New pig owner

[Fiddlestick240]

Hey guys! We recently got a friend for our Bugs, he was given to use about a month ago and in doing research I figured we should get another male. I came home from work today to check on them & Scoot our new boy had a mark above his eye. Bugs has already made sure scoot knew he was “in charge” but I’m worried about scoot with the mark.

 

[Ruth1]

I’m new to piggies myself, but welcome! There will be someone along soon whit a wealth of knowledge, but I imagine they will want to know more about things like the size of your set up, what you have in it, maybe how you went about bonding the boys and I don’t know what else! I’m sure there’s help for you! Pictures would be wonderful!

 

[Free Ranger]

Oh, well done on getting him a friend! And you are right - we don't advocate keeping intact boys with girls as we don't promote breeding on this forum so 2 boys is the way forward for you. There are ways to ease a bonding situation by doing the first meeting on neutral ground etc but I think we're past that and tbh if they are not going to get on you can't wave a magic wand! But let's assume for now that they will

If you could get a picture of the mark it would be really helpful. It could be an altercation but we can't exclude that your new boy perhaps arrived with something simmering under and the stress of his new situation (even if he loves it) might have brought it out. They can carry fungal infection sometimes and this can cause patches of hair loss around the face, eyes, ears etc. It might look like a bit of dry crusty skin or a scabby patch if they've been scratching. Fungals can be very itchy.

How old are they, how long have they been together now, and does Scoot seem frightened of Bugs or do you see them hanging out together? There will always be a boss pig and an under-pig - and the initial phase can be tense with the boys - but if there has been a proper fight with blood drawn the usual advice is that they will not be happy sharing the same cage space but that they can be happy as neighbours next to each other where they can interact through the bars (but no-one is getting picked on). It will certainly help the situation if you avoid areas where one boy can get trapped so remove hideys with one door and use tunnels or covered areas where it's easy to move away if need be. Have at least one hidey per pig so they don't have to share if they don't want to. And make sure your set-up is the minimum size for 2 boys because guys that would otherwise get on fine can get very tense if their enclosure is cramped. There are great links on the green bar above - check out this one all about the boys A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

If you can give a bit more info and maybe a piccy of the problem mark the experts can give you more thorough feedback. It's 10.20pm here so we'll all be off to bed soon but they start pretty early in the morning. Good luck guys - hope you get some answers x

 

[Wiebke]

Hey guys! We recently got a friend for our Bugs, he was given to use about a month ago and in doing research I figured we should get another male. I came home from work today to check on them & Scoot our new boy had a mark above his eye. Bugs has already made sure scoot knew he was “in charge” but I’m worried about scoot with the mark.

Hi

Please keep an eye on your new boy for potentially having a developing ringworm patch. If in any doubt, please see a vet because I can only guess sight unseen and may be completely wrong. It can in the very first days look like a wound if the area has been scratched bloody. Ringworm is unfortunately very common in newly bought guinea pigs.
You can find more about ringworm hygiene (please DO NOT scant on it; ringworm spores are tiny, highly infective, long lived and species jumping) and care, pictures, your customer rights re. vet cost reimbursement etc. in these links here.
Our ringworm guide contains all the practical step-by-step information and tips on how to get through it once and for all:
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights
Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures

Here is more practical advice for new owners: Getting Started - Essential Information for New Owners