Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register
  • ONE THREAD per pig please!
    We really want your pig's history all in one place to help you. Please don't start a new thread for a new issue. Just reply to your old one. We can edit the title for you if needed.

Conditions My pig has a tail?!? Weird fat folds?? diet and health questions!

ciaraelise

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Posts
118
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Messages
118
I recently adopted two boars in hopes of eventually bonding them with my sweetheart Chester.

The one male I rescued is two years old and all he wants to do is sleep. His previous owners fed him unlimited kaytee pellets, yellowish hard hay, and tons of yogurt drops along with a celery stick or carrot stick a day.

I have only had him for two days but I am integrating Oxbow adult pellets into their kaytee and am cutting down in how much pellets they are fed. I have unlimited luck timothy for them and two servings of veggies, red leaf lettuce and romaine in the morning and a bell pepper, baby carrot, and cherry tomato in the even. I give little strawberries every once in a while for treats.

Their poops were a dry light brought color when I first got them but after feeding them veggies and putting some oxbow mixed in their kaytee pellets and giving them fresh hay they poops have turned a darker color but are now a little mushy. I wouldn't say diarrhea but when they walk on the poop it smooches down pretty easily. should I feed them less greens?

Also Max is huge. Not only is he a large guinepig but he has the weird fat flaps. He has a large double chin and while it is super adorable it seems incredibly unhealthy. He has the same sort of fat deposits near his hips under his legs if you can picture that…

His nails were also never trimmed until I brought him home. I was fortunate enough not to knick his quick in any of his toes and still trim his nails down quite a bit. They are still curled but it looks much more comfortable to walk.

I looked over both boys when i got them home and all seemed well. Neither had any cuts and they weren't sensitive to pets and rubs. And when I held the official introductions between the two boys (the family had them in cages next to each other and the kids let them 'play together') Hershey got boar glue all over Max's butt. I want to clean it off today but while inspecting it I realized Max many have a tail??? It looks like a path of hair that has been stuck together but When I trimmed the hair down I noticed there is a flap of skin there. Mad is such a sweetheart and won't scream or bite but I can tell he doesn't like when I tough it or other part of his back because he will push his nose in the ground and nibble in probably the most violent way he knows how (which isn't violent at all hahaha)

His body is just really weird because i can feel his bones on his hips and back and it makes me feel like he is skinny but then he had the enormous fatty areas on his underside. And he has skin flap on his little butt!!

I originally wad going to chuck his constant sleepiness as his old home was tiny and he was fed an atrocious diet. I'm hoping that he will perk up and look less miserable soon.

Right now he is sleeping on my lap but every now and again he will suddenly turn his head and groom himself rather aggressively like he had a bad itch. but he doesn't seem to mind me petting him or hold him.



Any advice on any of this??
Has anyone else dealt with any of these things while adopting piggies??

Again he's only 2 so i don't think he should have all of these issues.

Thanks guys!!

max006.jpgmax007.jpg
 

PeanutnCookie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Posts
874
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Messages
874
First off, I would say the poop squishy is because you threw too many veggies at them at once. Since they got barely any veggies before, this is seems like an overload to them. Take away most of the veggies, but you can give a leaf of lettuce in the morning and a little pepper at night and see if the poop improves its hardness. If it doesn't, remove the lettuce and wait a few days before you add it in again. If it does, you can slowly add more veggies, about one a week. That way they can get used to having more veggies. Also, I would drop the pellet level to the recommended amount immediately and just switch to oxbow completely. It doesn't need to be mixed in slowly like with dogs, surprisingly. (The things you lean on the forum Lol!)

About the "tail" thing. Guinea pigs do not have tails, period. I can't tell exactly where it is in the picture, but it looks much higher than where a tail should be. I honestly don't know what that is... Have you considered taking them (your new pigs) to the vet? They might be able to suggest some things on how to help them and what that thing is. For now, I would just wait for them to lose some of that fat and get used to their new home. Maybe once they meet Chester and get into a new cage it will help the perk up. I hope this helped. :)
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,261
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,261
He looks like a cuy -- extra large guinea pigs of the variety that are bred for meat in South America.
 

ciaraelise

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Posts
118
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Messages
118
Yeah I limited the veggies this time around, and i think that's helping!
I thought pellets had to be integrated!! well thanks for the heads up. that helps!! haha

I built Max and Hershey a new cage yesterday afternoon and they love it!! I think it's probably the most space they've ever had. I unfortunately ran out of grids… I miscounted and was one grip short for a 2x4 so they are in a 2x 3 and really like it. I'm gonna make shift something soon while I'm waiting for more grids to give them that extra space.

I'm trying to avoid the vet as much as possible because the vet I tok Chester to for his URI wasn't an exotic and the closest exotic vet is more than a half hour and much more expensive.

But seriously, this weird skin flap on his behind is flat out strange. I was just going to leave it alone but then he went to itch it and let out a painful squeal. So I cut off the hair that is sticking to it because of Hersheys boar glue. It looks like it stems out of him and then flattens out and hardens. . .

I also think he has pretty bad eyesight since he used his little nose to feel out everything ( and I mean more than a normal piggie) and he has a film around his eye.

The more I talk about poor Max boy the more I feel like he needs to see a vet. lol.

Definitely before I decide to do intros with Chester I'm going to take the babes to a vet. Max is sounds like he might be a special needs kind of pig.
 

ciaraelise

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Posts
118
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Messages
118
@bpatters That's what I thought originally when I first got a glimpse of him!!! But he doesn't have any extra toes. I was under the impressing cuys always had extra toes. Is it actually just a common trait in cuys?
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,261
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,261
Cuy don't always have extra toes. Some do, probably more so than regular guinea pigs, but the majority don't.

How much does he weigh? And how long is he?
 

lissie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Posts
8,190
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Messages
8,190
The tail looks like grease gland. It might just need to be cleaned.
 

Rywen

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 28, 2013
Posts
3,952
Joined
Nov 28, 2013
Messages
3,952
I was going to ask if it (tail) might be his grease gland, lissie beat me to it. His double chin might be a dewlap, some piggies have them. Any vet should be able to treat his eye infection, just make sure to take the dangerous medications list from guinealynx.com with you. I'd start weighing them asap, if either one is sick then weight loss may be the only indicator. Oh, and if they are itchy or seem in pain when their fur/skin is touched that can indicate mites.
 

ciaraelise

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Posts
118
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Messages
118
I was expanding there cage when I noticed this on the fleece. Sure enough it Max probably ripped it off. It doesn't look like it was 'attached' to him anyway but it was really high up on his hip/black that i didn't think it was grease gland related. Still really confused on what it is. like i said it doesn't look like just hair, there's some substance to it. I just can't tell what it is.

Anybody have any guesses?
max008.jpgmax009.jpgmax010.jpg
 

savannahsatchel

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Posts
103
Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Messages
103
Poor baby, I hope he isn't in pain.
 

ciaraelise

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Posts
118
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Messages
118
@(broken link removed) I was thinking mites too but he doesn't mind when I pet him, he actually get very relaxed and falls asleep. Its just in certain areas that seem normal like under his legs/hips. But what bothered me what that his bitting and itching himself. I think I read somewhere you can treat for mites without having mites, is that try anyone? And if so, should I treat him and his cage mate?

I don't have a scale but plan on purchasing one in the next week or so. I am sure he is eating, When I have the time I like to be around the piggies and I have had that past few days off or only have a small shift at work. But I'm thinking he's going to be losing a bit of weight though because his diet at his old home was a lot of junk and he has a lot more space now to walk around and explore-something he wasn't able to before.
 

ciaraelise

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Posts
118
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Messages
118
@(broken link removed) that was what I thought originally! I never had multiple boys before and the ones I did have never got boar glue on themselves.

Well I feel silly frekaing out for nothing now but seriously, it was so condensed that when it was still on him i would have swore up and down that it was attached to his body!!!
 

lissie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Posts
8,190
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Messages
8,190
Yup, looks like dried boar glue.
 

ciaraelise

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Posts
118
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Messages
118
Bleck!!

Well thanks everyone! I thought I was going crazy and all of the sudden my pig had a tail.

I am not looking forward to dealing with board glue- thats for sure. I can't even imagine trying to get it out of Chester hair with his rivets and all...
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

pigglesworth_palace
Replies
3
Views
191
bpatters
bpatters
alicee
Replies
8
Views
968
Kids0519
K
K
Replies
2
Views
327
Kids0519
K
D
Replies
1
Views
296
bpatters
bpatters
maple&teddi21
Replies
27
Views
2K
maple&teddi21
maple&teddi21
Top