It may be a shock to new guinea pig homeowners simply how messy these little animals are! Minutes after a cage clear, they’ll have already pooped a number of occasions. That’s to not point out how a lot particles will construct up if you happen to skip cleansing for even a day!
Though it may be a variety of work, guinea pigs pooping a lot often isn’t a priority. It’s extra troubling in the event that they don’t poop sufficient!
Wholesome guinea pigs poop as much as 100 occasions a day, although this quantity can lower barely as they age. In case your guinea pig is pooping greater than is regular for them, they might have a well being drawback that needs to be addressed by your vet.
On this article, we’ll talk about why guinea pigs poop a lot, how you can spot irregular guinea pig poops, and a few ideas for protecting the cage clear.
How Many Occasions Do Guinea Pigs Poop a Day?
Guinea pigs poop as much as 100 occasions a day! In case your guinea pig poops rather a lot, this sometimes isn’t an issue.
Nevertheless, you’ll want to look ahead to adjustments of their poop. This contains adjustments in form, shade, or frequency. In case your guinea pig is pooping greater than typical, please see a veterinarian as this can be an indication of sickness.
Why Do Guinea Pigs Poop So A lot?
Guinea pigs have very quick metabolisms. They’re always consuming, which suggests they’re additionally always pooping. Simply 6-8 hours with out meals could cause lethal GI stasis.
In contrast to cats and canines, who advanced to hunt prey and thus can eat a couple of giant meals a day, guinea pigs are grazing animals. Wild species spend their days consuming grass and no matter forageables they will get their enamel on!
Talking of guinea pig enamel, they develop regularly. Guinea pigs have to be submitting their enamel down on the similar fee, or they’ll develop into overgrown. This, alongside its fiber content material, is why hay is so essential for piggies.
Is It Regular for Guinea Pigs to Eat Their Poop?
You would possibly discover your guinea pig snacking on their poop pellets. Please don’t attempt to cease them! Gross as it’s, consuming their caecotrophs (or poops) is a wholesome and important a part of a piggy’s food plan.
There are two sorts of guinea pig poops: caecotrophs, that are the poops they eat, and common poops that they don’t eat.
Kinds of Guinea Pig Poop:
- Caecotrophs: These poops include unabsorbed vitamins, and your guinea pig will eat them in order that their our bodies can take up the vitamins from their meals totally. These poops are typically comfortable and moist in comparison with the “regular” poops that your piggy gained’t eat. You might by no means see caecotrophs across the cage, as guinea pigs sometimes eat them immediately.
- Common poops: These poops are extra agency than caecotrophs. They don’t include the identical vitamins, so your guinea pig gained’t eat them.
What Ought to Guinea Pig Poop Look Like?
Keeping track of your guinea pigs’ poops is a vital option to monitor their well being. Piggy poops ought to appear like 1-2 cm ovals with rounded edges. Pointed edges or tear-drop-shaped poos can point out poor food plan or sickness.
Guinea pig poop ought to by no means be runny or smelly. Poop needs to be strong and shouldn’t break or flip into mush when your piggies step on it.
Wholesome poops can vary from medium to darkish brown in shade. If the colour of your piggy’s poop adjustments and there isn’t a dietary trigger, schedule an appointment along with your veterinarian.
Easy methods to Maintain Your Guinea Pigs’ Cage Clear
Guinea pigs have to be stored in pairs or teams–which suggests you possibly can anticipate round 200 poops within the cage each day, at minimal. They aren’t the perfect pets for individuals who hate cleansing, that’s for positive!
You’ll by no means be capable to hold your piggies’ cage poop-free, however every day spot cleans will hold it sanitary and assist to stop your guinea pigs from getting sick.
Sweep or vacuum their poop and take away any dirty bedding from the cage no less than as soon as a day. Some individuals select to scrub two to a few occasions a day. Spot cleans ought to solely take 10-Quarter-hour.
You’ll additionally have to take away every part from the cage and provides it a deep clear one to 2 occasions per week.
Can You Litter Practice a Guinea Pig?
Guinea pigs will be potty skilled equally to rabbits, however rabbits are a lot better at utilizing the litter field persistently. For piggies, the perfect we will hope is that the field reduces the quantity of poop and pee we discover of their precise cage.
To arrange a litter field in your guinea pig, first, fill it with a few inches of guinea pig-safe bedding. Many individuals use paper bedding for this.
Then, add a hay pile to the field. Don’t fill your complete container, however as a substitute, be sure that your piggy has to stroll into the litterbox with a view to eat.
Your guinea pig will poop as they eat their hay, containing a variety of their poops to the field. You may as well add pee pads below their hides, as guinea pigs additionally are inclined to poop the place they sleep.
These steps gained’t utterly eradicate stray poops from the cage, however it might probably scale back their numbers and make clean-up a lot simpler.
I hope this text has helped you to study extra about guinea pigs and why they poop a lot. Keep in mind that it’s regular for guinea pigs to poop as much as 100 occasions a day, however you’ll wish to speak to your veterinarian about any adjustments of their poop.
Monitor your piggies’ poop every day to make sure they’re in good well being, and don’t overlook to spot-clean the cage!
