guinea constipation-impaction

Question
Hi,

I have a 4 year old male guinea pig who as of lately has not been eating or drinking like normal, my wife first noticed his odd behavior and became worried, this afternoon I set him on the floor to check him out to see how he was acting, and he kind of let his rear end lay on one side, so I flipped him over to see what his problem may be, if maybe he had a hurt leg or something, and noticed that his lower tummy was really swollen, so I just gave it a gentle little push and it was really hard, when I pushed on the upper part, I saw poo start coming out of his rectum, when I pushed harder, more came out, as I continued to push, it all came out and it was a golf ball sized poo, I felt so bad for the little guy, but he seemed to be immediately relieved.

what I am concerned about is if he will continue to have these problems or if there is something I can do to help him. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

--Jason

Answer
Hi Jason.  A guinea pig at four years of age is considered 'getting on' although he can go on for a few more years yet.  Older pigs, males especially, can end up developing impaction because the anal muscles weaken and slacken, and the guinea pig eventually loses some control over the proper expel of faeces.    Guinea pigs excrete two forms of droppings and basically it's the soft kind that the guinea pig would usually reingest that gets clogged up in the rectum, which explains the softness of the faecal ball.  Guinea pigs are supposed to be eating this poop as i said, which also explains the way piggy is feeling off weather, as he's not absorbed the necessary vitamins and minerals from the second procession.
Once a pig has started this lack of control, unfortunately he will continue with this difficulty and will need regular monitoring and attention to help remove the poop for him.  Daily help will keep on top of it and it won't build up into as such a mass which does cause great discomfort when left unattended.  I recommend you allow your guinea pig the chance to eat up what's been removed from him to help along the normal process and hopefully get him back to a good level of health.

With your help your guinea pig will be able to live a comfortable, happy life for a long time yet - it doesn't have to mean the end!

I hope this has helped you!