Not normal behaviour

[Niknaknoo1313]

Hi everyone. My piggie is 11 months old. He has been a bit poorly recently so we gave critical care and he is now eating and drinking. Something that he has started doing over the last few days is very concerning. He mostly just sits under a hidey and when I lift it up to see him he runs to the other end of the cage, bangs his head like he doesn’t realise the edge is there and then runs along the other length and does the same. He does this until he finds his way back into the hidey. This isn’t the same as a scared piggy. It’s almost like he is frantic and has no sense of direction whatsoever. He bit my son the other day and he has never done that before. I’m wondered if he has some sort of brain trauma like a stroke or something has happened neurologically as he is a completely different pig now. Doesn’t even squeak when food is about and I have to place it in front of him. It’s so sad.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m so sorry to hear this

Did you take him to the vet? If not, then it would be a good idea to do so. While there isn’t much that can be done for neurological issues, there may be something else going on that can be treated if at least with painkillers.

I would advise you switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him every morning. This enables you to monitor independent hay intake and ensure you are giving enough critical care to keep his weight stable each day.

I hope he is ok

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[Niknaknoo1313]

Hi, thanks for your reply I really appreciate it. We took him to the vets when he appeared poorly and they said his heart and lungs were clear. He was dehydrated and not much gut sounds. He had a fluid shot and a shot to get his guts moving. That seems to help as over the next few days he perked up. Now he looks brighter but we have these issues with his “behaviour” as such. I have never seen a piggie behave like that, running and bashing against the sides of the cage and it is awful to watch. I really do think something neurological has occurred maybe more than once and it just keeps getting worse for him. It doesn’t help that his parents are brother and sister, so bad genetics. Not our fault, we bought the mum and she was pregnant already.