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Guinea pig with a swollen bottom

  • Thread starter Thread starter munkey
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munkey

Hi all, and sorry that my first post is a question! I've got what might be problem with my 6 month old male guinea pig. I would go to the vet but it's a good hour's walk away (I don't have a car) and I don't really want to be putting the piggy through the stress of that if it's completely normal and the journey wasn't needed.

Anyway, I've recently noticed that his rear end is quite swollen to the point where it touches the ground when he walks. I'm pretty sure that this isn't an impacted anus as he's passing his little brown submarines without a problem and it isn't actually the anus which is swollen. (I think!)

Here's a photo of the little bugger:
2igoqoz.jpg


I'm wondering if this is normal or not, or if it can be rectified by a change in diet...or if I do need to take him to the vet! He's not showing any signs of illness as he's still running around like a mad thing and eating masses of everything in sight.

Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
I meant to also ask if it was hot to touch? and how quickly did the swelling come up?
 
My Chocolate boar pig had that. It turned out to be an abcess. Now i am not saying your pig has it but get checked out.

I also ready about anal compaction. Ether way, if you haven't already done so, go to your vets.
 
I would recommend to have it checked by your vet - it could well be an abscess. If the swelling is hot to the touch it's most probably an infection.
 
Thanks for the replies!

It's not hot to the touch and it came up very slowly - so slow in fact that it took me some time to realise it and I had to compare him against some photos taken when he was younger. He hasn't been neutered.

It does look a lot like this photo (thanks JoanneG111!):
boar3.jpg


Previous photos I'd seen of anal impaction looked quite different which is what made me think it wasn't that.

Unfortunately the vets nearest to me is closed until Tuesday because of Easter so I'll do a bit of reading on his sacs. Any recommendations on what to do? I'll be taking him to the vets on Tuesday.
 
Have you never looked inside his sac? If you look at the first link I gave you it tells you how to clean it... my guess is there maybe a mass in there, I would check.
 
where are you based munkey? we may know of a rodentologist that could help you or another experienced member.
 
Welcome to the forum, munkey. :)

If I am honest, my first thought is it's just his testicles growing! They are very tight but every pig is different; younger boars typically have a "donut" shape around their genitals, and if I'm seeing right then your boars looks like a very enlarged version of this. His age is right on for them to become more obvious, and as he has not been neutered and the swelling has happened gradually....that's my first thought anyway.
 
JoanneG111 said:
Have you never looked inside his sac? If you look at the first link I gave you it tells you how to clean it... my guess is there maybe a mass in there, I would check.
Click to expand...
Just had a peek in there and it seems to be all clean apart from a few wood shavings which I cleaned out with some warm water. I'll be taking him to the vet on Tuesday as soon as they open I think.


lovelygirl said:
where are you based munkey? we may know of a rodentologist that could help you or another experienced member.
Click to expand...
I'm in Lincoln, near-ish to the town centre.

Thanks again for the help.
 
I think Laura maybe on to something... maybe it is just his testicles growing?!

Is it sore or anything?

Might be worth getting it checked just to be on the safe side :) xx
 
It doesn't seem to be sore at all - he doesn't kick up a fuss when I'm touching it.

Hmm...big balls eh? Might explain why he's such a boisterous and energetic little thing, hehe. :))

I'll try to get some better photos of him so you can see the shape and size better.
 
Oh and I just thought I'd add that it's soft and I can't feel any hard lumps inside like what is mentioned like in quite a few writeups about anal impaction.

(here's to hoping I haven't just turned on my guinea pig by tickling his you-know-what...:)p)
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
Welcome to the forum, munkey. :)

If I am honest, my first thought is it's just his testicles growing! They are very tight but every pig is different; younger boars typically have a "donut" shape around their genitals, and if I'm seeing right then your boars looks like a very enlarged version of this. His age is right on for them to become more obvious, and as he has not been neutered and the swelling has happened gradually....that's my first thought anyway.
Click to expand...

My piggy 'PIG' had HUGE testicles very similar to your photo so you may just have a big boy like I had:))
Jude
 
haha......but seriously as long as there are no lumps or solid bits or heat it might be alright, definitely a vet should b able to shed some light on it :)
 
Thanks for the above photo! Looks just like Token's (this furry thing's name) rear end - all squishy and not lumpy at all.

May explain why he's been trying to mount everything furry and guinea-pig-sized in sight recently...his male cagemate and my little dwarf rabbit (also male!) have both received a healthy dose of guinea pig love, requested or not!

They all have full access to the bottom floor of my house but they do have a big indoor run which is closed at night. Token is by far the most energetic of the three animals, charging around and wheeking like a mad thing whenever he hears the fridge opening or the sound of vegetables chopping. We've trained them to know that the kitchen is out of bounds though...
 
It maybe an idea not to keep the piggies with a rabbit, Some terrible accidents can happen, also the piggies need different food from a Bunny. Just a suggestion, I hope you'll look into it. :) xx
 
His botty looks a bit like our Jeremys - he does not have impaction as he passes poops OK, but he has a lot of loose skin and he gets a build up of squidy poo stuck in there. He can pass it himself but sometimes I help him by pulling the skin back gently and easing the lump out. Smelly! Although you can see when he has some stuck, and your piggy's bum looks spotless. If you do see some stuck poop you could try this if he will let you - its easier in a warm bath.
 
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