Diarrhea is a very common condition in guinea pigs. But it’s usually not serious and can be quickly remedied with the right kind of treatment.
Symptoms
Guinea pig diarrhea is runny and sometimes runny, and always mushy. It is very distinguishable from regular stool which is round and hard. Diarrhea is often accompanied by a number of other symptoms. You may notice that the cavy is not eating as much as usual, is showing signs of pain in the stomach area, and is having trouble going about its daily activities.
If you find that the diarrhea is very frequent or that it smells very bad, you should take your pet to the veterinarian immediately. This could be a serious case and you need to treat it urgently; at this time, the pig may also feel very weak or inactive.
Causes
Diarrhea is usually caused by indigestion due to eating the wrong foods and is not too difficult to treat. However, it can also be caused by a number of other factors that, although not as common, do pose a real threat. One of these causes is parasites: sometimes bacteria or fungi can be ingested with food and cause diarrhea.
Ironically, diarrhea can also be caused by medications. If your pig is currently being treated for a condition with medication, that is very likely to be the cause as well. Another common cause is not eating enough hay. Hay is extremely important in maintaining your guinea pig’s digestive health and a shortage of it will almost certainly lead to diarrhea.
Treatment
The first thing you need to do is stop feeding your pig fruits and vegetables. Until the diarrhea subsides, the pig should eat mostly timothy hay (perhaps with a few feed pellets) and drink plenty of water. You must personally ensure that food and water are ingested, or hand feed if necessary. It is essential to keep the pig fed and well hydrated at this time.
If you haven’t already, you should be filling your guinea pig’s cage with plenty of fresh hay; this is vital is to contain diarrhea. Some of the hay may have gone bad and caused the problem in the first place, so replace all of the hay with a fresh batch if you can.
You should be able to see a drastic improvement within a day. If it doesn’t, take it as a serious condition and see your vet right away.
