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Piggy with an often wet belly and legs

lauryn1289

lauryn1289

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi, so one of my boys Eggs (around 1-2 maybe? I took him in from a situation where he was unwanted and living in a shed on his own in Feb 2023, I posted on here for sexing advice and people suggested he was quite young!)

He’s had a recurring abscess twice now (hopefully the last time) and osseous metaplasia I’m pretty sure since his eyes have grey patches in them and around them but apart from that he’s a healthy spritely little guy. Exactly like it sounds however, he often has a wet tummy from lying in his pee. I don’t have this problem with my other boy Ollie and I’ve never had it with my previous pigs Bobby, Kip or Rico, apart from when Kip was reaching 7 years old and was less mobile before he died.

Bobby unfortunately passed away from complications related to bladder stones so I know the signs all too well of that. Eggs shows no signs of pain, no squealing, never seen bloody urine, nothing like that so I don’t think it’s a urinary issue even? Is there anything else that could be causing him to sit in his own pee so much? His mobility is absolutely fine too and he has a 3x3 C&C cage to himself beside his neighbour Ollie so it’s not like his cage is so tiny he has to sit in his own pee. His bedding is all fleece until he inevitably gets hay all over a specific corner of it

Behaviourally I see nothing wrong with him either, although this sounds mean but he’s a very very very silly pig. He’s one of the not so smartest animals I’ve honestly ever met so I have wondered if he’s lying in pee because he’s genuinely just really goofy? He’s such a lovely little guy and so friendly and sweet but he really isn’t the brightest bulb at all. He truly is the epitome of lights on but no one’s home and I really mean that 😂 So I’m stumped what’s the cause
 

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It would be a good idea to pop him along to the vet for a good all over health check as well as to confirm there aren’t any urinary issues.
You don’t seem to report health issues but you would want to be absolutely certain.
Are his weekly weight checks all stable?

I would also double check his bedding is wicking properly.
How often do you change the fleece?
Do you use additional small fleece pee pads/squarea in high traffic areas such as where he lays most so that you can remove them as soon as they’re wet?
 
Piggies&buns said:
It would be a good idea to pop him along to the vet for a good all over health check as well as to confirm there aren’t any urinary issues.
You don’t seem to report health issues but you would want to be absolutely certain.
Are his weekly weight checks all stable?

I would also double check his bedding is wicking properly.
How often do you change the fleece?
Do you use additional small fleece pee pads/squarea in high traffic areas such as where he lays most so that you can remove them as soon as they’re wet?
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His weight is stable yes! I do an entire bedding swap every few days but usually take out all the hay that’s gathered in between that and I use those really thick bobble bath mats on top of pee pads so they’re very absorbent, him and Ollie’s bed layout of fleeces/types of fleeces is usually identical and Ollie tends to park himself in the highest traffic area because it’s beside Eggs and he doesn’t have the wet belly issue. The pee that’s gathered on his belly is always normal yellow too, never discoloured
 
Hello my RB piggy Bobby started with a wet tummy and I thought what you’d thought but it became smelly so i took him to the vet and he did have a uti - sadly in the long term Bobby ( who was 4 yrs 9 months) did have several bladder stones and despite an op he died . Of course I’m not saying that is the problem for Eggs but I would take him to the Vet just for a check …..good luck
 
Roselina said:
Hello my RB piggy Bobby started with a wet tummy and I thought what you’d thought but it became smelly so i took him to the vet and he did have a uti - sadly in the long term Bobby ( who was 4 yrs 9 months) did have several bladder stones and despite an op he died . Of course I’m not saying that is the problem for Eggs but I would take him to the Vet just for a check …..good luck
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My boy who died from bladder issues was also called Bobby ❤️‍🩹 He was about 2 years old, he survived the op but just didn’t survive the recovery. I’m so sorry about your boy. I’ll try cleaning Eggs’ bed more often than Ollie’s and see if that helps at all but if not I’ll get him checked out
 
lauryn1289 said:
My boy who died from bladder issues was also called Bobby ❤️‍🩹 He was about 2 years old, he survived the op but just didn’t survive the recovery. I’m so sorry about your boy. I’ll try cleaning Eggs’ bed more often than Ollie’s and see if that helps at all but if not I’ll get him checked out
Click to expand...

I would put getting him checked out by the vet as the priority, not changing the bedding more
Medical assessment always come before environmental considerations
 
Piggies&buns said:
I would put getting him checked out by the vet as the priority, not changing the bedding more
Medical assessment always come before environmental considerations
Click to expand...
My cat just had an eye removal surgery and she’s booked to get her stitches out on Tuesday so I’ll see if my vet could take a look at Eggs while we’re there
 
I agree about the vet check to rule out medical issues.
However, I have a not very bright boy who's a total piddle pants. He seems to actively enjoy sleeping in wee. I had to buy extra pee pads for his cuddle cup, hammocks and fleeces for his posing platform. On a normal day at least 2 of these get changed and even with fresh pee pads, his cuddle cup never lasts a week. His neighboar is not like this.
 
fluffysal said:
I agree about the vet check to rule out medical issues.
However, I have a not very bright boy who's a total piddle pants. He seems to actively enjoy sleeping in wee. I had to buy extra pee pads for his cuddle cup, hammocks and fleeces for his posing platform. On a normal day at least 2 of these get changed and even with fresh pee pads, his cuddle cup never lasts a week. His neighboar is not like this.
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So it’s not just me with a very silly boy! Eggs is unfussed about where he sits as well as being messy. My other boy Ollie actually keeps his cage quite clean, he tends to go to the toilet in specific areas. I made the boys a salad the other day, put it right behind Eggs’ legs, and he still couldn’t find it for ages. I’ll definitely get him checked out to be safe but I really do think it’s just him being him
 
Mischievous Master Boris was living on his own, we were told about him when we needed a new companion for Dignified Sir George. We don't know how long for, he's about 3 months younger than Sir George.
Sir George is a VERY calm, chilled dominant but Master Boris got fear aggressive following a hormone spike. We separated them before things got to the point of no return, so hopefully it's temporary.
The posing platforms happened because the cage is two full floors and the bottom of the ramps were near the divider. This is where Master Boris decided he HAD to do all of his pees. Fast forward to me getting fed up with changing the pee pad at least 3 times daily AND noticing the bottom of the ramp was disgusting because it was permanently wet. Hubby and I came up with this temporary solution that they love. Eggs is a cutie20240823_105025_remastered.webp20241023_204259.webp 💓
 
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