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

Other Piggy Limping

samsterlacci

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Posts
47
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Messages
47
Hey everyone my piggy has starting walking on 3 legs all of a sudden. He uses his back right leg to walk sometimes, but other times he tucks it so he doesn't have to use it. Any idea what could be wrong? For reference he is acting normal and hasn't been dropped or jumped out of my hands
c8feb60c060cc4bcc445a3740efc8f0c.png
.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,246
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,246
He could have gotten it caught in the wire on the cage. I'd temporarily shorten the length of his cage with grids and zip ties and give the leg time to heal in an area where he doesn't have to move much.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
382
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
382
He may have injured his leg playing, he may have gotten a toenail caught in that carpeting and pulled a muscle, there are numerous reasons why he might be limping.

How much vitamin C is he getting?

The best thing to do is limit the amount he can move, so that he can rest the leg and let it heal. Move him into a smaller area, and keep his food, water and hay close. Monitor his progress and if he worsens, get him to an exotics vet.
 

samsterlacci

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Posts
47
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Messages
47
He may have injured his leg playing, he may have gotten a toenail caught in that carpeting and pulled a muscle, there are numerous reasons why he might be limping.

How much vitamin C is he getting?

The best thing to do is limit the amount he can move, so that he can rest the leg and let it heal. Move him into a smaller area, and keep his food, water and hay close. Monitor his progress and if he worsens, get him to an exotics vet.

Thank you, that's very helpful. I have Vitamin C in his Wild Harvest food. Is there a human supplement of Vitamin C I can use, such as a pill?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

samsterlacci

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Posts
47
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Messages
47
He may have injured his leg playing, he may have gotten a toenail caught in that carpeting and pulled a muscle, there are numerous reasons why he might be limping.

How much vitamin C is he getting?

The best thing to do is limit the amount he can move, so that he can rest the leg and let it heal. Move him into a smaller area, and keep his food, water and hay close. Monitor his progress and if he worsens, get him to an exotics vet.

Also, he is putting weight on his injured foot when he eats out of his food bowl.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
382
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
382
There are supplements you can get, but the absolute best thing he can get is a nice thick slice of bell pepper. Red or green are the best ones. A slice of that every day will give him plenty of vitamin C.

Don't confuse bell pepper with hot peppers, anything spicy or hot should NEVER be given to a guinea pig.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
382
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
382
Also, he is putting weight on his injured foot when he eats out of his food bowl.


He's probably putting weight on it because he NEEDS to, not necessarily because he wants to.

If he hasn't shown improvement in a few days, take him to the fur baby doctor :)
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
382
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
382
And just as an FYI, reading back, the Wild Harvest food is TERRIBLE for guinea pigs. If it's got colored bits of anything in it, it's likely not good for pigs at all.

Switch him to something like Oxbow Cavy Cuisine, or KMS pellets.
 

samsterlacci

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Posts
47
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Messages
47
And just as an FYI, reading back, the Wild Harvest food is TERRIBLE for guinea pigs. If it's got colored bits of anything in it, it's likely not good for pigs at all.

Switch him to something like Oxbow Cavy Cuisine, or KMS pellets.

Okay will do! Why is wild harvest bad?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
382
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
382
It's basically a gimmick food to separate you from your hard earned money, making you think you're doing something really great for your pig.

It's got all kinds of ingredients that aren't good for them, and some that are downright dangerous. Guinea pigs have very narrow airways, and seeds can choke them easily.

Their main requirements are high quality timothy hay and fresh, clean water. They should also get a cup of veggies per day, such as green leaf lettuce, also a slice of the aforementioned pepper.

Compare the ingredients of, say, Oxbow Cavy Cuisine to the ingredients in the Wild Harvest. You'll see a huge difference.
 

samsterlacci

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Posts
47
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Messages
47
It's basically a gimmick food to separate you from your hard earned money, making you think you're doing something really great for your pig.

It's got all kinds of ingredients that aren't good for them, and some that are downright dangerous. Guinea pigs have very narrow airways, and seeds can choke them easily.

Their main requirements are high quality timothy hay and fresh, clean water. They should also get a cup of veggies per day, such as green leaf lettuce, also a slice of the aforementioned pepper.

Compare the ingredients of, say, Oxbow Cavy Cuisine to the ingredients in the Wild Harvest. You'll see a huge difference.

OK thank you for the tip. He gets lots of veggies and the Oxbow Timothy hay as well as water.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
382
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
382
You're more than welcome. Please, keep us updated on how he's doing. :)
 

samsterlacci

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Posts
47
Joined
Aug 29, 2017
Messages
47
He may have injured his leg playing, he may have gotten a toenail caught in that carpeting and pulled a muscle, there are numerous reasons why he might be limping.

How much vitamin C is he getting?

The best thing to do is limit the amount he can move, so that he can rest the leg and let it heal. Move him into a smaller area, and keep his food, water and hay close. Monitor his progress and if he worsens, get him to an exotics vet.

I decreased his C&C cage to a 2x2, is that okay or too small?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
382
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
382
I would think it would be okay. The trick is to try and limit his movements so keep everything as close to him as possible
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

Top