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Guinea pigs chest turning pink

L

LokiCat

New Born Pup
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This is extremely weird my guinea pigs chest is turning pink it dosent seem to look like blood. We don’t know where it is coming from and it’s only his chest I have been trying to wipe it but it won’t come off and he is not keen about me wiping it. I have no idea what it’s from so I don’t know if it is toxic I already checked all his pink fleeces for staning but none of them where staning he hasn’t fully merged with my other Guineas yet so I don’t know if it’s just a him thing.IMG_3931.webpIMG_3933.webpIMG_3932.webp
 
Does he have any wooden hides or chew toys? Some of those things use dyes to color them.
 
RedLoredAmazon said:
Does he have any wooden hides or chew toys? Some of those things use dyes to color them.
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He does have chews none of them are dyed. with hides his hide is black so it wouldn’t create pink and it doesn’t stain the other hides are not dyed
 
I wonder if the color/sap from the wood is coming off on his fur? I would then take a look at his water bottle. He may need the spout cleaned out. You would be surprised about how gross those things can get and the color of stuff that come out of them. :vom: Or has he been eating red bell pepper or beet greens? Those can stain you red too.

Hopefully you will be able to find the cause of the red color.
 
Can you check the skin under the pink fur for irritation or redness?
What bedding do you use? I see you said fleece but do you use any other kind of bedding in the cage such as in hay areas?
How often is the cage cleaned and sport cleaned? A build up of faeces would stain the white fur a reddish brown.
Does he sit in the same place a lot? And do you see him cleaning himself fully, especially the chest area? I have an older pig who often has a little stained patch in the centre of her back where she can’t quite reach to clean anymore.
Does he go outside the cage? If he has floortime, could be be chewing something while outside the cage?

It’s amazing the things they can do despite being supposedly confined to a set space with only set items in it!
 
RedLoredAmazon said:
I wonder if the color/sap from the wood is coming off on his fur? I would then take a look at his water bottle. He may need the spout cleaned out. You would be surprised about how gross those things can get and the color of stuff that come out of them. :vom: Or has he been eating red bell pepper or beet greens? Those can stain you red too.

Hopefully you will be able to find the cause of the red color.
Click to expand...


He has only been having lettece recently no. The weird thing to be is it’s ONLY on his chest so I don’t think it’s from the wood or it would be more spred out? Not his belly.
 
Might still be the black hide. All sorts of colours can run from black. What is it made from, is it possible to wash it? They do like to worry us, maybe they think it's enrichment to play let's figure out the problem!
 
Pantalaimon said:
Can you check the skin under the pink fur for irritation or redness?
What bedding do you use? I see you said fleece but do you use any other kind of bedding in the cage such as in hay areas?
How often is the cage cleaned and sport cleaned? A build up of faeces would stain the white fur a reddish brown.
Does he sit in the same place a lot? And do you see him cleaning himself fully, especially the chest area? I have an older pig who often has a little stained patch in the centre of her back where she can’t quite reach to clean anymore.
Does he go outside the cage? If he has floortime, could be be chewing something while outside the cage?

It’s amazing the things they can do despite being supposedly confined to a set space with only set items in it!
Click to expand...

The first thing I did was check the skin it didn’t look at all affected by the pink stain.

He is on fleece. I spot clean cage every day and deep clean on Sunday then swap his fleece for his blanket and back up fleece while I wash his usual fleece. I do use hay with fleece bellow it I deep clean it weekly. He does get floor time but in a controlled area but not of the stuff in their is pink. He does clean himself in the chest area.
 
fluffysal said:
Might still be the black hide. All sorts of colours can run from black. What is it made from, is it possible to wash it? They do like to worry us, maybe they think it's enrichment to play let's figure out the problem!
Click to expand...
I don’t know what it’s made from all I know is that he has never chewed on it it appears to be a type of plasticIMG_3929.webp
 
LokiCat said:
The first thing I did was check the skin it didn’t look at all affected by the pink stain.

He is on fleece. I spot clean cage every day and deep clean on Sunday then swap his fleece for his blanket and back up fleece while I wash his usual fleece. I do use hay with fleece bellow it I deep clean it weekly. He does get floor time but in a controlled area but not of the stuff in their is pink. He does clean himself in the chest area.
Click to expand...
It sounds like you might have explored every possibility!
In the picture I noticed he is on a pink blanket, maybe try a totally different colour under his hide for a week or so.

If this continues you could individually remove each possible cause for a few days/a week and see if removing any one of them stops it happening. (I mean like remove all pink/red coloured bedding for a week and see if it stops, then remove the wooden hide for the next week and see if it stops, and continue week by week with a different thing each week until you find the problem)

If whatever causes the colouring is stopped/removed, the colour will either wear off as he cleans himself or will go when every stained hair has been shed and regrown.
 
LokiCat said:
Thanks! Any ideas on how I can try to clean it to see if it will come off? I tried to before but he almost bit me when I tried to clean it with a rag.
Click to expand...
Pantalaimon said:
It sounds like you might have explored every possibility!
In the picture I noticed he is on a pink blanket, maybe try a totally different colour under his hide for a week or so.

If this continues you could individually remove each possible cause for a few days/a week and see if removing any one of them stops it happening. (I mean like remove all pink/red coloured bedding for a week and see if it stops, then remove the wooden hide for the next week and see if it stops, and continue week by week with a different thing each week until you find the problem)

If whatever causes the colouring is stopped/removed, the colour will either wear off as he cleans himself or will go when every stained hair has been shed and regrown.
Click to expand...

We are not able to fully remove everything pink. We keep a think fitted sheet over his cage because of my cat when we are not home or not watching them to keep my cat and Guinea pig safe
 
Please keep us updated. I am really curious to know what is making him that color!
 
I just thought of something else. I was going to give some lettuce for my piggies and I noticed this on my lettuce.

1699036098056.webp

I took this part of the lettuce and rubbed it on white paper towel and it was pink! I know you mentioned that you had just fed your piggy lettuce and is probably the culprit.
 
RedLoredAmazon said:
I just thought of something else. I was going to give some lettuce for my piggies and I noticed this on my lettuce. TTACH]

I took this part of the lettuce and rubbed it on white paper towel and it was pink! I know you mentioned that you had just fed your piggy lettuce and is probably the culprit.
Click to expand...

I never feed him that part he dosent like the whites of the lettece so I thought he wouldn’t like that
 
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