Guinea pigs are one of the most popular small pets because they are cute, cuddly, and playful but many people wonder why do guinea pigs poop so much.
Guinea pigs poop a lot because their diet is high in fiber and they nearly continuously graze on hay and other fiber-wealthy, nutrient-stuffed ingredients (including their own poop!).
Firstly, you should know that your guinea pig poop:
- where it feels safe
- where it eats (where its hay is)
- in dark places
- corners of a cage or hide area
- quiet places
By paying attention to where your piggies poop, you can try to encourage them to always poop and pee in the same area.
Although they can never be potty trained as well as some other domesticated animals, making sure your piggies pee and poop at a particular spot(s) will make cage cleaning much easier.
So, in this article, we will explore the reasons why guinea pigs poop so much and offer some solutions to help keep your home clean while also keeping your guinea pig healthy.
What Affects the Quantity of My Guinea Pig’s Poop?
A few factors play into turning your guinea pig into a pooping machine, and these are:
- diet
- exercising
- age
Guinea Pig Healthy Diet
While you may think that guinea pigs only eat lettuce and carrots, they actually consume a lot of plants that contain toxins.
A guinea pig’s diet consists mostly of hay and vegetables, which leads to a lot of waste.
While timothy hay is the most common source of fiber, fiber is also present in many vegetables and fruits that are safe for guinea pigs.
The fiber in their food is what makes a guinea pig poop so much.
And, normally, guinea pigs poop more than one hundred instances every day.
Apart from the quality of food, the amount and the quality of guinea pig feces also depends on the age and health of a piggy.
A healthy guinea pig can produce up to 1/4 cup of waste a day, so we can say that guinea pigs are also one of the messiest pets.
Guinea pigs are committed to a never-ending cycle of consuming and pooping, which means that their bodies are healthy and working properly.
Guinea Pig Activity
The activity of your guinea pig is another factor that determines the quantity of your guinea pig poop.
The greater the physical activity of a guinea pig, the more poop this small animal produces.
Guinea pigs poop less if they move around less.
Just like in human beings, exercise makes a guinea pig’s digestive systems work faster.
So if a guinea pig doesn’t have enough room to roam around and play, it will poop less compared to guinea pigs in larger enclosures and with more toys that encourage them to explore and have fun.
And this means that your furry friend cannot be as healthy as a guinea pig that has more opportunities to exercise.
However, guinea pigs that exercise a lot will eat more and, consequently, produce more poop.
That’s just great because you have a healthy and cheerful guinea pig pet.
However, older guinea pigs are not as active as young ones, so don’t be concerned if your guineas appear to be slowing down as they get older.
Guinea Pig Age
Guinea pigs tend to poop a little less as they become older.
The aging process is just the same as in human beings, as the efficiency of the digestive tracts slows down with age.
With age, the digestive system cannot process food as quickly as when we’re younger.
This also means that there is less guinea pig poop as they get older.
One day, you’ll notice they produce fewer droppings than before.
As long as your guinea pigs are eating and drinking normally (and are relatively active), this isn’t a cause for concern.
If you have a grown-up, aging guinea pig; it’s simply part of their natural aging process.
How Does Guinea Pig Poop Look Like? Does Guinea Pig Poop Smell?
No one knows for sure why guinea pigs have weird pooping habits, but these small pets produce two types of droppings: cecotropes and regular poop.
Factors like health, exercise, age, and their food regimen dictate how much poop guinea pigs produce each day.
Cecotropes are soft, nutrient-rich pellets that the guinea pig eats directly from its anus. They are smooth, sticky, and full of nutrients that your guinea pigs can’t wring out of their food the primary time. They are also lighter brown compared to regular poop.
Besides, you will rarely see them because your guinea pigs normally eat them.
If your guinea pigs don’t eat these droppings, they will quickly become malnourished.
Ordinary guinea pig poop (the kind we’re used to seeing) is hard, dry, oval-formed, smooth, and plump, and it’s just regular normal guinea pig poop. It mainly consists of waste products.
Their shade varies from medium to darker brown, and they are drier than caecals.
So why is this tidbit of information important for us?
Well, to a pet parent, it’s important to be able to distinguish between the two because the quality of guinea pig poop says much about the health of this small animal.
Now, if the normal poops are small, there’s a risk that your piggies aren’t eating enough meals.
If they come out in a tear drop form, then your little furry friend is probably dehydrated or has some digestive issues occurring.
The more a guinea pig eats, the more it poops. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Also, you should know that normal poop has a uniform shape and consistency and doesn’t smell.
How Does a Guinea Pig Diet Affect Their Poop?
The amount of excrement produced by guinea pigs is exactly proportional to their food.
Don’t worry about it if you’re feeding your guineas a balanced, healthy, and nutritious diet. They’ll be pooping as frequently as they need to be.
If your guinea pigs eat too many treats or have an unbalanced diet (or not enough fiber and vitamin C), they’ll start to poop less.
Fiber and vitamin C are extremely important for a healthy body of a guinea pig.
Fiber not only maintains a balanced bacterial flora in your guinea pig’s gut and stimulates gastrointestinal motility but also helps in keeping the teeth at their ideal length.
Vitamin C is essential for the normal development and maintenance of skin, joints, and mucous membranes. Without this nutrient, a guinea pig will develop scurvy, a very bad and painful condition that will kill your pet.
To keep your pet happy and healthy, you need to supply it with unlimited amounts of timothy hay and raw and fresh vegetables and fruits.
A balanced diet is key to your pet’s wellbeing.
So you actually want your guinea pig to poop a lot! This is a good thing!
You want active, healthy guinea pigs, popcorning in their cages, rearranging their huts, and pooping as if their lives depend on it.
The more food (hay) a guinea pig has to process, the more poop you’ll find.
How Much Does A Guinea Pig Poop A Day?
A healthy guinea pig should poop up to 100 times per day.
This figure is naturally lower in guinea pigs that are older or less mobile.
However, if your guinea pig poops less than that, if the number of fecal pellets per day falls below 50, it could indicate health issues in your guinea pig.
Therefore, apart from the quality of the food guinea pigs consume, the amount and quality of their poop are also influenced by their age and health.
If you feed them an unbalanced diet or too many treats, they will begin to poop less (or not enough fiber and vitamin C).
Their digestive system will be unable to metabolize all of the junk food, causing your guinea pig to become clogged, which is very bad for a piggy.
Guinea pigs need to have food passing through their intestines almost all the time.
As a result, if they stop eating or eat too little, the intestines slow down and stop operating, resulting in GI stasis.
What Is GI Stasis?
Guinea pigs cannot survive for long periods without food in their digestive system.
If a guinea pig stops eating or eats less than it should, the gastrointestinal tract enters stasis or ileus, which causes it to slow down or come to a complete stop.
If that happens, your piggy will die within hours.
So if you’ve ever thought of giving your guinea pig less food just so it would poop less, you should know that you’re on the best track to kill your piggy.
Your guinea pig must have unlimited supplies of timothy hay and fresh, clean water.
Apart from water in water bottles and water dishes, guinea pigs also obtain their fluids from the vegetables they eat.
Make sure your guinea pigs are eating a nutritious, balanced diet that includes a range of foods high in fiber, nutrients, and vitamins.
For your guinea pigs to remain healthy, you should set a daily meal of vitamin C fortified pellets, fresh vegetables, and fruit in moderation.
If you vary the amount of food or the type of food your pets eat, their poop may change as well.
So, if you’re changing your guinea pig’s food habits or are introducing a new food, be prepared for that possibility.
Why Isn’t My Guinea Pig Pooping As Much As Usual?
A lack of poop and pee often indicates that your guinea pig is sick.
Of course, this isn’t always the case, but it’s time to pay attention to your piggy’s excrements.
There are a variety of reasons why a guinea pig may not be pooping such as:
- not enough fiber in their diet
- eating less than they should
- obstruction in the intestine
- tumors
- dehydration, on the other hand, can appear out of nowhere if you’re not careful
If you notice anything strange in your guinea pig’s poop, call the vet immediately.
Piggies can only spend so long without food before their health begins to deteriorate and they die.
If they enter the GI stasis, they can die within hours.
What Does It Mean if My Guinea Pig Poops Too Much?
Here are a few reasons why you should be really happy if your guinea pig poops too much.
Okay, maybe you shouldn’t be happy but you should be peaceful knowing that your guinea pig’s body functions normally, just as it should.
Loads of guinea pig poop mean that
- your guinea pigs are appropriately ingesting and digesting their meals (and they’re obtaining all of the nutrients they require to stay healthy)
- you are taking good care of your pet by feeding it a balanced, fiber-rich diet
- piggies have an adequate supply of water
- their digestive system is in good functioning order
Guinea pigs poop a lot. It’s a fact. And it is a good sign that they are healthy.
It’s when your pet doesn’t poop so much that you have an issue or if you see that your guinea pig’s poop is mushy, unformed, and soft.
Your guinea pigs can poop more frequently than usual if you’re feeding them too many vegetables.
The water content in the vegetables can cause diarrhea so you need to change your guinea pig’s diet.
Guinea pigs will poop more frequently if you switch from watery to enough fiber-rich vegetables.
If your poop turns into diarrhea, you should act quickly to stop it.
For a day or two, only feed pellets and plenty of hay to your piggie but if it doesn’t work, add a probiotic to your pet’s diet.
If your pet’s poop does not return to normal after two to three days or becomes worse, take your pet to a vet immediately.
How Can I Make My Guinea Pigs Stop Pooping?
If the scent, texture, or frequency of your guinea pig’s feces has changed, it could be a sign that they’re not feeling well and you should take them to the vet.
However, if your guinea pig is producing regular, healthy poop, you shouldn’t do anything about it, even if the amount is excessive according to your expectations.
You can do a few things to stop your piggies from pooping too much, but you will surely kill your piggy this way.
- Stop feeding them fresh vegetables and fruits
- Limit their hay intake (guinea pigs need high fiber in their diet to poop properly, so hay and vegetables are essential)
- Limit their water consumption (dehydrated living beings don’t poop and don’t pee as frequently)
- Reduce the amount of exercise they get (place them in confinement and limit their mobility, so their guts won’t move as well)
How Often Should I Clean Guinea Pig Poop?
You should already know that keeping a guinea pig is a big responsibility.
Firstly, make sure that your guinea pig has all the nutrients it needs every day, unlimited amounts of hay, and limited fresh and raw fruits and vegetables that are safe for them.
A balanced diet is a must for your guinea pig’s wellbeing.
However, apart from a healthy guinea pig diet, you should also take care of your pet’s hygiene.
Spot clean your guinea pig’s cage every day, ideally twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
Spot cleaning includes refilling water bottles, removing filthy hay, and replacing hay and bedding as needed.
That just entails scooping up and removing as much poop from your guinea pig’s enclosure. cage as possible.
It takes a few minutes every day to prevent poop mounds from becoming huge.
Also, you should clean the entire guinea pig’s cage at least once a week (and sometimes more), depending on how many guinea pigs you have and whether they are potty trained.
You need a vacuum cleaner, soap, and appropriate bedding.
Just follow a regular cleaning routine.
How To Potty Train a Guinea Pig?
Potty training your guinea pig is close to impossible, but many guinea pig owners have managed to teach their pets to poop at a specific spot.
That’s awesome because they don’t have to clean the entire cage every day and there isn’t poop lying around their guinea pigs’ cages all the time.
You can learn how to train your piggies and make cage cleaning easier and your guinea pigs’ environment much healthier.
Final Thoughts
If you have healthy guinea pigs, guinea pigs pooping a lot is a common and welcome sight!
Their diet relies on fiber and other fiber-rich vegetables and fruits, which makes their digestive system work like a clock.
Active and healthy guinea pigs poop so much, even up to 100 times a day.
There’s nothing you can do about it but be happy because you’re an awesome guinea pig owner who takes good care of this furry small animal.
If you do anything to prevent your piggy from producing many droppings, you are most likely to kill your pet.
Worry only when your piggy doesn’t poop much or the consistency of the poop has changed (color, size, shape, smell).
If you notice anything unusual regarding the quality of your guinea pigs’ poop, contact the vet immediately.
