Why is my guinea pigs feces unuaslly large?

Question
When my guinea pig excretes it's waste, it's feces are unuaslly large. They look like minature golf balls. He also looks like he is in a lot of pain. We took him to the vet, but she isn't sure what the diagnoses is. He eats normally, with his usual diet of carrots and cucumbers, and his hutch is changed regularly.His brother also seems fine. He is also loosing weight. Why does his poo look like golf balls, and not normal like they used too be?

Answer
Hi

It sounds like your pig is suffering from anal impaction. This is where the muscles round the anus become slacker causing a build-up of poo.

The bad news is that if this is the problem, he will probably suffer from it for the rest of his life. The good news is that it is relatively easy to deal with. Although its not a pleasant job, you will have to gently remove the poo from your pig, perhaps on a daily basis. You might like to seek some help from a vet to show you.

When you have got the poo out, leave it in the cage as your pig will probably want to eat it to re-ingest the nutrients.

I hope that helps

Andy