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mls18

mls18

Teenage Guinea Pig
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My 7year old guinea pig can't seem to walk, he seems not fully conscious and won't fully react. He seems to not have control of his feet, he keeps on falling down and he's currently laying down and trying to eat. I don't know what's going on, currently trying to find a vet but the vets here are not so close. Everytime he tries to stand up, he drags his feet and then falls down
 
So sorry to hear your piggie sounds so poorly, sending lots of healing vibes, hope he recoveries x
 
Just got back from the vet, turns out he hurt his foot and needs pain medication for the next two weeks. I had to seperate him and Oreo, first of all so he can heal, also so that Oreo doesent push him which can cause him to injure himself again(which is what I'm assuming caused this injury) I will proabibaly keep them separated forever. I put them right next to eachother, their seperate by only one metal wall(the ones that are on the sides of cages). Is it best to give Oreo away to someone who has another guinea pig? I obviously wouldn't want to give him away but I want to do what's best for him. I don't want to make it so that brownie is completely alone but I don't want Oreo to not have a cagemate. They both miss eachother alot, and are trying to get through the cages to get to eachother. Would I still be able to put them together to run around sometimes? Would that be enough socializing for Oreo?
 
mls18 said:
Just got back from the vet, turns out he hurt his foot and needs pain medication for the next two weeks. I had to seperate him and Oreo, first of all so he can heal, also so that Oreo doesent push him which can cause him to injure himself again(which is what I'm assuming caused this injury) I will proabibaly keep them separated forever. I put them right next to eachother, their seperate by only one metal wall(the ones that are on the sides of cages). Is it best to give Oreo away to someone who has another guinea pig? I obviously wouldn't want to give him away but I want to do what's best for him. I don't want to make it so that brownie is completely alone but I don't want Oreo to not have a cagemate. They both miss eachother alot, and are trying to get through the cages to get to eachother. Would I still be able to put them together to run around sometimes? Would that be enough socializing for Oreo?
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Oh I am glad it’s something which can be treated! I’m so glad he is ok.

Interaction through the bars is absolutely fine and will provide enough for them both. If you give Oreo away then Brownie is not going to have any interaction after all and he then runs the risk of becoming lonely. You are much better to keep them both but keep them side by side If they cannot remain together

If they have to be separated, then I would try a neutral territory reintroduction once Brownie has healed. It may or may not work out - a medical separation can sadly ruin a bond which is why its best to keep them together whenever possible.

If they are to be kept separate, then you should not really allow them to have run around time together as that will be confusing and stressful for them. Each time you put them together, they will try to reestablish their relationship and then have it interrupted when you put them back in their own cages.
 
I only split my boys when the dominant poorly one got so wobbly his friend started to push him around - I saw it happening. My boys were happy next door to each other - they were separated by grid bars and they could still see, touch and smell each other through them. But Harvey was protected from Casper and was pretty relieved about that. If you haven't actually seen your boys fighting or squabbling could it be that his injury might just have been caused by catching his foot on something? Or does he get chased around by his friend. Some people who split boys see that the pushy pig will try to get back into the other's space but the picked-on pig ignores them and seems happier in their own space.

You've got an old guy there so you must've been doing a great job looking after him. For the next phase of his life, as he comes to the end eventually, it would be best if he knows his familiar friend is still there with him. If your other pig is much younger you can think about his future when the time comes. And if they are a similar great age, well... who knows what might happen. Well done on finding a vet and getting pain management for him ☺️
 
Sending lots of healing vibes to your little man. Hope he’s feeling much better soon :)
 
Piggies&buns said:
Oh I am glad it’s something which can be treated! I’m so glad he is ok.

Interaction through the bars is absolutely fine and will provide enough for them both. If you give Oreo away then Brownie is not going to have any interaction after all and he then runs the risk of becoming lonely. You are much better to keep them both but keep them side by side If they cannot remain together

If they have to be separated, then I would try a neutral territory reintroduction once Brownie has healed. It may or may not work out - a medical separation can sadly ruin a bond which is why its best to keep them together whenever possible.

If they are to be kept separate, then you should not really allow them to have run around time together as that will be confusing and stressful for them. Each time you put them together, they will try to reestablish their relationship and then have it interrupted when you put them back in their own cages.
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ok thank you so much! Do you think their bond will stay strong if they have communication through the bars? or would it require them actually living together for them to be bonded?
 
Free Ranger said:
I only split my boys when the dominant poorly one got so wobbly his friend started to push him around - I saw it happening. My boys were happy next door to each other - they were separated by grid bars and they could still see, touch and smell each other through them. But Harvey was protected from Casper and was pretty relieved about that. If you haven't actually seen your boys fighting or squabbling could it be that his injury might just have been caused by catching his foot on something? Or does he get chased around by his friend. Some people who split boys see that the pushy pig will try to get back into the other's space but the picked-on pig ignores them and seems happier in their own space.

You've got an old guy there so you must've been doing a great job looking after him. For the next phase of his life, as he comes to the end eventually, it would be best if he knows his familiar friend is still there with him. If your other pig is much younger you can think about his future when the time comes. And if they are a similar great age, well... who knows what might happen. Well done on finding a vet and getting pain management for him ☺️
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Thanks so much for the reply! Hearing your story gives me hope that my guinea pigs will also be happy:) I'm pretty sure it was from oreo, he's the more dominant guinea pig in the bond and so he climbs over brownie a lot and shoves him(they still get along very well).Thanks so much!
 
mls18 said:
ok thank you so much! Do you think their bond will stay strong if they have communication through the bars? or would it require them actually living together for them to be bonded?
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Communication and interaction through the bars is unfortunately no indicator of how piggies will get on when put together.

I don’t know the likelihood that he was injured by his friend. I think foot injuries are more generally self inflicted rather than being clambered over by another piggy.

Hope they go back together okay. And Brownie starts feeling better soon.
 
mls18 said:
ok thank you so much! Do you think their bond will stay strong if they have communication through the bars? or would it require them actually living together for them to be bonded?
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If they do still like each other, then in theory yes, their bond will remain but it doesn’t mean they will want to live together again and be prepared to share territory again. Separating them is always a risk and this is why we don’t recommend it.
When one of my boys sprained his leg, I never separated them. Dexter just didn’t run about as much until he felt better. Popcorn clearly knew Dex was sore and he was a bit more considerate towards him than normal!
 
Piggies&buns said:
If they do still like each other, then in theory yes, their bond will remain but it doesn’t mean they will want to live together again and be prepared to share territory again. Separating them is always a risk and this is why we don’t recommend it.
When one of my boys sprained his leg, I never separated them. Dexter just didn’t run about as much until he felt better. Popcorn clearly knew Dex was sore and he was a bit more considerate towards him than normal!
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oh ok, thanks so much! I'm starting to consider putting them back together after brownie is healed(the vet also said to separate them while hes healing) and reintroduce them, would Oreos dominance be as severe as in the last introduction? I know it's probably different with every guinea pig, but do you have any idea or an experience with it?
 
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