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signs of age in older piggies

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Just wondered for those of you that have older piggies, what sort of signs are there that they are older? I am sort of thinking age 3+

I am asking because for quite a long while I have suspected that Lennie is in fact a fair bit older than I was told when I "rescued" him from his previous owner ::) I was told he was 6 months old but having more experience now, my 6 month old piggies are still like babies compared to Lennie. He has never grown any since I got him, he put on weight (which is great as he was under fed) and is laid back, likes to rest a lot and has old feet ::)(if that makes sense). They are quite dry and have extra spurs which we trim, his toes have tufts of grey hair on them. I have just received some perfect paws ointment from GG which I am going to pamper his feet with.
He is just lovely and has stolen my heart totally, but I really do wonder sometimes how old he actually is? :-\
 
Aw he sounds just like Ralfie :smitten: except for the spurs, Ralf doesnt have them, his nails are old and grow inwards though so they have to be kept really short. I use the GG foot cream for Ralf too. I'm not sure how old he is, the rescue told me he was one year but wrote on his adoption certificate 2years, so i dont think they really had a clue! I'm the same, i'd love to know his age because i really think he is at least 3! butt hen again he was kept in bad conditions so he could just look older than his years, i think that has something to do with it x
 
This seems like the same story I was told with Digby he is quite old bless him. His nails are a lot harder than the younger piggies nails, he too has a few spurs he also just bimbles around the cage sleeps a bit he is happy to just potter around sleep potter around sleep oh and he can still popcorn lol
 
I have thought before that he and Ralfie are quite similar, little old men :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:

I will try and post some pics of Lennies feet later ;D

Lennie does a kind of half popcorn and then bimbles off, bless him :smitten:
 
;D yer Ralf does that, he'll half jump and walk round a bit faster than normal and make the little squeek noise they sometimes do when they popcorn ;D yay feet pics! we'll have to start a thread for old piggy feet :smitten: :D
 
Georgie is between 5 and 6...I thought she was 5 last summer but the vet thinks she could be a bit older....she's a loveable cuddly old girl, just sort of plods around most of the time and snoozes wherever,as sometimes I don't think she can be bothered to go to bed ;D Her nails are harder than the others to and she has a spur on one foot,but that's easily trimmed. Really apart from being a bit slower and alot rounder :D she doesn't seem to much different to the other girls,hopefully we will have a few more years together yet...she's my baby :smitten:

edit* chronic spelling today
 
The only way you can tell really is by the thickness of their nails. Ursula is 6 nearly 7 and would pass for a 2 year old. My friend has an 8 year old who's the same, she's lost a bit of weight since getting older but is as lively as her younger companions. Ziggy is only 4 yet spends his time laid in the fiddlestix ::)
 
karenrgpr said:
The only way you can tell really is by the thickness of their nails.
Click to expand...

Wish I'd known that before Razzle passed away then I might have had some idea of his true age :smitten:

I didn't know you tell age by the nails, I'll post a photo of Rosie later and let you tell me how old she is ;D
 
You can't tell a great deal (like you can with horses teeth!) but if they're thick they're at the older end of the scale- thin then the younger end. But then you get the 7 year old with the nails of a three year old sometimes, its not accurate/fail safe really unless they're thick :)
 
Lennies nail are quite thick and yellow. He has the longest quicks I have seen too making his toes look really long. Can an experienced rodentologist/vet tell by teeth at all? or maybe not as they continually grow ::) I have massaged perfect paws ointment into his feet and gave him a nice brush earlier :smitten: :smitten:
 
No, you can't tell by teeth, thats horses :) and all mouths are different, some have mouths that look just like a horses mouth ::)
 
Wish we had some piccies of feet/ nails.
I think one of my piggies is alot older than origionally told.
I tried to take piccies of his feet yesterday, as he has what I think could be spurs.
His nails are very thick, yellow and curl in if not kept very short.
He is lovely and quiet, he just seems older than 2. :smitten: :smitten:
 
Thanks, my piccies were lousy, which is why I didn't post them.
O0
 
Don't think guineas go grey either do they? All right for some >:(

I'm not sure about one of my guineas ages. I got her about a year ago, she'd been living outside in a mixed group and had probably been pregnant most of her life. The rescue thought she was about 3 but since I've got her she seems younger now. Her coat is now in lovely condition and she's lost the hunted look she had. Think she was a tough little cookie when I got her but she's mellowed :smitten:
 
Taken some pics but too tired to put them up now, off to bed! I will post them tomorrow :)
 
My eldest son was away for 2 years first thing he said when he saw Duke was, gee he's got grey in his hair and look at his cream stripe it's more cream :o So maybe like us their hair does change ever so slightly :-\
I've found he's slower these days and def sleeps more :smitten: appetite is not as much as it was either :)
 
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