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Guinea pig balding concerns

Apologies for accidentally posting this in introduction! Meant to do it here!

Anyways- hello! I have a Guinea pig, Badger (aged 4, male) who’s brother passed away in January. I didn’t know whether this context would help this situation. Since the loss of his brother, Badger’s bum area has become more matted with poo which I help remove when applicable. When I checked him over yesterday, he appeared to have a bald spot around his bum. It’s not a full circle but it has fur in the middle. Then I worried it’s ringworm but reminded myself what ringworm looks like. When I brushed over it, it was a tiny bit flaky (like little bits of dandruff?). My confusion is that I’ve not seen it cause him anybother- he’s not been ichting, he’s eating and drinking normally, being himself. I don’t think it’s self-barbering because I think that’s a tough area to reach and it could be him loosing fur from marking territory but I don’t know.

Should I take him to the vet? Or since it’s causing him no bother play it out?
 
Please do take him to the vet. Things like this should not be left unchecked. There could be any number of reasons why he is getting poop matted in his hair and consequently losing hair - parasites, issue with grease gland, start of arthritis preventing him fully being able to keep clean etc.

Keep his hair around his back end kept cut short to minimise matting.

Does he live with another piggy?
If not, are you going to get him a new friend? He could have many years ahead of him which would be too long to spend alone.
 
I moved your post to the correct section of the forum, commented and then have seen you deleted the commentary from your original post!
So posts have now been moved and merged in the correct forum section for ongoing health support!
 
Thanks Piggies&Buns! He currently doesn’t live with another pig as he seems to be happy on his own now so no other piggy involved. I was conscious that there was potential for him to get very territorial? Also would the parasites be noticeable? Like a dog and it’s fleas.
 
sorry one more thing- following your comment saying potential arthritis would that be visibly aswell? As in, something I could judge myself because he appears to move fine
 
As I say, definitely do get that checked by a vet as there could be any number of reasons behind it.

He needs a new friend. His survival instinct will mean he gets on with life and may never show signs of loneliness but he will be feeling lonely after so long alone. They can usually manage for 1-4 weeks by themselves but after that they do need a new companion.

He needs to be paired with a character compatible friend and introduced properly.
The best thing is to contact a rescue centre so they can help find the right for him to ensure a good bond, they can also help with the neutral territory bonding process (even if they require you to do it yourself at home, returning the rescue piggy if the bonding fails) and ongoing support.
If they are compatible and want to be together there will be no territory issues aside from normal bonding processes. You would need to follow the correct procedure and bond somewhere other than the normal cage, and then thoroughly clean down the cage they are to live in together to ensure Badger doesn’t see it as his territory anymore.

The guide below explains the full process
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

This guide may also help you
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
 
Superduper said:
sorry one more thing- following your comment saying potential arthritis would that be visibly aswell? As in, something I could judge myself because he appears to move fine
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Not necessarily. It was just his age which makes arthritis pop into your head as a potential possibility for starting to not keep the back end clean.

They can hide their pain so may not show outward signs of anything initially. It’s only when it becomes too much that they can’t hide it any longer.

I had an elderly rabbit with spinal arthritis. They can also hide their pain. Other than being a bit stiff when he first got up from resting you wouldn’t have known anything was wrong initially. When examined by the vet the pain he displayed when touched far outweighed the signs he was showing.
 
Superduper said:
Thanks Piggies&Buns! He currently doesn’t live with another pig as he seems to be happy on his own now so no other piggy involved. I was conscious that there was potential for him to get very territorial? Also would the parasites be noticeable? Like a dog and it’s fleas.
Click to expand...
I hope you can organise a friend for him, some of the rescues can be really helpful in helping you find someone compatible. I chose not to get another pig when Timmy (my avatar piggy) passed away. I don’t want to have a constant cycle of pigs and made my decision based on her age. They were 7.5 and I assumed Jenny would pass soon after. 18 months later she is still going and I feel so guilty that she is alone. At 4 you could very easily have another 3 or 4 years and that is a really long time for an animal designed to live as part of a herd to be alone. Of course piggies are contrary creatures and can equally easily just succumb for no apparent reason at any time.

Good luck, hope you sort the balding bum out.
 
No problem
Let us know how you get on at the vet and in finding him a friend
 
I’m in agreement with you Tigermoth, my concern was him passing soon after and having a constant cycle. I’ll see how it goes !
 
Superduper said:
I’m in agreement with you Tigermoth, my concern was him passing soon after and having a constant cycle. I’ll see how it goes !
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There’s obviously no guarantee that won’t happen but the odds are that he has many more years ahead of him - too long to be alone.
However if you have rescued a new friend for him from a reputable and recommended rescue centre, they often have a policy that in the event the rescue piggy is bereaved they would take the him back to be rebonded and rehomed should you wish to end your piggy cycle at that point
 
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