Blood on cage and on boar!

[Macaroon&Pete]

I just noticed a lot of blood spots in the cage and then promptly examined each piggie. Macaroon (the older and usually dominant one) seemed fine but Pete had blood near his penis and on his belly but there were no cuts or any fresh blood. They’ve never fought before but they will hump each other and rumblestrut. Usually Pete starts it by attempting to hump Macaroon, macaroon will hump Pete back, Pete will wheek and then leave him alone for 5 seconds before doing it all again. Other than the excessive humping they both seem their usual self. We can’t get into a vet today. Should we make an appointment? We might need to split them up but then they have to establish dominance all over again. They didn’t seem to bite each other but the blood is definitely there. Any suggestions?

 

[Hannah_xx]

Pete might be suffering with a UTI, it’s best to have him seen by a vet as soon as you can.
Good luck!

 

[Piggies&buns]

It may be something medical rather than a fight so a vet check is needed. Don’t separate them for this.

If there is any concern they have had a fight then they would need to be separated and the separation for a fight is sadly a permanent one. You would be most likely to find wounds if a fight had occurred.

Be very careful with the use of the word ‘excessive’ humping. Humping is normal dominance. The use of the word excessive may imply it has skipped over into bullying. Bullying is more than dominance and it is bond breaking.

 

[Wiebke]

I just noticed a lot of blood spots in the cage and then promptly examined each piggie. Macaroon (the older and usually dominant one) seemed fine but Pete had blood near his penis and on his belly but there were no cuts or any fresh blood. They’ve never fought before but they will hump each other and rumblestrut. Usually Pete starts it by attempting to hump Macaroon, macaroon will hump Pete back, Pete will wheek and then leave him alone for 5 seconds before doing it all again. Other than the excessive humping they both seem their usual self. We can’t get into a vet today. Should we make an appointment? We might need to split them up but then they have to establish dominance all over again. They didn’t seem to bite each other but the blood is definitely there. Any suggestions?

Hi

Could it be the start of a sterile cystitis? This characterised by deeply red pees from a natural dye called porphyrin, which dry a characteristic dark maroon. Sheer blood is usually a brighter red drying into brown.

The initial symptoms can be very off and on and usually take several days to become more consistent and better to diagnose for a vet. Seemingly clear pees can test high for blood while porphyrin pees can be free of it; a deep red pee can be followed by a clear one etc... It's not an emergency but if you notice further deep red pees and squeaking when peeing, then please book Pete in for a regular vet appointment sometime next week. It is not an emergency. Just keep an eye on it.

Sterile cystitis is the usual indoors urinary tract infection whereas a urine infection caused by an overgrowth of faecal bacteria is more common in outdoors piggies. The problem with issues of the urinary tract is that they all cause very similar symptoms.

You may find this link here very helpful, it has plenty of pictures and explains in detail about a sterile (i.e. non-bacterial) cystitis - symptoms, diagnosis and management. Many vets are not necessarily aware of since it is a newish kid on the block; especially vets not dealing with guinea pigs on a very regular basis.
Wiebke's Guide to Pees and Stones

Please don't separate. What you are describing sounds pretty normal boar behaviour to me. How old are your boys? Excessive humping is truly nonstop to the extent that the other boar cannot eat, drink or sleep in peace.
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