The questions everyone wants to know about guinea pigs poop, how often they poop, what it should look like, and how to clean it up, keep reading to find out.
How often does a Guinea Pig poop in a day?
The short answer is approximately 100 small pellets a day.
The frequency of the poop that Guinea Pigs produce is all day long. The digestion of the Guinea Pig needs to have frequent bowel movements, as they are getting enough food and the fiber is passing through the digestive system appropriately.
Guinea Pigs are grazing animals.
Because of this, they need to have a lot of hay available at all times to not only keep them regular but to prevent your little friend from becoming ill.
Several factors affect their poop health, these include;
- diet
- weight
- age
- exercise
Guinea pigs don’t seem to have consistent pooping patterns and therefore don’t poop at specific times. They tend to poop whenever they feel the urge, frequently.
Guinea pigs are unable to vomit, so monitoring their pooping habits will tell you a lot about the health of your Guinea Pig.
What should guinea pig droppings look like? What types of poop should I be concerned with?
- Normal healthy poop will be firm, oval pellet-shaped, and medium to dark brown in color.
- Tear Shaped– If their poop is tear-shaped, it could be a sign of dehydration. It can also mean that they are having some digestion problems or not consuming as much food as prior.
- Green– Known as Cecal Pellets, they provide essential nutrients to the Guinea Pig. The green poop pellet is a different kind of poop that the Guinea Pig will eat directly from the anus. Yes, these piggies eat their poop, but it is vital from their GI tract. The act of eating poop in a rodent is Coprophagy. The green poop contains good bacteria to keep the gut healthy and B vitamins for overall health. The Cecal Pellets contain additional undigested fiber the Cavy will now use. You can think of these pellets as partially digested food that they eat again to absorb all the nutrients fully.
- Clumped– Guinea Pig poop should typically always come out one at a time in oval uniform pellets. If clumped or sticking together, it may be a serious sign that the pig has fungal infections. The most common fungus cause is an overgrowth of yeast within the rectum. A visit to the veternarian is a strong suggestion here.
- Soft– If really soft, non-formed poop begins appearing with your Guinea Pig, it is most likely a sign of an incorrect diet. A correct diet consists of hay, with fresh vegetables, small amounts of fruit, and Guinea Pig pellets supplied as a supplement for nutrition. It can be fun to provide tasty treats to the animals, but in order to prevent health problems and have healthy piggies, an owner must know what to feed them to keep them regular.
- Bloody– Bloody poop can mean a couple of different things, from low to high severity. Having bloody poop can mean the Guinea Pig is dehydrated, and it’s difficult to pass stools. Special attention should be given to the animal, ensuring that it receives enough water daily. The water bottle should always have fresh water to drink. Remember to change the water daily to see how much they actually drink. Another more serious reason for bloody poop can be impaction or obstruction within the intestines. If you notice the Guinea Pig is not pooping frequently, or the amount has significantly dropped off, paired with bloody stools, call your vet for further instructions.
- Diarrhea– A Guinea Pig having diarrhea is a problem and must be watched and acted on immediately in some cases. Your Guinea Pig may be eating too much fresh food and A Guinea Pig can become dehydrated very quickly, and can lead to death if untreated. Vet guidance is strongly suggested here.
Do Guinea Pigs get constipated?
Yes, absolutely! It usually occurs almost exclusively in older male Guinea Pigs, known as impaction. The male Guinea Pig has a larger anus than its female counterpart.
The muscles surrounding the anus that push the poop out begin to weaken with age. The weakening of the muscles will lead to constipation and then impaction if left untreated.
As mentioned above, the Guinea Pig has an extremely high metabolism and needs to poop frequently throughout the day. If unable to do so, it can lead to a sick Guinea Pig.
Please pay special attention to the frequency of your Guinea Pigs bowel movements, especially older Guinea Pigs, as it starts to taper off. It will be a good idea to call your vet for further guidance. They may give you direction to help relieve the impaction manually with a finger.
How much poop does a Guinea Pig produce in a day?
Guinea Pigs produce a large volume of pellets daily!
They can produce around 100 pellets daily.
They consume all plant matter as they are herbivores. Eating plants strictly means consuming a large amount of fiber that keeps their GI tract moving and allows them to poop all day.
The amount of poop in relation to the size of the small mammal may seem like a lot, but when you are eating almost all day long, that food will need to go somewhere.
Guinea Pigs do not sleep much, they can be up for as much as 20 hours in a day, and a good portion of that involves eating hay.
What to do with all the poop in the Guinea Pig cage?
Despite being little poop factories, Guinea Pigs are clean animals. They want a clean environment and do not like to be around their fecal pellets if possible.
A thorough cage cleaning once a week paired with an every other day poop cleanout will lead to a successful Guinea Pig ownership and help prevent health issues.
A simple way to clean up the poop deposit area is to use a handheld vacuum. Using a vacuum makes the cage easy to clean, and you do not have to touch the poop with your hands.
Using a fleece blanket or fleece bedding will make cleaning up much easier, as the poop sits right on top of the fabric. Here’s a great article on fleece bedding.
How do you keep your guinea pigs’ poop normal?
The best way to keep Guineas’ digestive system functioning is to keep an unlimited amount of hay for them to eat.
Hay has a lot of nutrients for the guineas and health benefits such as helping keep their teeth from growing too long and an ampule supply of fiber for gut motility.
Guinea Pigs poop a lot, and it’s our responsibility to keep their cages clean and their diet healthy so that they can thrive with us for a long time.
Want to learn more about guinea pigs? Here are some articles!
For information on sources check out our reference page.