I'll give a bit of background information that I find relevant before I start with the current issue:
One of my piggies, Nugget, is a very special guy, he always has been. So much so, that I have him permanently tattooed on my body. He is the sweetest pig out of all of them, I have a small herd of seven boys. I seem to have terrible luck with guinea pigs and most of them either fight or squabble from time to time. Nugget never displayed any aggressive behavior, not even when other pigs have displayed aggression towards him. He ALWAYS makes happy chirping noises no matter what situation he's in. I always know when I hear him specifically because he's the only one who does this all day. He loves all of his brothers and especially loves people. Anyways, the point is that he never displayed any of the typical boar behavior: dominance, mounting, aggression, etc. He's about a year old at this point, maybe a bit older.
Now for the recent dilemma. He's began balding, and I understand that this doesn't just happen on its own and that he's doing it to himself. He's a texel so it became clear very quickly that he was losing hair. The most obvious situation explanation is mites. Even though nobody else was doing this, I treated them all for mites anyway. This did not stop him from pulling out his hair. At this point, he has a full band of hair missing from around his torso.
His behavior has changed as well. He has been insistently following around the other pigs. He sleeps with his head next to the other pigs. He just peaks his little head inside of the house and sleeps with them there. Nugget chases the other pigs around ALL day (to the point where it upsets the others). He is not chasing them aggressively or to mount them. He just chases them and then just stands there.
He's showing no physical signs of illness besides behavioral oddities. He's eating perfectly, drinking perfectly, and is about just as active as normal, if not more than usual. I understand that this is a weird situation, but I'd appreciate any input that anyone has. The ONLY reason I haven't taken him to a vet already is because I just brought home my bearded dragon who had surgery and the vet bill was a whopping $1061, and I myself am having surgery out of state next week.
I'll stick around to explain my set up a little in case anyone finds it relevant. If not, go ahead and skip this part
I have a custom build 7 ft by 4 ft wooden cage that sits like a table. I currently have 5 pigs up top in this cage. I sometimes move them around depending on who is fighting with who. Underneath this wooden cage is a 2x7 C&C cage with 2 pigs in it. The reason I have only two down below is because one of the pigs, Mousse, will ONLY tolerate his current roomie. He will try to kill anyone else who comes into his cage.
I feed all of them Oxbow timothy hay and Oxbow adult guinea pig food, and occasionally Pet Supplies Plus original guinea pig bulk food because I work there and it's cheaper. They have plenty of wooden chews and I usually give them each a little Oxbow simple rewards treat everyday.
One of my piggies, Nugget, is a very special guy, he always has been. So much so, that I have him permanently tattooed on my body. He is the sweetest pig out of all of them, I have a small herd of seven boys. I seem to have terrible luck with guinea pigs and most of them either fight or squabble from time to time. Nugget never displayed any aggressive behavior, not even when other pigs have displayed aggression towards him. He ALWAYS makes happy chirping noises no matter what situation he's in. I always know when I hear him specifically because he's the only one who does this all day. He loves all of his brothers and especially loves people. Anyways, the point is that he never displayed any of the typical boar behavior: dominance, mounting, aggression, etc. He's about a year old at this point, maybe a bit older.
Now for the recent dilemma. He's began balding, and I understand that this doesn't just happen on its own and that he's doing it to himself. He's a texel so it became clear very quickly that he was losing hair. The most obvious situation explanation is mites. Even though nobody else was doing this, I treated them all for mites anyway. This did not stop him from pulling out his hair. At this point, he has a full band of hair missing from around his torso.
His behavior has changed as well. He has been insistently following around the other pigs. He sleeps with his head next to the other pigs. He just peaks his little head inside of the house and sleeps with them there. Nugget chases the other pigs around ALL day (to the point where it upsets the others). He is not chasing them aggressively or to mount them. He just chases them and then just stands there.
He's showing no physical signs of illness besides behavioral oddities. He's eating perfectly, drinking perfectly, and is about just as active as normal, if not more than usual. I understand that this is a weird situation, but I'd appreciate any input that anyone has. The ONLY reason I haven't taken him to a vet already is because I just brought home my bearded dragon who had surgery and the vet bill was a whopping $1061, and I myself am having surgery out of state next week.
I'll stick around to explain my set up a little in case anyone finds it relevant. If not, go ahead and skip this part
I have a custom build 7 ft by 4 ft wooden cage that sits like a table. I currently have 5 pigs up top in this cage. I sometimes move them around depending on who is fighting with who. Underneath this wooden cage is a 2x7 C&C cage with 2 pigs in it. The reason I have only two down below is because one of the pigs, Mousse, will ONLY tolerate his current roomie. He will try to kill anyone else who comes into his cage.
I feed all of them Oxbow timothy hay and Oxbow adult guinea pig food, and occasionally Pet Supplies Plus original guinea pig bulk food because I work there and it's cheaper. They have plenty of wooden chews and I usually give them each a little Oxbow simple rewards treat everyday.