As the popularity of keeping pet guinea pigs continues to increase, we have noticed more and more people reaching out and asking various questions about caring for their pets.
One thing that we have noticed a large number of people new to keeping guinea pigs as pet realise is how they will happily try to eat anything that they are able to get into their mouth even if it’s not actually food.
This has resulted in more and more people asking about their guinea pig eating plastic with some guinea pig owners being worried about the potential side effects if their guinea pig has eaten plastic.
With so many people reaching out and some of them being rightly worried about the health of their guinea pig after eating plastic, we wanted to have our own article online going over some of the more commonly asked questions that we see from the guinea pig owning community.
Our hope is that we will be able to help put the minds of some of our readers at ease while also helping you identify the symptoms of some of the more serious side effects that may occur in your guinea pig if it does eat plastic.
This should be able to help you reduce the chances of impaction or anything negative happening in your guinea pig and ensure that it will be fine.
What Happens if A Guinea Pig Eats Plastic!
The majority of the time that a guinea pig eats plastic, it will be fine and the guinea pig will be able to easily pass any plastic that it eats.
There is a risk of impaction in the guinea pig though if the plastic ends up blocked in your guinea pigs intestine and this can quickly lead to some serious issues but the early symptoms are usually easy to see in your guinea pig.
The most common symptoms of your guinea pig having problems due to eating plastic include not eating, not pooping, not being as active as usual, and not eating their normal treats the plastic could be causing problems.
If you do notice these symptoms in your pet guinea pig then we would highly recommend that you book a short video call with a veterinarian to have them go over your guinea pig and offer you custom advice to your situation.
Video calls with a fully trained veterinarian offer the exact same advice as a trip to your local veterinarians office but usually works out to be much cheaper while also allowing you to book the video call around your schedule.
Your guinea pig may require surgery to remove the blockage that the plastic is causing in its digestive passage but sometimes a laxative may be able to get things moving.
What Should You Do If Your Guinea Pig Eats Plastic?
If you notice that your guinea pig has ate plastic then you should pay particular attention to how your guinea pig acts.
Most of the time it will usually be its normal self suggestion that the plastic is being passed normally and then you can check its poop for signs of the plastic to let you know that it is out of your guinea pigs system.
The vast majority of guinea pigs who eat plastic are totally fine and will end up passing the plastic naturally without needing any help from a vet.
Just make sure that you are feeding your guinea pig a fibreous guinea pig food to help it pass the plastic normally.
If you do notice that your guinea pig is going off its good, especially its favourite treats, is not pooping as often as it normally would or is acting off then the plastic may have caused a blockage.
In this case you really do need to seek assistance from a veterinarian as soon as possible while also reducing the amount of food you give your guinea pig to reduce the pressure build up until you get specific advice from a vet on your situation.
Is It Common For Guinea Pigs To Eat Plastic?
It is actually surprisingly common for guinea pigs to eat plastic due to most guinea pigs liking to at least try to eat anything that they are able to get in their mouth.
The majority of guinea pigs who do end up eating plastic are totally fine and are able to pass the plastic naturally without any help from a vet or laxative.
There have been reports from guinea pig owners about their pet guinea pigs eating a range of different types of plastic too and not having any issues at all.
We have even seen one guinea pig owner report that their two guinea pigs ate a full rubber glove between them and that they managed to pass the glove in their poop without having problems.
Just because the odds are in your favor for your guinea pig to be ok if it does eat a rubber glove does not mean that you should just presume that your guinea pig is not going to have any problems.
You should always keep an eye out for the signs of impaction and blockages that we described earlier in our article as there is always a small chance of it happening and serious health problems occurring in your guinea pig.
Why Do Guinea Pigs Eat Plastic?
Guinea pigs will at least try to eat the majority of things that they get into their mouth and this includes things like plastic that are not actually food.
It is more common for guinea pigs to eat plastic, paper, wood, cloth, and in some cases metal than most people think due to them being open to seeing what most things taste like.
The best thing to do to prevent your guinea pig from eating plastic is to have a dedicated area of your home where you let your guinea pig play outside of its cage that is totally free from plastic.
A cheap pet playpen is usually the best option for this as it allows you to quickly build the playpen for your guinea pigs in any shape you require and make sure that the area is clean and free from plastic prior to putting your guinea pig in to play.
If you have multiple guinea pigs then these playpens really are worth the money as it gives them a large amount of space where they are able to play and get some enrichment without being at risk of free roaming your home.
The playpens are quick and easy to build too so you can build or de-build it as require according to your guinea pigs play time and change the room you have it built in with ease if needed.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over what to do if your guinea pig ate plastic to an end. We hope that we have been able to help you better understand what you should do if you notice that your guinea pig has ate some plastic but as we covered above, the majority of the time your guinea pig will be fine and not have any problems passing the plastic naturally. If you catch any blockages or impaction early enough in your guinea pig then you should also be able to easily have a vet treat any of the more serious problems that can rarely occur in your guinea pig too.
