Other pets (pics and discussions)

[mikem]

oh that'll be fun, then you really can start that pig farm, lol!

[mikem]

just did a little googling. looks like the chronic pooing is completely normal, especially in younger ones. as they get older it should slow down. looks like 20-25 poop pellets a day for an adult pig is the average. here's some interesting info on them eating their poo:

Name That Pellet

Guinea pigs excrete two kinds of dark brown pellets. One is the poo we all know and expect - the other is a compound of vitamins and proteins that help the guinea pig digest B vitamins. These are called ceacotrophs. They are very similar to the cud that hoofed animals like cows, deer and giraffes produce. They can't chew their food enough in order to properly digest it - so in cud's case, it settles in the rumen to be worked on by acids, then shot back up the esophagus for another chew. Now, it can be digested. In a guinea pig's case, they don't have rumens, so the "cud" comes out the other way for a second chew.

Caecotrophs are squishier and smellier than their poop counterparts. You will very rarely ever see them. If you do see them, that's usually not a good sign. Guinea pigs usually ingest them as soon as they know it's about to pop out. If you've ever seen your guinea pig chewing after cleaning his or her behind, you no know what he or she is chewing on. If your guinea pig does not eat these, they will become malnourished very quickly.

Older guinea pigs, especially boars (males) but very occasionally in sows (females), loose the muscle tone in their anus regions. This can sometimes lead to impacted bottoms, where the poo and the caecotrophs won't come out. You or a vet will have to manually ease the lump of excreta out. The guinea pig might want to at the lump. Don't stop the piggy.

In the meantime, your piggy will need some special foods to keep him or her from getting malnourished. Tasted wheat germ is recommended, as well as water soluble vitamin supplements (if your piggy is still drinking normally). When in doubt, call the vet, please!

from Why Guinea Pigs Eat Poo

[ConcinusMan]

Eeewww... what did I just "walk in on"

[mikem]

a little poo eating and genital videos never hurt anyone.totally normal conversation, right?

[ConcinusMan]

Sure. Talk about it over dinner.

[RedSidedSPR]

Ikr o_O

[EasternGirl]

Man! See...my son and I noticed that Spike has this little dingy looking thing on his genital area...just like that male guinea pig in that video...now it's harder to tell because my pigs are so small...but it definitely looks like a little...can't say the actual word on here because it will get blocked out...dingy. They told me he was a female. And I can't take him back now because it would break my son's heart...I can't take either of them back. I think I read that you can have guinea pigs spayed or neutered though. Thanks for the video Mike. I'm going to do some research on neutering guinea pigs...

[RedSidedSPR]

I honestly don't think neutering a guinea pig has ever crossed my mind. •–•

[EasternGirl]

Believe me...it's not something I ever thougt I would be thinking about. Well, I just went to this website that is supposed to be really good for guinea pig info. I read all about sexing and neutering and all that. I swear if someone walked into my house right now and saw me sitting at my computer looking at pics of guinea pig genitals and poking at my guinea pigs privates...Anyway...apparently, neutering can be done but it's pretty dangerous with small animals...of course, breeding can be too. After looking at the pics and looking at Spike again...I'm thinking she may actually be female, but I'm going to have to take both pigs to the vet and make sure. I think Spike may also have mites or something. If Spike is male, I'm going to have to think about taking Drucilla back to the pet store or finding her another home. We are more attached to Spike and I don't want to risk surgery.

[RedSidedSPR]

*blinks* ._.

I had to re-read that like 4 times damn my dyskexia. I have now spent precisely 4 mins reading about pig balls.

That's exactly what I had in mind for tonight.