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bald spot on guinea pig

M

MishaTheGuinea

New Born Pup
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Louisville, KY
hi theres a bald spot on one of my guinea pigs and I'm really worried about it. hes been drinking, eating and everything. no sign of illness or stuff like that. he just has this small bald spot that I'm worried about. but my mom doesn't view guinea pigs as a pet worthy of a vet at all. what should i do? is there anything i can do to help him?
 
Where on his body is the bald spot?

He does need to see a vet - we can’t tell you what it is, but there are a multitude of reasons for bald spots in piggies from mites, fungal infections including ringworm, barbering which can be due to pain in an area. All of these things need a vet diagnosis and prescribed treatment. Without such care, the issue may well get worse (and in the case of ringworm can spread and infect all the humans and other animals in the house, it can stay in the environment for years and cause a real problem).
There is nothing you can do yourself as you don’t know what the problem is and any DIY/pet shop treatment (neither of which we recommend) could well end up being the wrong thing and/or ineffective (pet shop products generally are not strong enough).

Please take the piggy to the vet yourself. If you are not an adult, then your mother is responsible for ensuring he gets the care he needs
 
A picture would be helpful ... or at least more description: where is the bald spot? How small is small? How does the skin look? How long have you had him, and when did you first notice the bald spot?

I'm sorry that your mom doesn't want to consider a vet trip for your piggy. Not everyone fully understands how guinea pigs are as pets. It can be helpful to remind them that guinea pigs can live as long as some dogs, and are a pet that can be quite affectionate and interactive. One truly does bond with a guinea pig ... it's not like a fish (sorry fish ... you're fun to watch, but I don't know how to bond with you). Has she held the piggy? My nana didn't realize how great piggies could be until one snuggled next to her and she found herself petting him like a dog ...
 
Princess Dustmop said:
A picture would be helpful ... or at least more description: where is the bald spot? How small is small? How does the skin look? How long have you had him, and when did you first notice the bald spot?

I'm sorry that your mom doesn't want to consider a vet trip for your piggy. Not everyone fully understands how guinea pigs are as pets. It can be helpful to remind them that guinea pigs can live as long as some dogs, and are a pet that can be quite affectionate and interactive. One truly does bond with a guinea pig ... it's not like a fish (sorry fish ... you're fun to watch, but I don't know how to bond with you). Has she held the piggy? My nana didn't realize how great piggies could be until one snuggled next to her and she found herself petting him like
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bald spot is on his back, small like 3 or 4 inches, skin looks fine, ive had him for 5 or 6 months, first noticed spot a week ago. mom has held guinea pig and loves them but doesnt think theyre worth it
 
Piggies&buns said:
Where on his body is the bald spot?

He does need to see a vet - we can’t tell you what it is, but there are a multitude of reasons for bald spots in piggies from mites, fungal infections including ringworm, barbering which can be due to pain in an area. All of these things need a vet diagnosis and prescribed treatment. Without such care, the issue may well get worse (and in the case of ringworm can spread and infect all the humans and other animals in the house, it can stay in the environment for years and cause a real problem).
There is nothing you can do yourself as you don’t know what the problem is and any DIY/pet shop treatment (neither of which we recommend) could well end up being the wrong thing and/or ineffective (pet shop products generally are not strong enough).

Please take the piggy to the vet yourself. If you are not an adult, then your mother is responsible for ensuring he gets the care he needs
Click to expand...
I'm not an adult and my mom wont take me to the vet. neither will any other family. dont find it worth it 😞😞😞😞
 
I’m really sorry your piggy has developed a bald spot. If you take them to the vets now and nip the problem in the bud it will be cheaper. If you let problems fester then it will be harder and more expensive to sort out.

With pet ownership you will always have to take a pet to the vet at some time or another. I’m really sorry if this sounds mean but if your family are not going to do this then maybe you should surrender your piggy to a local rescue so they can get the treatment they need and a new family who will cater for all of its needs. I hope you can convince your family to take them to the vets. Good luck.
 
:agr:

If you do mean inches, then a bald spot of 3-4 inches is huge, not small at all. With that said any bald spots, no matter the size, needs vet to check it out.
This is possibly something easily treated but piggies are expensive pets and things can go wrong with them that are a lot more expensive. Your mum has agreed to provide the care by allowing you, as a minor, to have the pets. If she isn’t prepared to provide that, then sadly rehoming them may be best so they can get the treatment needed both now and any future medical issues which inevitably arise
 
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