GP with digestive issues

[Summersoon]

Hello everybody,

I wonder if you can help me, please?

I have a 3-year old male guinea-pig, which seems to have a very slow digestive system or possibly a slow metabolism - especially when compared with another male of similar age who recently came to stay.

The other guinea pig is very lively, constantly on the move and eats like a trooper.

Ours eats less (though still quite a bit), is obese a little chubby (1.56kgs), refuses to move even when let out and produces far less waste, including - and this is my real issue - lots of very sticky smelly poo, which takes ages to come out. This means that we can't always take him out for his nightly cuddle because what is hanging out of his bottom is just gross.

The vet said that he could/should have some sort of supplement to remedy this but it has to be taken in water - and our guinea-pig barely drinks anything. (I have heard some gp's do and some don't). I am thinking of taking him back to the vets but I would be very interested to hear if any MNers have encountered similar problems and, if so, did they manage to cure it? I read about anal gland problems on another thread, perhaps that's it.

I am a regular reader and occasional poster but this is my first ever question on MN!
Thanks in advance for any answers!

I'd give this an airing on the guinea pig forum. Lots of friendly experience there.

I would think that anal impaction is a possibility, which is gross but relatively simple to remedy (manual evacuation, sorry).

If you need to give him a supplement in water, get hold of a 1ml or 2ml syringe, fill it with the solution, insert it at the side of his mouth behind the teeth, and push it gently but firmly in.

PS - the vet should have small syringes.

Thank you very much Pterosaur! Will do and I will ask on the guinea pig forum, which I didn't know existed.

Sounds like anal impaction to me too. I'd take your pig to a gp savy vet or rodentologist. I can recommend a fab gp savy vet and rodentologist in Broxbourne, Herts and they have very low charges.

Forgot to say that if something is not done about this it can cause problems and may become serious. I also expect your piggie would feel unwell and he must be feeling miserable as gps hate being dirty as they are very clean animals.

Many thanks Silver - I think I 'll book him in with the vets in the first instance. I am hopeful that there is something I can give him by syringe, which would make his poos less smeary (sorry, way TMI).

Anal impaction is my vote, too. Lots of exercise is supposed to be the best preventative.

Ah yes. Except that my gp will not move, at all. You sit him on the carpet and he just stays where he is. My daughter has tried encouraging him by holding a piece of lettuce or parsley just out of reach and he responds by craning his neck to an amazing length. He must put in far more physical effort craning his neck like that than he would if he walked a few steps but oh no...
He has been like that ever since he was a very small pup - this is not a recent development.
Thanks for the suggestion, though!

GEt him a little friend, assuming you can keep them from fighting too much. They will agitatedly chase each around all the time :).

I agree, they're a lot more confident exploring when they have company.

It would have to be a neutered female - the other(male) GP who comes and stays occasionally and he are not best mates at all. I actually have the impression that my GP thinks that the other male (who bounces around all day) is a bit of a pain - I mean who wants to run around all day when they can curl up in a nice warm pile of hay?

Right now we can't actively consider getting a second gp as he lives in the kitchen in a cage which is plenty big for him but not big enough for two and because of various other changes going on in our house.

I will take him to the vets at the end of the coming week and post an update. Thanks again to you all in the meantime!