about.
The quality and looks of the guinea pigs’ poop are more important than its location.
However, if it is something you don’t like, you can try to set up a litter box or toilet zone and start training your cavy to do its business there. A favorite treat will help a lot in the process 🙂
Why does my guinea pig’s poop smell so bad?
Bad smell in guinea pigs’ poop is a sign of an unbalanced diet, potential infection, and digestion issues. Normal healthy poop doesn’t smell.
You need to make sure your piggy is well hydrated (10% of body weight), reset to the basic recommended diet (80% hay), and see your vet.
If you have any stories, insights, or questions, please let me know in the comments. I check and reply to all relevant queries!