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Sows - wounds

S

skunk&bear

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Hey there, new piggie owner here.

I’ve had my two six month old sows for about a month now, they were housed together prior to when I got them as well and are suspected to be from the same litter. I’ve noticed them fighting, as well as wounds on one of the smaller one’s ears and her neck area. Her ear seems dry and flaky, on the inside and out, with little spots that look like scabs. Her neck area looks like three little scratches or bite marks which are scabbed over as well
, I’m unsure of which, but she doesn’t show signs of pain or discomfort when I touch the area lightly, and I am unsure if the injuries came from her cage mate or not. I have one 2x4 C&C cage, and no space to get another for quite a while until I move. For now I have split their cage in half, to allow them some space apart and to heal. They have been biting these panels as well, I am unsure how to fix that but I’ve been doing my best regardless. I am just wondering if anyone has some guidance or advice on what to do, and if I should keep them separated for good or if I should try reintroducing them after a while.

Thank you very much for reading and the help!
 

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It's 1am here, so you might not get an expert response until morning.

In the meantime, welcome to you and your piggies.
 
Welcome to the forum

I would actually get them to the vet.
While we cannot make any diagnosis (only a vet can do so) I would say that this looks like it has the potential to be a fungal infection (ringworm) and not fight wounds.

Have you actually seen them having proper fights and biting each other?
I don’t mean just normal dominance (ie chasing and nipping (nipping is a gesture of power but does not break the skin so you will not see any wounds with normal nipping) - I mean actually rolling around locked together or actually sinking their teeth into each other?

If you have not actually seen any physical fights between them I would advise that you immediately reunite them in neutral territory and see a vet.
Where you are sure there hasn’t actually been any fight, I'm advising reintroduction because unnecessary separation causes stress, lowers the immune system and can break bonds - so you don’t want them separated unless you are 100% certain their bond is over and don’t like each other.
If you have seen such rolling around actual bond breaking fights, then the bond has failed and they should remain separated for the rest of their lives.
Each pig would need their own 2x3 cage minimum (a 2x4 cage split in half doesn’t meet minimum sizing so they can’t stay in a split 2x4 cage for long at all).
I would still advise you see a vet because certainly the pictures do still look like it has the potential to be fungal to me.

I’ve attached our ringworm guide which explains the best treatment (a prescribed oral medication) and the strict hygiene and disinfection measures which you need to undertake if it is a diagnosed case of ringworm. Getting on top of it quickly and effectively is best. Methods such as putting anti fungal cream on the sore areas are ineffective and can mean spores are still shed and will perpetuate the infection (spores can live in the environment for up to 2 years).
If this is ringworm then it is highly infectious to you and anybody else who handles the pigs, and any other animals in the house also.

I have moved your thread to the health section so we can continue to monitor your thread for ongoing advice.

Wiebke

Thread 'Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures'

1 What is ringworm and how is it treated?
- Ringworm facts
- Available treatments (UK-US-worldwide available products)
- Your customer rights with new guinea pigs
2 Ringworm hygiene during and at the end of treatment
- When to quarantine
- Recommended disinfectants (UK-US-worldwide available brands)
- Disinfection (plastic/hard surfaces, fabrics, wood/toys)
3 Ringworm hygiene/prevention and...
  • Like
Wiebke

Thread 'New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights'

1 Double-checking the gender upon arrival
- Sexing
- Pregnancies and surprise babies
2 When to quarantine new companions?
3 Vet visits
- Health check/registration upon arrival
- Reclaiming vet cost for newly bought ill guinea pigs
4 Common illnesses in new guinea pigs
- Ringworm
- Respiratory infection (URI)
5 List of guinea pig...
  • Like

I have also added our guide on how to reunite them using neutral territory.

Wiebke

Thread 'Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics'

1 Introduction
2 Pre-bonding
- Quarantine and sexing
- The need for a plan B
- The rule-breaker: Youngsters under 4 months (sub-teenage)
3 Setting up an introduction
- Getting to know each other
- ‘Buddy baths’ – why not
- Scent swapping - why not
- Setting up a neutral bonding area
- How to start the bonding
4 Acceptance phase: Do we like...
  • Like
 
Welcome to the forum! I hope the issues are easily sorted. If it is fungal, the right meds should fix it fairly quickly. Hopefully they can get back together again. The good thing about C&C cages is how flexible they are once you have more space, they allow for lots of enrichment.
 
Welcome to the forum. I hope your piggy is soon feeling better.
 
Welcome to the forum.
Hope your vet can give you a proper diagnosis and treatment.
Your piggies look beautiful 🤩
 
Piggies&buns said:
Welcome to the forum

I would actually get them to the vet.
While we cannot make any diagnosis (only a vet can do so) I would say that this looks like it has the potential to be a fungal infection (ringworm) and not fight wounds.

Have you actually seen them having proper fights and biting each other?
I don’t mean just normal dominance (ie chasing and nipping (nipping is a gesture of power but does not break the skin so you will not see any wounds with normal nipping) - I mean actually rolling around locked together or actually sinking their teeth into each other?

If you have not actually seen any physical fights between them I would advise that you immediately reunite them in neutral territory and see a vet.
Where you are sure there hasn’t actually been any fight, I'm advising reintroduction because unnecessary separation causes stress, lowers the immune system and can break bonds - so you don’t want them separated unless you are 100% certain their bond is over and don’t like each other.
If you have seen such rolling around actual bond breaking fights, then the bond has failed and they should remain separated for the rest of their lives.
Each pig would need their own 2x3 cage minimum (a 2x4 cage split in half doesn’t meet minimum sizing so they can’t stay in a split 2x4 cage for long at all).
I would still advise you see a vet because certainly the pictures do still look like it has the potential to be fungal to me.

I’ve attached our ringworm guide which explains the best treatment (a prescribed oral medication) and the strict hygiene and disinfection measures which you need to undertake if it is a diagnosed case of ringworm. Getting on top of it quickly and effectively is best. Methods such as putting anti fungal cream on the sore areas are ineffective and can mean spores are still shed and will perpetuate the infection (spores can live in the environment for up to 2 years).
If this is ringworm then it is highly infectious to you and anybody else who handles the pigs, and any other animals in the house also.

I have moved your thread to the health section so we can continue to monitor your thread for ongoing advice.

Wiebke

Thread 'Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures'

1 What is ringworm and how is it treated?
- Ringworm facts
- Available treatments (UK-US-worldwide available products)
- Your customer rights with new guinea pigs
2 Ringworm hygiene during and at the end of treatment
- When to quarantine
- Recommended disinfectants (UK-US-worldwide available brands)
- Disinfection (plastic/hard surfaces, fabrics, wood/toys)
3 Ringworm hygiene/prevention and...
  • Like
Wiebke

Thread 'New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights'

1 Double-checking the gender upon arrival
- Sexing
- Pregnancies and surprise babies
2 When to quarantine new companions?
3 Vet visits
- Health check/registration upon arrival
- Reclaiming vet cost for newly bought ill guinea pigs
4 Common illnesses in new guinea pigs
- Ringworm
- Respiratory infection (URI)
5 List of guinea pig...
  • Like

I have also added our guide on how to reunite them using neutral territory.

Wiebke

Thread 'Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics'

1 Introduction
2 Pre-bonding
- Quarantine and sexing
- The need for a plan B
- The rule-breaker: Youngsters under 4 months (sub-teenage)
3 Setting up an introduction
- Getting to know each other
- ‘Buddy baths’ – why not
- Scent swapping - why not
- Setting up a neutral bonding area
- How to start the bonding
4 Acceptance phase: Do we like...
  • Like
Click to expand...
I see, thank you! No, it has not gotten to that point, just biting on ears and butts and neck area causing the one pictured to squeal in pain. I’m glad to hear that this likely is just dominance fighting, however it doesn’t seem that either wants to back down. I definitely do plan to get them to the vet as soon as my mom is able to, as she is sick at the moment. My other piggie has a bit of what’s pictured on one of her ears as well, but not nearly as bad. I will give them both another look over today after cleaning their cage! I already removed the panel separating them as they were biting the bars and attempting to stick their heads through (they’re small enough to do so), and I was worried about that causing more potential physical harm. So they have been together all night and were only apart for a few hours at most. Thank you all so much for the replies and the advice, I definitely will be getting them to the vet asap, though I would like advice on a vet nearby to me with experience in treating these little ones, as my mom will not want to take them too far.
 
skunk&bear said:
I see, thank you! No, it has not gotten to that point, just biting on ears and butts and neck area causing the one pictured to squeal in pain. I’m glad to hear that this likely is just dominance fighting, however it doesn’t seem that either wants to back down. I definitely do plan to get them to the vet as soon as my mom is able to, as she is sick at the moment. My other piggie has a bit of what’s pictured on one of her ears as well, but not nearly as bad. I will give them both another look over today after cleaning their cage! I already removed the panel separating them as they were biting the bars and attempting to stick their heads through (they’re small enough to do so), and I was worried about that causing more potential physical harm. So they have been together all night and were only apart for a few hours at most. Thank you all so much for the replies and the advice, I definitely will be getting them to the vet asap, though I would like advice on a vet nearby to me with experience in treating these little ones, as my mom will not want to take them too far.
Click to expand...

it is possible the squealing is not pain. Nipping as a gesture of power lets the other piggy feel the teeth but it is not biting and does not break the skin: therefore the squealing is not in pain.
It is called submission squealing and is one pig letting the other know that they know the other is dominant and they accept their place in the hierarchy. The squealing is the correct response from the submissive piggy.

The incubation period of ringworm is 10-14 days so if it is ringworm then you are going to see it spread.
 
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