Guinea Pig Poop Chart

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Most guinea pig parents notice quite fast, how much their new guinea pigs poop. In a matter of minutes they’ve already decorated their cage with a bunch of oval-shaped brown droppings, but don’t worry: It’s normal!

Guinea pigs poop… a lot. They can sometimes lay down and create a nice little pile of poop at the same time, caused by their digestion system constantly working on processing the food they’ve been eating (and have to eat constantly to keep it up).

It’s important to understand that guinea pigs are prey animals, and as such they may not show any signs of illnesses and/or weaknesses until it’s almost too late.

One way you can monitor their overall health, is to look at their poop and keep an eye on any irregularities.

For this purpose, we’ve made a poop chart for you. With this chart you can learn more about the different types of poop, and what they mean.

Please know: ALWAYS call a vet if you’re unsure about anything. Guinea pigs need immediate diagnosis and treatment, if anything is wrong. Never try to seek alternative solutions to any illnesses or conditions, and never take medical advice from anyone besides experienced veterinarians.

1. Healthy Poop

Healthy guinea pig poop

A healthy poop is oval in shape, and has a semi-hard, uniform consistency. They shouldn’t mush or break into pieces when stepped on by your guinea pigs, but they shouldn’t come out completely dry either.

2. Green Poop (Cecal Pellets)

Healthy green guinea pig poop, also known as cecal pellets

Here’s a little surprise for you: Guinea pigs practice coprophagia, and it’s totally normal. They eat their own poop, but not just any poop. Only the green ones, also known as cecal pellets.

Cecal pellets hold valuable nutrients, that are only absorbed when passing through their digestive systems twice. Any healthy guinea pig do this, and they should never be restricted from this.

3. Small, Dry, Tear-Shaped Poop

Dry, tear-shaped guinea pig poop

If your guinea pig has an issue with its guts or is dehydrated, the poop can turn dry and tear-shaped. This type of poop is usually smaller than healthy poop.

Make sure your guinea pigs have access to fresh water all the time, and if it’s from a bottle make sure it works and your guinea pigs are able to extract the water.

Always call a vet if you encounter this, and have your guinea pig checked for any underlying causes or problems.

4. Clumped Poop

Clumped guinea pig poop

This could have multiple causes: Either your guinea pig is suffering from a gut problem, or it’s getting older, which in some cases cause their rectal muscles to weaken.

No matter the reason, it is always advised to see a vet if you encounter this problem.

5. Soft, Smelly Poop

Smelly, soft guinea pig poop

Guinea pigs can have diarrhea just like humans, and their poop usually turns soft and smelly. You can very quickly see if your guinea pigs are suffering from diarrhea if they’re getting smeared in poop on their feet and fur.

If your guinea pigs suffer from diarrhea, it should be considered an emergency situation and you need to see a vet immediately for diagnosis and treatment.

Diarrhea is usually caused by an unhealthy diet, or they may have eaten something bad. Make sure you carefully check what food is safe for guinea pigs, and always offer them a balanced diet with unlimited hay.

6. Bloody Poop

Red guinea pig poop, possibly bloody

This is another reason to see a vet immediately. If their poop turns red and bloody, it’s usually caused by some kind of obstruction, inflammation or a tear in their intestines.

It’s a dangerous condition, and should be treated as such.

Poop can also turn red if they’ve eaten beetroot, although their poop will quickly turn back to normal again afterwards.

8 thoughts on “Guinea Pig Poop Chart”

    • Hi Chloe,

      If their poop is soft, mushy and smelly, they might have diarrhea. If there’s no change in other behaviors and they eat/drink as usual, try offering more hay and cut back on watery veggies (lettuce, cucumber, etc.). Things might settle back to normal within 24 hours.

      Be aware that soft poop could be a sign of something else being off, and calling an exotic vet is always recommended in order to get a proper diagnosis and treatment.

      I keep my fingers crossed that everything turns back to normal ASAP.

      Best wishes,
      Thomas / GuineaHub

      Reply
  1. I have an older guinea pig that is being treated for a bout with bloat. She has continued to eat and drink on her own throughout, but she was prescribed Baytril just in case of a bacterial overgrowth along with some metacam for pain and a gut motility drug. Unfortunately, our small town vet mixes the Baytril in a suspension of strawberry Ensure drink “to make it more palatable”. I worry the Baytril may be doing more harm than good with all the lactose and sugar. She does better one day, then seems uncomfortable and less interested in food the next, going on 5 days now. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Hi Shannon,

      Based on my personal experience, Baytril could cause a lack of appetite. I’m not really sure what the Ensure drink would benefit, but if you worry that your guinea pig doesn’t get better within the time frame estimated by your vet, I would strongly advice that you get a second opinion from another exotics vet. You could try calling around and ask them about their professional opinion on the medication your guinea pig is receiving, and they’d most likely be able to assess whether it makes sense or not.

      I know this reply isn’t much of a help, unfortunately I’m not a vet myself but can only say from personal experience that it might help getting a second opinion form another vet — especially one with a proven track record with guinea pigs. They could be hard to find in your local area, but they are very likely to offer you a bit of advice over the phone if you call them.

      I hope this helps, and I wish your guinea pig gets well soon!

      Best wishes,
      Thomas / GuineaHub

      Reply
      • Thank you for your reply! Our little Pipsqueak did badly yesterday, so we had to handfeed her and syringe water in her, but there is still some pee and poo, so we hope we can keep her afloat until Monday when vets are available. We’re in a very rural area, our vet mostly works with rabbits, but occasionally sees piggies, and unfortunately he’s really all there is. We’ll be getting in touch with him first thing Monday to see if there’s an alternative to the Baytril, and hopefully it’s not suspended in something milk containing! She prefers greens to her hay at this point; how much greens should we be allowing her to have right now? Thanks so much for your advice!

        Reply
        • Hi Shannon,

          Sorry for my late reply. I hope she’s doing better now, and I can imagine the challenges you’re facing when living in a rural area with limited access to the expertise needed. Sometimes bringing the pigs to an exotics vet is just easier said than done.

          I hope you’ve been able to source a better alternative to Baytril at this point!

          Again, I might be too late with this reply, but I would recommend cutting back on the greens until she’s feeling better, but make sure she has access to some healthy leafy green vegetables and a some red bell pepper. Perhaps adding vitamin C pellets to her daily diet could be recommended, at least until she’s better.

          Regarding the hand feeding, this is a good read: http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

          I wish everything works out for the little one, and hope she gets well soon!

          Best wishes,
          Thomas / GuineaHub

          Reply
    • Hi Casey,

      I am truly sorry for my late reply. You’ve probably found an answer already. I was unsure what you meant with “wired shaped” poop? It could be caused by a problem with the digestion, which is likely since you changed its diet.

      I hope your guinea pig is well and healthy!

      All the best,
      Thomas / GuineaHub

      Reply

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