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Wound on neck?

M

Maeve

New Born Pup
Joined
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Hi,
My girl is 6, and this morning I noticed a wound on her neck. I didn’t have time to deal with it and within herself she’s ok. She was at the vets last week and was diagnosed with a bladder stone, so she’s on pain medication for that. It doesn’t seem deep when I’ve checked it out tonight, but I’m not sure if this is an injury (she’s got a new friend within the last month) or if it’s something else, potentially ring worm?
(Sorry about the quality, she really does not like sitting still)
 

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It’s difficult to be certain from a photo, however, I can’t see any of the usual scabbing or flaking of skin that you would expect with ringworm. From the photos it does look more like a puncture wound from a bite. The best thing to do for now is to clean it with some home-made saline(salt in warm water) and keep a close eye on it as white wounds do have a tendency to develop abscesses if you are unlucky. If it is a bite wound there will probably be a second puncture somewhere else under the fur (think top set of teeth and bottom set of teeth). It is possible that it is a scratch or scrape from some sort of encounter with her new friend. I would also have a suspicion about the nature of the new bond as a wound on the neck would indicate the potential for their having been some sort of altercation and this being a defensive wound. I have no information about how the bonding was carried out or how the piggies have been together but I’m going to link for you the Forum guides to bonding and behaviour. If you see any escalating behaviour you may need to step in and separate them permanently. In general the rule is that once blood has been drawn, piggies shoukd be separated, however, if this was an accident rather than a fight Then there is the potential that the bond may work. If it is a bite please be prepared that you may need to separate them permanently.

boureki

Thread 'Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs'

1 List of dominance behaviours in ascending order of aggression
2 What may cause this type of behaviour in boars?
3 When do you see these behaviours in sows?
4 What can trigger fall-outs?
5 Further helpful guide links


I thought it may be handy to have a sticky on typical dominance behaviours for a reference - hopefully it may help humans understand guinea pigs and their behaviour a bit more and hopefully prevent some avoidable problems!


1 List of dominance behaviours...
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Wiebke

Thread 'Bonds In Trouble'

1 Causes for bonds to fall apart
2 Bonds in Crisis
- What are the signs of a dysfunctional bond?
- Bullying
- How can I test whether a bond is no longer working?
3 Failed bonds and what next?
- What to do if my piggies have had a major fight?
- When rebonding doesn't work out


1 Causes for bonds to fall apart

Every fall-out has of course its own...
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Wiebke

Thread 'A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours'

1 Introduction
2 Entries in alphabetical order
A
- Attention seeking and begging
B
- Back foot swipe
- Barbering (eating hair)
- Bar biting and rattling
- Begging: see Attention seeking
- 'Biting' Behaviours: Biting, Nibbling, Nipping, Tweaking
- Body language
- Border watch/lie-in
- Bullying
- Bum digging: see Poo stealing
-...
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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...
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VickiA said:
It’s difficult to be certain from a photo, however, I can’t see any of the usual scabbing or flaking of skin that you would expect with ringworm. From the photos it does look more like a puncture wound from a bite. The best thing to do for now is to clean it with some home-made saline(salt in warm water) and keep a close eye on it as white wounds do have a tendency to develop abscesses if you are unlucky. If it is a bite wound there will probably be a second puncture somewhere else under the fur (think top set of teeth and bottom set of teeth). It is possible that it is a scratch or scrape from some sort of encounter with her new friend. I would also have a suspicion about the nature of the new bond as a wound on the neck would indicate the potential for their having been some sort of altercation and this being a defensive wound. I have no information about how the bonding was carried out or how the piggies have been together but I’m going to link for you the Forum guides to bonding and behaviour. If you see any escalating behaviour you may need to step in and separate them permanently. In general the rule is that once blood has been drawn, piggies shoukd be separated, however, if this was an accident rather than a fight Then there is the potential that the bond may work. If it is a bite please be prepared that you may need to separate them permanently.

boureki

Thread 'Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs'

1 List of dominance behaviours in ascending order of aggression
2 What may cause this type of behaviour in boars?
3 When do you see these behaviours in sows?
4 What can trigger fall-outs?
5 Further helpful guide links


I thought it may be handy to have a sticky on typical dominance behaviours for a reference - hopefully it may help humans understand guinea pigs and their behaviour a bit more and hopefully prevent some avoidable problems!


1 List of dominance behaviours...
  • Like


Wiebke

Thread 'Bonds In Trouble'

1 Causes for bonds to fall apart
2 Bonds in Crisis
- What are the signs of a dysfunctional bond?
- Bullying
- How can I test whether a bond is no longer working?
3 Failed bonds and what next?
- What to do if my piggies have had a major fight?
- When rebonding doesn't work out


1 Causes for bonds to fall apart

Every fall-out has of course its own...
  • Like
Click to expand...

Thank you! They’ve seemed to be getting on ok, and I’ve never noticed any usual signs of aggression (if anything, it was the other way around at first, guinea pig in photo being a bit aggressive and possessive over food) but I’ve also had guinea pigs that really injured each other, so I know how quickly they can turn. I’ll keep an eye and give her another once over!
 
Please ensure that there are no hides where one could get trapped - all houses should have 2 exits. That can help
 
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