guinea pig poop problem

Question
My guinea pig is about 6 years old.  He looks to be having problems passing
feces.  It appears the poop is all balled up - his bottom is hanging and you can
see the ball sort of hanging.  He appears to be in no pain - he's eating and
drinking.  What can I do?  I feel badly for him.  Thanks

Answer
Hi Nicole
this sounds like anal compaction due to worn sphincter muscles which affects older boars like yours.
You will need to either take him to the vet OR clear it yourself.
Your vet will show you what to do so you dont need to keep going back
If you decide to clear it yourself you will need some warm water....cotton buds ....rubber gloves ....a good friend and something to dab under your nose for the smell!
You need to gently open the anus so you can see the poo and using a cotton bud wipe any obvious poo away from this bum.Do not stick the cotton bud up his bum,just use it to remove any poo
He will not like this and will wriggle so have someone hold him for you. The smell will knock you over but you need to clean the area and remove as much poo as possible.
Depending on your boar,this will doing time and time again. I had to clear my lad for about 4 years but I NEVER got used to the smell.
Good luck and let me know how you go on :)