Toot! Poot!
Excuse me?
What? Whatever, it wasn’t me!
Anyways, farts are inevitable—every bum lets a fart out every now and then. So, what if you heard it coming from my bum this time? I see you Netflix and farting (chilling) all the time. Did I ever excuse you? So, try to keep your nose out of my fart.
Enough with the banter; let’s get to the topic—guinea pig farts. Do guinea pig farts? If yes, is it normal for a guinea pig to fart? Or is my guinea pig bloated? Do I need to take my guinea pig to a vet? What causes bloat in guinea pigs, and how can I prevent it? If the guinea pig fart has popped up the following questions in your mind, continue reading as we will discuss all about guinea pig farts.
Guinea Pig Farts
Guinea pigs make all sorts of sounds, wheeking, chirping, squeaking, and whatnot, but you hear your guinea pig make a unique sound that you might not find listed on the guinea pig sounds. It sounded just like a fart, but you are not sure if guinea pigs can even fart. So, you start wondering whether your piggy friend just farted or was it something else. Well, it was probably a fart.
Do Guinea Pigs Fart?
Yes, guinea pigs fart.
They have a digestive system quite similar to that of humans. So just like us, when our piglets eat certain veggies like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, they may experience excessive flatulence.
Where a fart every now and then is completely natural and healthy for guinea pigs, excessive farting is not. Guinea pigs’ bodies are not designed to pass out a large quantity of gas.
So when they experience excessive flatulence, it could be a symptom of a life-threatening situation called guinea pig bloat, which would require the immediate attention of an experienced veterinarian. This means that where a fart every now and then is completely normal and healthy for guinea pigs, excessive farting could be life-threatening—a sign of a bloated guinea pig.
Do Guinea Pig Farts Smell?
No, unlike human farts that can really stink up the whole room, pet guinea pigs’ farts are not smelly at all. Their farts are just too little to affect their surrounding air. Instead of smelling, guinea pig owners feel the farts of their buddies, if they happen to be holding them when they pass the gas. That said, there are always some exceptions—some guinea pig owners often say that their piggy’s farts smell horrible.
Besides farting, guinea pigs are fastidious little creatures and almost never smell if they are healthy and their cage is cleaned regularly. However, if a guinea pig is not healthy enough to properly self-groom or its cage is not being cleaned regularly, the guinea pig might get smelly.
What Do Guinea Pig Farts Sound Like?
Guinea pigs have a digestive system quite like us humans, so their farts also sound just like human farts. But given that they are pretty small compared to us, their farts are less intense. Mostly they are nothing more than little puffs of air. Here you can hear Acorn guinea pig farting.
Reasons Why Do Guinea Pigs Fart and How Can You Help Them
Just like in humans, guinea pig farting is normal and it means that your piggy’s digestive system is doing its job right. However, just like humans, digestive issues, changes in guinea pig diet, antibiotics, certain foods, and roughage can make guinea pigs gassier. Below we have discussed some of the most common causes that may make guinea pig bloat.
Sudden Change in Diet
Guinea pigs have sensitive stomachs, so when their diet is suddenly changed, they experience gastrointestinal distress. Getting used to the new food, your piggy’s digestive system would be making more gas until it gets used to the new food.
What Can You Do To Help Guinea Pig Farting? Never make a sudden change in your guinea pig diet. Introduce new foods to the guinea pig diet in a gradual manner. Offer them a little of the new food, and if they seem to be doing just fine, you can go ahead and increase the amount.
Excess of Cruciferous Foods
Guinea pigs love veggies. Many veggies like spinach, basil, collard greens, squash, etc., are perfectly safe and healthy for our guinea pigs when eaten in moderate amounts. However, guinea pigs might experience tummy troubles when consumed excessively, including more gas. Certain foods, especially cruciferous foods like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage, are more likely to cause gas in guinea pigs. These veggies have high sulfur content and a sugar called raffinose, which is responsible for causing gas in guinea pigs.
What Can You Do To Help Guinea Pig Farting? Offer guinea pigs veggies in moderate amounts. If a guinea pig is experiencing gas, avoid cruciferous veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, kale, etc. While you can offer these cruciferous veggies to your piglet in small amounts when they are healthy, if your piggy is experiencing gas, you should avoid them altogether.
Antibiotics
Alongside killing harmful bacteria, antibiotics often kill the good bacteria in guinea pig guts, which leads to digestive issues like loose stool and gas. Therefore, if your fluffball just finished a round of antibiotics, it might experience some gas for a few days until its gut bacteria levels go right back up to the normal level.
What Can You Do To Help Guinea Pig Farting? When treating guinea pigs with antibiotics, offer them probiotics like Benebac as well (after discussing with your veterinarian) to bring their gut bacteria to normal levels.
Swallowing Air
Guinea pigs love food, so when you forget to feed them on time, they might start making wheeking sounds to remind their owners that it’s time to feed them. In such cases, when offered their favorite treat, the guinea pig mostly starts ingesting too quickly, especially if there is more than one guinea pig in the cage; they want to gulp up most of the offered treat. Through this quick swallowing, guinea pigs also end up engulfing a lot of air, which they cannot digest. Since guinea pigs cannot even burp, there is only one way for them to get rid of the gas—let it out from their rear.
What Can You Do To Help Guinea Pig Farting? You should feed your guinea pig regularly with hay and small servings of guinea pig-safe fruits and veggies. And if you have multiple guinea pigs in the same cage, try to feed them in separate bowls. This would discourage guinea pigs eat their food too quickly.
Stress
Like in humans, stress hurts guinea pigs in many ways—it leads to many diseases, including gas and bloating. Stress is believed to contract guinea pigs’ intestines, making guinea pigs bloat.
What Can You Do To Help Guinea Pig Farting? Identify the source of stress and eliminate it from the environment. If your guinea pig has lost its cage mate, bring him a new one and try to spend more time with your piglet until you find a four-legged buddy for him.
Too Much Fibers
While fiber is an essential component of the guinea pig diet, too much of it or the wrong kind can upset their stomach, leading to diarrhea and gas buildup.
What Can You Do To Help Guinea Pig Farting? Make sure that you stick to timothy hay, which has the appropriate amount of fibers for guinea pigs, as their primary food source. If feeding fruits and veggies to guinea pigs, keep in mind that moderation is the key.
Final Verdict: Do Guinea Pigs Fart?
Guinea pigs have a digestive system quite similar to humans. So, like their owners, they do fart, and sometimes their farts may even smell. However, given their small size, their farts cannot significantly affect the air around them, so you probably won’t be able to smell them. However, you might feel guinea pig farts as little puffs of air if you happen to be holding them while they do it.
