Guinea pigs are known for their strange and peculiar behavior. While most of these tendencies are natural, there are some that can signal a problem with your guinea pig.
I have had a couple readers reach out to me asking why their guinea pig will have their but hanging out. Sometimes they will drag it against the ground, while other times they will just stick it out in the air. In today’s article, I will explain the different reasons why guinea pigs stick their butt out.
Why is my guinea pigs bum hanging out?
The main reasons your guinea pig’s bum is hanging out are constipation, itchiness, marking their scent, and tumors.
Constipation
One of the main reasons why a guinea pig’s but will hang out is because of constipation. This occurs when your guinea pig doesn’t have enough fiber in their diet or are dehydrated. It can also occur in older guinea pigs when their anal muscles become too weak to push out the waste. When this occurs, the waste gets backed up in the guinea pig’s bum, which creates the bulge.
If you suspect your guinea pig has constipation, you should feed them this healthy gut supplement, which will help them pass any built up waste.
The best way to avoid constipation in guinea pigs is to make sure they are fed a balanced diet. In particular, you should make sure they get enough leafy vegetables, which are high in fiber. You should also make sure that your guinea pig always has access to fresh clean water to avoid dehydration. You can monitor a guinea pig’s pee to see if they are dehydrated.
Itchiness
A guinea pig will also hang their bum out when their bum itches. This can be from a wide range of causes, including mites, ringworm, or just a natural itch. Since guinea pigs arms can’t reach around to their butt, they will instead hang their butt out and drag it against the floor. This is how they get relief from an itchy sensation.
While some parasites can be treated with topical creams or a bath, more serious cases require a visit to the vet. If you notice any parasites in your guinea pig’s poop, you should take them to the vet immediately and separate them from any other guinea pigs in the cage.
Marking their scent
You may not know this, but guinea pigs are very territorial animals. They rely heavily on their sense of smell in the wild, and even domestic guinea pigs still consider their scent one of their strong and most important senses. A guinea pig has a lot of scent glands located near and around their butt, which is why they will sometimes hang it out and rub it on things.
Guinea pigs are more likely to mark their scent when there are other guinea pigs in their cage. It can be uses as a mating technique, and can also be done to assert dominance.
Tumors
Unfortunately, guinea pigs are at risk for tumors. Tumors can be caused by genetics, diet, and living conditions. One of the most common areas where male guinea pigs get tumors is in their testicles. When this occurs, a guinea pig’s glands and testicles swell up, which causes them to stick their bum out. Unless caught very early, most tumors are fatal for guinea pigs.
Should I worry if my guinea pig is sticking their butt out?
Most of the time, there is no need to worry if your guinea pig keeps sticking out their butt. You should keep a close eye on him/her for the next couple of days. If they continue to hang their bum out, you might want to take a trip to the vet.