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Conditions New Guinea Pig has an issue..?

Pistachio1229

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Hello, everybody. I'm having an issue with a guinea pig I bought at a local pet shop. (You can put shame on me for not adopting, I'm sorry. He was too cute to resist.) His name is Pistachio, this is the first day I've had him and I notice his back is all marks with these red blotches on his skin? I've been searching the web for HOURS to help see what the possible outcome may be. I don't want to see him hurting, he whines when I try to look at the issue.. makes me feel horrible.

I've got a veterinary appointment set up on the 25th at 10:30AM, but that's nearly a week away. I'm finding it hard to sit here and just watch him suffer. If I had the money I would've taken him in as a walk in to a farther veterinarian, but alas I get paid in a week.

I just want to know what it /could/ be. I refuse to give him up because he may be sick.. or dealing with an infection. He's my responsibility now.

PS: I'm only 17. I'm sorry if this seems a bit whiny, he's like my first pet that I actually have responsibility over.

Any ideas? From my research, it seems like a fungal infection..

Thank you.
 

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Pistachio.jpg dude.jpg horrible.jpg

sallyvh

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I'm on my phone so the pictures aren't very large but they look like bites to me. Probably from overcrowding and fighting with other pigs in small cages at the petstore and during shipping.

Is there hairloss around the areas? If so then it could be a fungus. Which you could treat at home.

Regardless, it looks more like bites to me, watch the area to make sure there isn't any redness, swelling or puss. Guinea pigs are prone to forming abscesses which can be pretty nasty and time consuming.
 

CanadianComforts

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Fungal infections usually at their worst will have scabbing from scratching, but they looks of what I can see I am in full agreement with [MENTION=31353]sallyvh[/MENTION] said. This is a huge reason why adoption is "pushed" and people feel "shamed", but the deed is done and your learning a possible expensive lesson. If it is a wound, you may be looking at antibiotics or even surgery if infected. Try to clean the area with a warm (not hot) cloth. Make sure the area is dry. Do not use soaps, if the wound idea is wrong and it is fungal it could cause any dry skin to get worse. Then make sure there isn't any (as Sallyvh said) redness, swelling or puss. A good indication that its infected is if it smells badly.


If it is infected, see the dr first but from my personal experience rinse the area with luke warm (similar temp as if bathing a baby) and let the tap continually over the wound area, not super fast water but more than a trickle. Try and keep the area as clean as possible (ie, clean his cage completely daily and use fleece of something similar, no loose bedding as it could can more issues. Keep the area dry, excess moister could cause issues, so dry the area after rising it.

I've used that after seeing my vets for a few piggies with GREAT success.

Let us know how the little one does at the vet and good luck with your new baby.
 

Pistachio1229

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@CanadianComforts I went to PetSmart with my family (and Pistachio) to check out if there was anything wrong with him. They explained to me that ringworm and fungal is out of the question, as it seems like he's been bitten. They said it could be possible for fleas or mites, and that whatever happens he could be contagious.. so he's in a cage by himself :(
Yeah, next time I'm totally adopting. I was just caught in the moment and used my heart to adopt him. Probably a mistake (and an expensive one), but I'm not giving up on him. Honestly, he stole my heart.

Petsmart recommended coconut oil to rub on him to stop the wounds, as some of them are opened. The affected areas (which are many.. poor baby.) are red, but there's no swelling or puss.

I still have the appointment set up, and he's ready to go on the 25th. I just can't stand to see him suffer.

Thank you for the ideas. I'll definitely do that.
 

Soecara

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I do have a couple questions that might not help the immediate situation but could help in the long term. Do you have another guinea pig? If so did you try to house them together? How large is their cage?

If he had mites he would be scratching excessively. Given the positioning of the bite marks they do look like they could have been caused by aggression from another guinea pig. You will need to watch the areas closely even after the scabs go away, as he could potentially develop abscesses even after the wounds close.

Here are a couple of pages that you may be interested in reading, Guinea Lynx is the best site to reference for medical issues in guinea pigs.
https://www.guinealynx.info/medical_guide.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html
 

Pistachio1229

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I have two other guinea pigs, both male. They're very friendly with him, just one tries to dominate him a bit with sexual advances. Besides that, their cage is quite large, it could house 2-3 guinea pigs, at most.

Whatever happened to him, I'm rather glad I picked him up when I did.. because he has quite a bit of marks. If they are bite marks from another guinea pig, is there anything I can do to help calm him? He whines when I go to pet his lower half, due to the bitings all being down there. He's such a cutie, and I hate seeing him in such pain and depression.
 

Pistachio1229

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Thank you so much, Kelsie. I only make minimum wage, but I'm so willing to put my whole paycheck into him if I have to, even if it means I skip out on my phone bill for the month. I want nothing more but to march into the vet and fix the issue, but unfortunately the place doesn't accept a payment plan.. so looks like we're waiting. Until then, I've been doing my best at showing him attention because he's in a cage by himself at the moment.
My parents curse that I'm such a huge animal lover, as I'm determined to help fix this as soon as I possibly can.

Also, the pet store I bought him from apparently would kill him if I took him back. I wasn't going to, but my mom called the store due to the bitings and he replied with, "come exchange him or I give you money back." My dad also told me that he's no longer permitted to sell cats and dogs because he was caught killing the sick ones.

I know someone who will NEVER be getting my business again. Pistachio proved me that, and the killings top the cake.
 

Fay

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I have two other guinea pigs, both male. They're very friendly with him, just one tries to dominate him a bit with sexual advances. Besides that, their cage is quite large, it could house 2-3 guinea pigs, at most.

Whatever happened to him, I'm rather glad I picked him up when I did.. because he has quite a bit of marks. If they are bite marks from another guinea pig, is there anything I can do to help calm him? He whines when I go to pet his lower half, due to the bitings all being down there. He's such a cutie, and I hate seeing him in such pain and depression.

Welcome to the forums! Is the cage a pet store cage or did you build one yourself? The reason I'm asking is because they often advertise pet store cages as being large but they are actually too small for one pig let alone two boars. Here are the recommended cage sizes, go up one cage size for male pigs:

https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/about-candccages

The marks are likely bite marks because of their location on the pig but could also be something else. Most people here have already given some good advice and ideas of what it could be but I would like to add that I wouldn't recommend taking them back to the pet store for examination nor to get advice. Pet store employees and often the vets they use aren't knowledgeable or trained about appropriate care for small animals like Guinea Pigs.

Please do read the Guinea Lynx pages that Soecara linked. The medical guide will help you find a good vet, how to care for sick/in pain pigs, and other important medical information. I'd also recommend reading their care guide thoroughly:

https://www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.html

Please do not trust anything the pet store told you. They don't care about the pets they just care about the money. You can find some more information on how pet stores treat their animals in 'The Kitchen' category of the forums but fair warning, it's extremely graphic. They are also known to sell dangerous, deadly, or extremely unhealthy toys, food, treats, and other things.

Finally since you got your pig from a pet store please turn them both over to triple check their gender. Pet stores are notorious for miss-sexing pigs and pregnancy is incredibly hard on a sow. Here are some helpful pictures/guides to help you sex them yourself:

https://cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm
(broken link removed)

I hope Pistachio will start to heal up soon. If you have any more questions please let us know!
 
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bpatters

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It looks like a wound to me. I'd treat with an antibacterial cream, applying it with a q-tip and rubbing it in well. But if shows signs of abscessing (heat, swelling, pus, etc), then get to a vet ASAP.

Going to a pet store to ask for medical advice is like asking a grocery store clerk instead of your doctor. They have absolutely no training in care of the animals they sell, particularly medical care. That doesn't keep them from dispensing all sorts of bad advice.

As far as succumbing to a cute guinea pig in a grocery store, the next time, please think about the sow that will be rebred to replace that pig, and the god-awful conditions they life in. See www.petsmartcruelty.com and https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...ng-of-buying-an-animal-from-Petco-or-Petsmart before you do that again. All those places are still in business. and every person buys a pig from one of the big box pet stores participates in that awful trade.
 

Pistachio1229

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His wounds are peeling off, is that a good sign? He seems to be eating and drinking rather well, and acts mainly normal. For a few hours though, he'll sit in the corner and just be alone, but I believe all guinea pigs need their alone time, right? When I pick him up for exercise and daily checking of his skin, he cuddles into me. Overall though, he seems to be fine, but still showing signs that he's in pain.

Here are a few pictures of us together.
No puss, no redness, no swelling, just loose scabbing that seems to be coming off. pistachio 1.jpg13458719_988835441224282_449713755684104433_o.jpg
 

Pistachio1229

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UPDATE: I have taken Pistachio to the vet. The vet said that the bites are possibly mites, as they are common with guinea pigs. She gave me revolution for him, and he hasn't been scratching since then. I'm about to change the cage bedding to a more paper-based bedding rather than pine, and will shortly be feeding him some hay and veggies- not at the same time. He drinks a ton of water, and eats quite a bit. He's overall healthy, and is estimated to be about 1 years old. If the issues still persist in about a month or so then I am to take him back to the vet for another issue that he could possibly be facing.
 

bpatters

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I'd get a new vet. You can't see mite bites. Mites are microscopic, and burrow under the skin. You can see the scratches, and sometimes open sores, where the pig has scratched the mites. But you could only see a mite bite if you could put the pig under a microscope and look at the skin.

And just for information, you can treat for mites yourself much cheaper than you can go to the vet. Look at the stickies in the medical forum for how to do that.
 
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