Our oldest pig out of four (one older boy living with a 1 year old boy, then 2 one year oldish girls living in another room) has been losing health fast. I've been on vacation for a month and left my family with detailed care instructions for the pigs (I'm the usual
cavy caretaker). While I was gone, the younger boy kept stealing the older one's food so much that the older lost a lot of weight. Even my rather oblivious family noticed this, and they divided the boys' cage several days before I got back because the local vet told them to do this. Note that our vet isn't a
cavy specialist. The older has gained a little bit of weight back, but he seems lethargic and apathetic to his normal veggies. The pig in question is around five-six years old, but he had a hard first four years of life (pet store cage, bad food, little to no veggies, ect) so I think he's getting to the elder years.
The only vet who knows anything about
cavies is several hours away and very hard to see. We've searched for months and only have the one doctor who once told me to put powder on a pig with lice (not that knowledgable).
Their cage is only 2x5, which is big enough for two living together but only leaves 2x2.5 each when separated. Building another cage isn't an option for a few weeks, though if needed I plan on doing this. I don't feel right leaving them with a divider in their cage, but the older pig seems so frail I hesitate to put them back together with expert advice. Which is why I came here: to seek advice from other
cavy owners. Help?