# Guinea pig problem - help



## bampoisongirl (Mar 28, 2008)

Hi just need sum advice on my anuties guinea pig. He's 5 years old, and has started to struggle to defacate. His poo is bog blobs rather than small bits. She's looked on this website, and she thinks its impaction according to the site. Can i have a few more opinions on whether this is right and whether the methods given seem ok?

CavyMadness: guinea pigs and the people who love them

Thanks xx


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Yes, it sounds like impaction. I am guessing she is making sure he is eating his hay, pellets and salads daily?
If not then she needs to get him eating just about every waking hour. But yes, it sounds like impaction to me.
I havnt read the website because my comp isnt allowing me to open the site but heres what you need to do:

Take some cotton swabs, soak them in warm water then dip them in a little bit of mineral oil (preferably NOT baby oil)/olive oil and clean out the anal sacks, you will need to cover your mouth or nose to stop yourself vomiting aswell lol. It may help if you put him on a warm, damp cloth before trying this and syringing some warm water into the anal sacks (whislt holding him elevated with back feet towards the ground) and gently massage the area, then use your thumb and forefinger to part it up and wipe anything away possible with a cloth (then throw away that cloth..) then continue with the cotton swabs and when you are sure the main of it is out you can dip the cotton swabs in mineral oil only and gently apply it to the inside and around the area. 

And again, you will need to cover your mouth and nose to stop yourself vomiting :lol2: this should be done every month at the least for un-neutered boars and more often if you find they have a problem. It will also help if you keep the guinea pig contented with some salad (romaine lettuce or capsicum is a favourite in this house) aswell. This is easiest done with one person holding the guinea pig on his back and another cleaning.


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## vetdebbie (Jan 4, 2008)

This info:
*impaction in male guinea pigs *
If you have a male guinea pig, there is one chore that you will need to do on a regular basis. It's not pretty, but it ensures the health of your boar.
When attracting a female, boars will drag their bottom along the cage floor to secrete their scent. Their perineal pouch is open, and bedding can get caught inside when the pouch closes. What, exactly, is a perineal pouch? Place your boar on a flat surface and turn him over. Look between his hind legs, and you'll see a donut-shaped swelling. That "donut" contains his anus and testicles. The inside of the donut is called the perineal pouch, and it's coated with a sticky fluid that acts as a scent gland. Since poop comes through this pouch as well, it can get "backed up" from time to time, which causes impaction. 
Impaction also occurs when older boars lack the muscle tone to fully push out their poop, causing the same type of "backup"; the result is a large mass that, once hardened, can be very painful. 
Gently open the pouch, and you'll see debris and/or poop stuck inside. This mix can result in quite a stench, so brace yourself! Gather a lot of Q-tips, mineral oil, and tissues. You may also want to put a perfumed lotion under your nose if you're squeamish. Moisten the Q-tips with mineral oil and gently clean inside the pouch to remove the debris. NEVER, EVER pull at something that's stuck to the pouch! The skin in this area is very thin, and can easily tear, causing a lot of pain to your piggy. Your mission is to *gently* remove the mass and lubricate the inside of the pouch. 


Would seem to be emininently reasonable. And, to be honest, if he is impacted, it will be pretty obvious!! If he's not then doing this - or attempting to won't do any harm if you're gentle.


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## bampoisongirl (Mar 28, 2008)

thanks very much evryone will be a fun evening lol xx


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

could I ask what his diet it?


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## bampoisongirl (Mar 28, 2008)

general guinea pig dry food from pet shop, hay, and a piece of fruit/veg in morning, afternoon and evening i think.

Ive tried to get sum out he is obv in discomfort its a massive blockage, but she's too scared to let me get the hole thing out cos if hurting him. I've said its best getting him to the vets if she dusnt want me to just push it all out in one go xx


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

bampoisongirl said:


> general guinea pig dry food from pet shop, hay, and a piece of fruit/veg in morning, afternoon and evening i think.
> 
> Ive tried to get sum out he is obv in discomfort its a massive blockage, but she's too scared to let me get the hole thing out cos if hurting him. I've said its best getting him to the vets if she dusnt want me to just push it all out in one go xx


he needs to get to the vet quickish unless she wants his organs to start failing if there is a big blockage. You could try a warm water enema using a syringe, or giving him a teaspoon full of plain vegetable oil. Then for a few days stop offering the guinea pig mix, and offer only hay, alfalfa cobs, carrots,cabbage and the like. Such bad constipation is usually a result of people not giving enough hay because of the mess it makes indoors. They need to have hay available all the time. More so than the mix really.
I don't think I would try to manually remove it yourself as there is a chance you could cause damage to such a small creature. Death by peritonitis from a ruptured gut is a horrible death. Either way, I'd say vet , tomorrow.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

fenwoman said:


> he needs to get to the vet quickish unless she wants his organs to start failing if there is a big blockage. You could try a warm water enema using a syringe, or giving him a teaspoon full of plain vegetable oil. Then for a few days stop offering the guinea pig mix, and offer only hay, alfalfa cobs, carrots,cabbage and the like.


I would just like to say, replace cabbage with romain or round lettuce as cabbage is gassy and will only make things worse  and easy on the alfalfa foods for guinea pigs over 6 months old. 
I agree though a vet would be best, but do try the warm water and sit him on a warm damp cloth a gently massage his belly and the area around it as if its that bad then the sooner you get rid of it the better. Just try about 10 drops of water at first then see if you can flush it out and like fenwoman said take away any mix and give him plenty of hay. Also soak some romaine lettuce and give him some and cucumber if you have any as this will keep him properly hydrated and help. Unless the blockage is removed he will be getting mouldy poops in his stomach/bowels and this could cause him to be very ill so its best to get him to a vet even if you get rid of the blockage. And belive me, even without hurting him he will scream bl**dy murder but you will know if you are hurting him : victory:
Oh and if the blockage is that big dont try get it out all in one, maybe even sit him in a "butt bath" (put 2-3 inches of water in the bottom of a bowl or sink) and massage around the perinial pouch as this will cause it to flush everything out and saves any of the nastiness and most of the smell! but just use pure, clean, warm water.


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