Mean, old pig

piggl

piggl

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My almost 5 year old boar, Winston, has started to hate my guts in the past few weeks and I do not know why (maybe dramatized, but something has changed).

When his friend passed away and I had to get him a new baby friend, for around 2 months they were coming out daily. This became routine because I didn't want him to get lonely in the absence of his friend and also so the new baby could get settled in with me. Most of our meetings consisted of them sitting on my lap eating their veggies, I respected them at all times and tried to make the meetings pleasurable for both me and them. This stopped/died down over the past month as I went on holiday and my life got busier, so now they come inside once or twice a week, but they still get picked up daily as my old boy is not the best at keeping himself clean and his young friend has an issue with eye crusties, almost like what humans get (?). This will last maybe a minute or two, depending on the day.
Once his friend passed away there was a big change in him being handled once a week at most aside from transporting them back and forth to the grass, to being handled and spoke to daily, but this behaviour was exhibited once the handling died down.

My boys live in a hutch in my garage, they get a run attached to the front daily and then it is closed up for night-time. As I said more recently he will teeth chatter whenever I come near.
In the morning when I open them up I like to sit in the front of their hutch and speak while doing some spot cleaning and he just does not like it. He will sit for a minute and then start teeth chattering while staring at me. This then continues when I come in once or twice to sit and speak to them or give them a treat in the garage, he will come up to me and take his treat but if I sit for too long without handing them the treat the chattering will start.
Tonight they were on my lap while eating their veg, and when he was without food in his mouth for around a minute he started teeth chattering again. I was not even looking at them at that point.

As I said he was never handled much until recently, and he has always been a nervous pig. I think he would prefer it if I never came near them again but I guess most piggies would. I understand some pigs react different when waiting for their treats/veg, but this is normally excitement and not anger. He allows me, he is obviously more comfortable around me than my new pig, I would hope so as I have had him since he was a baby, but he prefers to just live his own little life. The issue is that his want to live his own life has extended to never even being near me if he could decide.
I have noticed he is getting older, even though he is not that old, like he does not clean himself as well and he likes to lie down whenever he can. I am just wondering if there is anything I can do to stop this, so he can be more at ease and also as it is not the nicest feeling.

I apologise for how badly this is written, if anymore information would be helpful to make sense of this I would be more than happy to share, but I have tried to cover most relevant bases.
 
When my old boar Scotty began nipping me every time I picked him up, I found it to be pain induced. With pain medication this change of behaviour stopped.
I don't think your boy hates you. But he could be trying to tell you something.
Since he doesn't clean himself any more and likes to lie down more, could he suffer from arthritis? Or some other condition that causes him pain?
 
There’s been no nipping, just the teeth chattering when I sit near him for any time over 30 seconds.
He seems fine in himself aside from the laying down more often and the teeth chattering at me, it’s not brought on by touch, more like my presence/eye contact.

As I said we’ve never had the greatest relationship as he just likes to live his own life, so I can’t decipher if there’s something wrong or he just wants some space.
Are there any other signs I would be seeing for the likes of arthritis?

He did teeth chatter before this, when he was having cuddles and suddenly was fed up but this was always in a more stressful situation, which would be resolved by giving him some cover with a blanket, but only more recently has it changed to just me in general.
I haven’t done anything to harm him, no falls or miscalculated pick ups.

One thing I do struggle with is removing them from the cage. I cant usher them into an object no matter how hard I try so most of the time I wait for them to gather together and then block them in with an object, so there’s less running and chasing but they still don’t enjoy being picked up.
I make a specific sound when I plan to pick them up to try and help them decipher when this will happen but it doesn’t seem to be having much affect.
I apologise if this makes me sound bad but I promise i do everything with the intent to make things easy for both of us. They do trust me and more often than not I can stroke my older boys head and he’s tolerant of me cleaning around him (not so much the baby, but i’ve only had him 2 months).
 
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Could it still be arthritis even if he isn’t nipping and it’s not brought on by touch?

I’m not anti vet but there’s no proper exotic vets near me so to get an x-ray they will need to sedate him, hopefully lightly, to get an x-ray and that will cost probably around £100.
Again I don’t want him to be in pain but with my driving lessons going up to £450 and I don’t have a job right now, I don’t have that kind of money at the ready. Thankfully my parents would be able to, but I would need probable cause.
 
The earliest I could get was next Thursday.
Is there anything I can do until then?
 
I think like us when we are in pain we just don’t want to be messed about with. He may well have some long term pain/soreness like arthritis. You are a caring owner and want that’s best so don’t feel that it’s something you have done to upset him :hug:

I hope the vet trip is helpful x
 
My pigs have been diagnosed with arthritis purely from hands on examinations, so costing no more than a consultation (and of course lifetime pain relief.. which adds up but is important for the quality of life of the piggies)
 
Thank you all for your help.
I was hesitant making this post as I didn’t want it to seem like I was a bad owner initially, but I never would have came to this conclusion on my own or thought to get him to the vet, as he’s always been the type to want to be left alone.

Now when I look at him he does hop with his back feet sometimes and I have noticed he is a bit wobbly and is often hesitant to do things that cause him to move too much. Such as going on and off the hutch ledge often, going up the stairs etc.

He still popcorns sometimes and can still groom generally but I do think there’s something a bit sore.
Would there be any good in ordering some type of joint supplement for the time being? I don’t want him to be in extended pain for much longer, but I am also weary of giving him any supplements without an actual diagnosis.
 
I'd say it's probably time to book him a vet appointment, but I completely understand how prohibitive costs are at the moment.
Don't feel bad at all! It's really hard to spot when pigs are in pain or struggling with movement, especially if it's gradually appeared over a longer period of time.
 
Arthritis requires a hands-on consultation but not necessarily a scan. Please keep in mind that it could be another pain issue behind his sudden change of behaviour.
Make sure that you get Rheumocam (new UK vet brand for dog metacam) if it is arthritis and also get some Johnsons 4joints supplement online or from a pet shop once you have got a diagnosis for arthritis. The latter will take a little while to kick in, like all glucosamine based supplements but the painkiller should show an effect within a few days. Again, the metacam will build up in the system and will need to be given for the rest of the life. Arrange for a repeat prescription that you can buy online. You will still have to have him vet checked every few months. Your vet can tell you the details.

Since your boy is eating and is not losing weight quickly (try our hands-off weighing method for a once daily weigh-in first thing in the morning), he can wait until Thursday. It may not be pleasant for him but is not an emergency.
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely (videos)
 
Wiebke said:
Arthritis requires a hands-on consultation but not necessarily a scan. Please keep in mind that it could be another pain issue behind his sudden change of behaviour.
Make sure that you get Rheumocam (new UK vet brand for dog metacam) if it is arthritis and also get some Johnsons 4joints supplement online or from a pet shop once you have got a diagnosis for arthritis. The latter will take a little while to kick in, like all glucosamine based supplements but the painkiller should show an effect within a few days. Again, the metacam will build up in the system and will need to be given for the rest of the life. Arrange for a repeat prescription that you can buy online. You will still have to have him vet checked every few months. Your vet can tell you the details.

Since your boy is eating and is not losing weight quickly (try our hands-off weighing method for a once daily weigh-in first thing in the morning), he can wait until Thursday. It may not be pleasant for him but is not an emergency.
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely (videos)
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No matter how hard I try I can not get my boys to run into something, they just go around it so even when using these methods I still have to usher them into the object. Is there anything else I can do? Technique wise I mean.

Also should I leave the ordering of supplements until after the appointment? I would guess so but obviously I dont want my boy to be in pain any longer than needed.
 
piggl said:
No matter how hard I try I can not get my boys to run into something, they just go around it so even when using these methods I still have to usher them into the object. Is there anything else I can do? Technique wise I mean.

Also should I leave the ordering of supplements until after the appointment? I would guess so but obviously I dont want my boy to be in pain any longer than needed.
Click to expand...

Try to place a food treat at the far end of the container or the carrier, like some fresh grass that they cannot resist and try not to loom too much.

Please wait until you have actually have got a diagnosis. We can after all only guess and could be dead wrong. That is why I have clearly said 'if' and not 'when' in my previous post. You always have to wait until you know what you are dealing with or you run the risk of incurring needless expenses.
 
Sorry to hear about this! I would definitely take him to the vet to find out the cause of his changing behavior.
 
Wiebke said:
Try to place a food treat at the far end of the container or the carrier, like some fresh grass that they cannot resist and try not to loom too much.

Please wait until you have actually have got a diagnosis. We can after all only guess and could be dead wrong. That is why I have clearly said 'if' and not 'when' in my previous post. You always have to wait until you know what you are dealing with or you run the risk of incurring needless expenses.
Click to expand...
Sorry, thanks for your response.
 
Is there anything else I can do for now? I cant bear the thought that he is in pain, his appointment isnt until over a week away and I feel so hopeless that I can not do anything. I do not even know if there is anything wrong at all but I love him so much I can not help but worry.
 
Hi, we have been to the vet and she does not believe he has any major issues with arthritis. She felt a bit of hardness in one of his knees so she has prescribed Metacam for a week, once a day.

The issue is I bought a younger friend for him, a baby from pets at home, after he lost his old friend and after a month or two of looking for a rescue friend he started to lose weight and become lonely. They get on well and rely on being near each other, even when they're arguing, but baby Reggie (4 months) will not stop mounting/humping my poor old Winston. He just sits there and takes it while he gets on with his day but the vet would not be surprised if all that strain on his back is what is causing this issue.

I can not really do much about this. She suggested using more hides etc. to give Winston a place to retreat to but he already has plenty, he just doesn't use them. They will do normal dominance and rumble strutting, with Reggie leading the way, but after a certain point Winston just sits there. He is not and never has been interested in most dominance/humping, even with his last friend.

The other thing she suggested was castration, but I have read on here that this does nothing for male pigs, relationship/dominance wise. Does it work like human men, where the prostate gland which produces testosterone is located in the testicles?

My boys live in a hutch where separating their cage where they can still interact but not touch is near impossible with their current set-up, let alone the fact they are closely bonded and get all antsy the second they aren't near each other, especially young Reggie.
I do still wish I could have held on and got an older pig for Winston, he is and always so laid back and he deserved to live his retirement in peace, but because of his weight loss and dullness I didn't think there was much else I could do.

Any suggestions or ideas? Honestly part of me wishes it was just arthritis, so it could be helped with medication, but you can't medicate a working boar relationship.
 
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