Is she constipated?

Question
Hi,

I have a guinea pig who is about 5 1/2 years old. I recently had to have her cage mate put to sleep as she had severe bladder stones and was peeing blood and in a lot of pain. Now this one seems to be acting like she's in pain as well. I've watched her and it seems to be when she's trying to poop. I've had a close look at her and the area around her bottom looks dirty, and her bottom seems very hard and sore. When I picked her up, she seemed to have poop stuck, and when I took it out, she still seemed to be trying to go. Her tummy seems to be making groaning noises too, as if she has gas but can't pass it.

Do you think she could be constipated or is there anything else it could be? Unfortunately I'm away this weekend so I can't take her to a vet, but if it's something serious I plan to take her next week. I just wondered if I need to prepare for the worst.

Thanks!

Answer
I doubt that she's constipated. It's pretty common to see a poo stuck (or appears to be stuck) anytime you pick your pig up. If there's poo there at all then she's able to pass it. I would be more concerned that she may also have an issue with stones. The pushing behavior may be caused by pressure in the bladder causing her to strain to go and making it appear that she's trying to poo.  

I think this is a case for a vet exam asap. In the meantime I would give her plenty of lettuce, preferably Iceberg, to be sure she's getting enough fluid.

Occasionally someone tells me they've read somewhere that Iceberg is bad and once in awhile I hear someone say it's toxic for guinea pigs. That's absolutely untrue. It has no nutritional value, which may be why that rumor gets going, but it is full of water making it an excellent source of hydration.

Romaine lettuce has a lot of nutrients in it, including Vit C.  But for hydration purposes Iceberg is still the lettuce of choice.