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Really Veiny Ears?

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cloverhoney

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Hello! Sorry I couldn't find anything specific about this so I had to ask
I got a new guinea pig, I think he's about 3 or 4 months old.
I rescued a very skinny, runt baby last year and he also had very veiny ears and suddenly passed away the next month.. I don't want the same thing to happen to this guy so please let me know if there are health risks!
Here are some photos:






(sorry for some reason they won't get bigger than that)
 
I'm not aware of any health issues..:hmm:
My Beans has quite veiny ears that aren't usually apparent, only when her little ears turn red (usually they're white) then it's obvious
 
One of my past piggies, Eleanor had veiny ears like that. she had them all her life and died around 4.5 / 5 years old from kidney failure but I'm pretty sure her veiny ears had nothing to do with her death as like I say, she had them from a baby.

Eleanor was a lilac piggy so was really light in colour. We had to put suncream on her ears when she was outside in the run on sunny days x
 
I am not aware of any issues either. The only thing I think may be a possibility would be circulatory issues but I don't think any of mine with a confirmed diagnosis of that have veiny ears. I would enjoy him for now and just do weekly weighing and health checks as normal.
 
My blonde shark's ears are like that, same sort of colouring as your guinea :) His name is Jericho but he's a bit of a tweaker so he's called the blonde shark as well lol.
 
Do they change at all or are they like that all the time?

I know my Jon Snow is like B&T's piggy. I notice the veins in his ears when his ears turn pinker when he's a bit warm (or when he goes to the vet).

I've just checked some photos of him and his ears are quite veiny. He has suffered a couple of seizures over the past year, and we're not sure what is causing it. But all otherwise he's happy and fine. He's at the vet on Thursday so I'll try to remember to ask the vets opinion.

My other 2 have black ears so I can't tell if they're veiny or not.
 
I'm not aware of any issues. My pink-eared pigs have all had visible veins (I could also tell when they were warm, as their ears would flush noticeably!) My Sundae has very noticeable ear veins/flushing with warmth/activity and she is now 6, so it has not affected her longevity at all.
 
Hi! Guinea pigs regulate their body temperature via the blood flow through the ears, so the blood vessels are very close to the surface and - especially when a piggy is warm - quite noticeable in unpigmented skin. This has nothing with any health issues. ;)

If you are worried, please have your piggy given a thorough check by a good piggy savvy vet, even if it is just for your own peace of mind.
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Jaycey said:
Do they change at all or are they like that all the time?

I know my Jon Snow is like B&T's piggy. I notice the veins in his ears when his ears turn pinker when he's a bit warm (or when he goes to the vet).

I've just checked some photos of him and his ears are quite veiny. He has suffered a couple of seizures over the past year, and we're not sure what is causing it. But all otherwise he's happy and fine. He's at the vet on Thursday so I'll try to remember to ask the vets opinion.

My other 2 have black ears so I can't tell if they're veiny or not.
Click to expand...

Hello! No they go from kind of veiny to really veiny. They're much more red and apparent at random times... I haven't noticed any same situations that cause the redness
 
cloverhoney said:
Hello! No they go from kind of veiny to really veiny. They're much more red and apparent at random times... I haven't noticed any same situations that cause the redness
Click to expand...

It has do with increased blood flow to ventilate the body, but if you are worried, please see a vet for a health check. That is the only way that you will be able to allay any fears. We have never noticed any connection with increased blood flow through the ears and fatalities on this forum.
 
cloverhoney said:
Hello! No they go from kind of veiny to really veiny. They're much more red and apparent at random times... I haven't noticed any same situations that cause the redness
Click to expand...
They are likely redder when the piggie is hot- either from ambient temperature of from activity. Sundae even gets pinker ears from the 'activity' related to vigorous chewing! The ears are used as a cooling mechanism- increased blood flow in the ears allows them to cool down when they are warm. Just like little elephants!
 
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