poop

Question
We have a new guinea pig. She is 2 months old, and her name is Flower (she looks like a skunk, so we have named her after the skunk in Bambi). She has no cagemates.

We have never had a guinea pig before, so I am not exactly sure what the poop is supposed to look like. I had thought it would be more pellet-like, but it is quite soft. For instance, she walked through it and it smeared. I wouldn't say diahhrea because it looks "formed" if it was just sitting there, but very soft.

Does this sound like it would be "normal" or softer than you would usually see?

If it is softer, could it be her diet? I.e., her getting used to a change in diet since we have only had her a couple of days? Or, could I be giving her too much veggies? She has a small dish of guinea pig food, but we have also given her carrot, celery, and lettuce since she has been with us. Is that too many things too soon? How much veggies and/or fruit would we let her have in addition to the guinea pig food?

She has not had hay, but we have a square bale coming from a farm on Saturday.

Thoughts?

Answer
Hello Tara,

It sounds normal. The softness will fluctuate depending on what they eat. As long as it's solid and healthy looking, things are ok. If it's runny or dry and shriveled, there's a problem. About a cup of veggies a day is good.

Scroll down to "Care And Feeding" for a good list of veggies piggies are allowed:
http://rabbitinfocenter.8m.com/cavy.html

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs