Changed Behaviour.

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Beautifulmess

Beautifulmess

Adult Guinea Pig
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I don't know if I'm just being over paranoid but I think one of my pigs personalities has changed. He used to be quite a quiet pig, he's only shout a little bit for food although the loudest out of the two. He used to scream and run away when you tried to catch him and was a ball ache to catch most of the time.

Now I catch him almost every time, he barely puts up a fight, running away occasionally. Which could be obviously that I've tamed him and he doesn't feel threatened. However, he does scream if you simply touch him (I patted him gently on the head and he'd scream each time, pat scream, pat scream...) I've checked him over and nothing seems wrong with him, apart from possibly developing impaction. and when you're holding him he doesn't scream, just when you touch him whilst he's in the cage.

The other thing thats changed dramatically is the amount he demands of us, he wheeks/screams at us whenever we walk past, whenever he hears us in the kitchen, fridge, it's not simply a little excitement like people describe, he just doesn't stop until he's fed :/

Worth a trip to the vets or am I being paranoid and he's just being a little crazy addicted veggy pig? We've had him around 2 years'ish

BTW: When I say scream, i do mean wheek, it's just his is so high pitched it's almost a scream.
 
Just cleaned him out and all but the last was a formed pellet so I don't think he's impacted just yet but couldn't seem to push them out? I also managed to find the scales and weigh him and he's 200g under what his normal weight would be, so I'm going to start syringe feeding him tomorrow and booking an appointment with the vet. We have critical feed and can feed him his normal food mushed up. I might have some of that stuff that builds fluid levels up as I don't think he's drinking enough, I rarely see him at the water bottle. Lol and then he goes to it just as I type that. About 5 drinks before stopping. Gotta be a reason for the weight loss though, I'd of thought.
 
He really sounds like he needs to see a vet. That is a big weight loss. I hope it goes well.
 
200g is an awful lot of weight to drop. Do you know how long he has been losing it (when did you last weigh him?)
A vet check is definitely in order.

Best of luck.
 
Please have him seen by a vet asap. Weigh a healthy piggy weekly, an ill/suspected ill piggy daily to check the food intake. Any sudden or gradual weight loss over 50g needs close attention, any weight of 100g needs a trip to the vets.
 
I don't weigh my pigs often, I noticed him being thinner by feel around 3 weeks ago... We will book an appointment to see the vet this week. He's never been a big pig, he averages around 900g, he's old though.
 
I'm booking an appointment tomorrow for Wednesday as my partners mom will be able to take me, we got to a vets out of town because firstly, being a hospital they are open all the time, secondly, don't charge the earth and I trust them to an extent. However whenever my pigs get sick, they're usually dying so sadly I don't hold out much hope, perhaps he's just on his way out, we'll see. I worry because Zuki and Kenya are 2nd hand cage mates, before we moved here, they had other cage mates, Kenya lived with his original since birth and Zuki was bonded with the other in a Stoke rescue.

Since putting them both together, Zuki has come out of his shell and actually lets Kenya hug him and snuggle him and even take food from his mouth, he would almost attack his old cage mate, they hated each other but never actually fought. I worry about getting another cage mate for Kenya, especially since he properly won't last the year as he has a tumour. It doesn't effect him at the moment, but is getting bigger and the vet isn't really up to operating and I've been advised by 2 vets and my rodentologist to just leave him be.

We'll cross that bridge if it comes to it, lets hope it's something simply like his mites have come back or something >.<
 
Hope everything goes okay at the vets and everything crossed for him.Big hugs
 
I weighed him again today and no change in weight, he's still eating like a pig, still shouting for it every few hours or less... he seems a bit puffed up fur wise but sometimes he gets like that. He's drinking and his pellets are forming and coming out of him without help now. I've checked him and he doesn't have any bites or marks to suggest mites or fungal infection.

I'll let you know how he is tomorrow and what the vet says on Wednesday.
 
He's lost 2g's since yesterday yet is eating EVERYTHING in sight, he feels thin to me now as well. He's cold also, I put him on my hottie for a while (with a blanket on top), we're going to root out the heat pads tonight to give him extra heat. Ordered a 15ml syringe to start syringe feeding him.

What do you suggest, critical feed or normal food mushed down? I have a packet of critical feed. He's drinking normally also.
 
According to the vets he's 760g today, but has lost since October (when he last saw them), she checked him over and can't find anything wrong with him, he had a tiny amount of blood in his urine so she's put him on anti biotics. If he's still losing, we'd to go back and they'll try and do blood work and an xray of him to clear anything visual and bio then it's on to the specialist. He seems perfectly fine right now, he ate the stick of celery i gave him on the way to the vets.

She's estimated his age at around 4 years 3 months old and classes him as an old pig. I know all vets think different things, but I'm trying to trust my vet as I've had some terrible ones in the past. We'll see how it goes, he hasn't lost any more weight. OH and I need to switch his pellets back to the old brand to see if it's that.
 
I cannot help feel something is not right for him to be so light. My sow weighs more then that and she is five. Does your vet have experience with guinea pigs?
 
Poor boy. 760g is light and I am inclined to agree with Piggyfan.

Guinea pigs are sadly classed as reaching their senior years when they reach the age of four and some do gradually start losing weight but I would just like to point out that guinea pigs (or any animals for that matter) losing weight due to old age alone is a myth. There is usually an underlying condition.

Over Christmas my 6 year old Eliza suddenly went really boney and as I was at my parents house, I had no working scales. But after a full examination, the vet confirmed that she hadn't lost weight as she was and still is a healthy 930g but as animals get older, they can lose their frame and body shape.

Some older guinea pigs never regain the weight they have lost after an illness which is perfectly fine and natural (I know guinea pigs who weigh 700g but are perfectly healthy) but the reason for the weight loss really does need to be identified.
 
He's never been a big pig, hes deffo small for a boar and my other male is over 1000g's in weight and a hefty thing. Zuki is the smallest male I've ever owned. His top weight has only ever been 950g.

I forgot to ask, which veg is the best to pack some fat into him? Corn I remember is good so going to get a cob for them to nibble, anything else?

Yeah, both vets own and have experience with pigs, they aren't specialist but she said her first point was to check for lumps, so she had a good feel of his tummy, made him pee himself lol, said all she could feel was poop which was normal. Apart from the blood in the urine, they can't find anything else wrong with him since he hasn't gone off his food or anything, is peeing and pooing fine although the poops are a bit small.

I know she's the vet that ops on small animals as she wanted to have my other pig operated on to remove his tumour but personally I can't chance losing him on the table, and it's too expensive.

We'll see what happens after the anti-biotics, if nothing, back to the vets and a push for the specialist.
 
My boar is small too. He is currently hovering around 1050g at 18 months old.

Yes, fresh corn on the cob / baby corn is good for weight gain, also plain porridge oats. My piggies love these sprinkled on their dry food.

Critical care and mashed up pellets are good to help him along a bit. Both are fine to use.

Lots and lots of hay including Timothy for the extra fibre. Alfalfa hay is good for poorly piggies but as it is very high in calcium, please do not feed this especially if he has a suspected UTI.
 
Well done for getting to the vet. It was absolutely the right thing to do even though they aren't sure what's up with him. He's lost a significant amount of weight and a change in behaviour also indicates something is wrong even if nothing else is obvious.

Guinea pigs are notoriously difficult to diagnose as they hide signs of illness so well, even experienced piggy vets can have difficulty. Antibiotics will help deal with any infection that's around UTIs are common especially in male piggies due to the design of their man bits :) I would also suggest asking them for pain medication such as metacam (meloxicom is the drug name) which is anti inflammatory. It may well help him feel more comfortable whilst the antibiotics do their work. Also just monitor his poos as antibiotics can be harsh on the guts and cause unwanted side effects. Always finish the course of antibiotics unless he is having a bad reaction as an unfinished course will not be effective.

The main reason for significant weight loss in piggies can be dental problems. The back teeth of a piggy are not visible easily to an owner and if overgrown can cause significant pain and trap the tongue, stopping effective eating and leading to starvation. A good vet will always check the teeth of any piggy who is losing weight as unfortunately dental problems can be quite common. This sounds like a fair bet for your chap as he is desperate for food despite not getting any heavier. Doe she drool or drop his food a lot? Try cutting his veggies into long thin strips so he can easily get them into his mouth towards his back teeth. I would highly recommend getting his teeth checked. They can do this conscious but if he needs them trimmed or de-burred most vets will do this under a light anaesthetic or whiff of gas. Some vets like Simon MAddock in Northampton or Wombrook vets in Wombourne (near Wolverhampton) will do conscious dental work which is lower risk. It is worth travelling to get good dental treatment if this is the issue as if it is not managed correctly it will become chronic and can lead to abscesses, starvation and other problems.

The other problem in the older piggy that changes behaviour is arthritis, like older people they can get stiff, uncomfortable and sore in joints especially hips, knees and shoulders. A small dose, long term anti-inflammatory can help improve this.

Hope some of that helps....
 
My boyfriend weighed him last night and he was 810g! Vet has said to weigh him once a week. He isn't sitting in the corner anymore, he's doing his thing and he loved the corn :)
 
He's still in the 840 in weight and feels fatter however I've just noticed he's plucked all the hair out on all for legs and some parts of his armpits... and his tummy feels naked too (like less hair)... no indication why, I haven't seen him do it and I can't see any scabs, blood or black bits to indicate mites?

Another vets trip I think :/
 
I'd think rather fungal than mites (and would recommend a systemic fungal med like itrafungol if your vet comes down on the side of that), but there is an alarm bell at the back of my mind that says Cushings disease. flintstones had a boy (Milo) that was finally diagnosed with it; the symptoms were heavy mystery weight loss as well as hair loss. There is not much information about it in guinea pigs where it is very rare compared to hamsters; it also often goes undiagnosed. It is just a wild guess of mine.
http://www.guinealynx.info/hairloss.html
 
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Vets booked for tomorrow afternoon. It's a different vet to the one we saw last but our usual one normally. He's still eating whatever is given to him, still gaining weight but he's fluffed himself up and looks well grumpy. His poops are light brown, no colourless brown, just like caramel? Normal size but they get stuck on his bum so properly sticker than usual. He's still drinking and I haven't seen him scratching or anything, he's sleeping with his nose in corners though and has gone quieter than usual too.

Hope the vet can find something obvious or else he has to go to their specialist. Least he's eating and drinking and not losing weight... thats the bright side.
 
Wishing you the best of luck! I hope that you can get to the bottom of it, but at least he is stable for the time being.
 
I have only just seen this thread and agree with Wiebke on the possibility if it being a systemic fungal issue, especially if he has had skin issues in the past. Pigs with a systemic fungal issue gradually lose weight and muscle tone. My Barney is the perfect example of this. He is affected systemically and has Itrafungol when needed and it has halted the weight loss but he is losing muscle tone.

Also worth discussing Cushings too.
 
I'm very unwell today, the appointment has been moved to a later time just so I can prepare myself with a bbit more time. It's at 5:10pm tonight. He has lost weight, he's now 810g again. However we stopped feeding him so much corn, I've given them another roll of it and they gladly tucked in.

On closer inspection, his back legs are naked, no fur at all up to the joint... his stomach feels as if the hair is either very short (like someone who's shaved their head) or the skin is flakey? like exma (can't spell it) but I can't see any of the problem. His poops are returning to a normal colour, they are now slowly going back onto their old food and they eat it a lot more than the new stuff we had them on... the bowls emptied so quickly.
 
Zuki has been kept in over night so they can run some tests. She agreed although she'd never seen a guinea pig with Cushings disease it's a possibility. She defiantly thinks it's a hormone problem.
 
Right, the vet thinks it's Cushings disease however they want to send him to a specialist which is going to cost £200... we don't have this so we're bringing him home and dealing with the weight loss with Corn and such like we have done recently. He weighed at 800g at the vets.
 
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