Hair loss inside front left leg!

[Abisquartet]

Evening all,

Yet another post about my hypochondriac baby Toffee!

I’ve recently noticed that the bald spot he’s got on the inside left of his leg has grown. I’ve spent an hour looking over all the pictures I’ve got of him dating back to when we got him and he’s always had a bald patch there (the attached picture of him with all black Domino dates to the 4th October 2021). But I’ve noticed over the last few days it’s become bigger (picture of him with his paws on the cage being taken a few minutes ago).

Now, he’s recently been ill and has been having medication given for a UTI so maybe it’s some stress induced grooming from being ill? I’ve looked at his cage mate Gizmo and he shows no signs of hair loss so I’m not sure it would be lice/mites although I’m not overly clued up on how they work.

Also important to note when we took him to the vets for his UTI, the vet was concerned that he was rather thin; his shoulder blades and hips protrude quite a bit when you hold him. Following the guide on the forum about measuring weight etc, his ribs are able to be felt but do not protrude in the way that would see the guide diagnose him being underweight and he’d be considered ideal weight according to that. As we’ve been keeping an eye on him we’ve noticed his weight has been slowly increasing so we’re really happy about that, at about 10g per day which isn’t crazy but definitely progress.

He has also recently been off his nuggets which he gets in the morning but still eating the normal amount of hay and loves his veggies. Earlier today Gizmo’s popcorn flipped the bowl the nuggets are kept in and since then they’ve been hoovered up, presumably by both of them.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[Wiebke]

Evening all,

Yet another post about my hypochondriac baby Toffee!

I’ve recently noticed that the bald spot he’s got on the inside left of his leg has grown. I’ve spent an hour looking over all the pictures I’ve got of him dating back to when we got him and he’s always had a bald patch there (the attached picture of him with all black Domino dates to the 4th October 2021). But I’ve noticed over the last few days it’s become bigger (picture of him with his paws on the cage being taken a few minutes ago).

Now, he’s recently been ill and has been having medication given for a UTI so maybe it’s some stress induced grooming from being ill? I’ve looked at his cage mate Gizmo and he shows no signs of hair loss so I’m not sure it would be lice/mites although I’m not overly clued up on how they work.

Also important to note when we took him to the vets for his UTI, the vet was concerned that he was rather thin; his shoulder blades and hips protrude quite a bit when you hold him. Following the guide on the forum about measuring weight etc, his ribs are able to be felt but do not protrude in the way that would see the guide diagnose him being underweight and he’d be considered ideal weight according to that. As we’ve been keeping an eye on him we’ve noticed his weight has been slowly increasing so we’re really happy about that, at about 10g per day which isn’t crazy but definitely progress.

He has also recently been off his nuggets which he gets in the morning but still eating the normal amount of hay and loves his veggies. Earlier today Gizmo’s popcorn flipped the bowl the nuggets are kept in and since then they’ve been hoovered up, presumably by both of them.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Hi
Hair loss in this area is normal as a result of several times daily 'piggy washes' in which they spread saliva (which has healing properties) over their coat.
By the time they are adult, all healthy guinea pigs have those bald patches. It is a good sign because it means that they are fully mobile and agile enough to take care of themselves.

Please read this very helpful link here:
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not? (see chapter hair loss)

 

[Tnoz]

Mine have the same thing from cleaning themselves it’s normal

 

[Abisquartet]

Thank you both! Whilst allaying one worry it’s created another… if other adult piggies don’t have them then is that a reason to worry?

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you both! Whilst allaying one worry it’s created another… if other adult piggies don’t have them then is that a reason to worry?

No, only if their coat and bum area look messy and show that your piggy is no longer able to do so; but they will usually show other signs of serious illness or pain by then. The hair will not grow back again in adults/older piggies.
You can find the relevant information via the guides included at the end of our New Owners collection or in our full information collection for owners of all levels of experience. Both links are useful for bookmarking and browsing and reading/re-reading at need. They contain all the little how-to tips and information that we cannot pack into every post and answer them all in our own free time.
Getting Started - Essential Information for New Owners
Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

 

[Freela]

That's a common place for hair loss due to using those paws to groom themselves. It's more noticeable on some pigs than others.