Hair Loss Pulled out a clump of hair when picking up guinea pig

[totallynotabird]

Hi everyone! We adopted one of our piggies, Reimi, a little over a year ago. She's always shed a lot and would frequently leave my clothes in a light layer of shed fur whenever I cuddled with her for a while; we never really worried about it because that seemed normal for her. Today, I picked her up from her habitat, and she tried to run away as usual, but this time she screamed as I picked her up and a giant clump of fur came off of her. Now there's a bald spot on her back! I feel so bad for her; I don't think I picked her up or grabbed her in any unusual way! She seems to be doing fine and I put her back and she's running around and exploring like she usually does, but I'm scared. She has also been acting mean and fighting with one of her sisters recently, so is this something that we should be scared about? Here are 2 pictures of where she lost the hair:

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[Smileandnod]

Did the hair have what appeared to be bits of skin attached to the clump? Do you have a picture of the hair clump?

 

[totallynotabird]

Did the hair have what appeared to be bits of skin attached to the clump? Do you have a picture of the hair clump?

No, I don't think so! I don't have a picture of the hair as I got rid of it before I thought to take pictures, but I definitely didn't notice anything like that; just an unusually large amount of fur.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

I'm wondering if it may not have something to do with ovarian cysts. That's what it sounds like to me.

 

[totallynotabird]

I'm wondering if it may not have something to do with ovarian cysts. That's what it sounds like to me.

Hmm, yes, I did read about that and was considering it. Though, I read it usually happens to senior guinea pigs, and Reimi is just a bit over 2 years old...

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

They're most common in sows aged 2-4 years, and studies have found them in 76% of guinea pigs aged 1.5 to 5 years.

I'm not saying it's definitely ovarian cysts. I've never had sows. But hair loss on the flanks and aggression with cagemates, if I remember correctly, are some of the symptoms.

 

[totallynotabird]

They're most common in sows aged 2-4 years, and studies have found them in 76% of guinea pigs aged 1.5 to 5 years.

I'm not saying it's definitely ovarian cysts. I've never had sows. But hair loss on the flanks and aggression with cagemates, if I remember correctly, are some of the symptoms.

Ah, shoot. I guess I should schedule a vet appointment, then. Thanks!

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Ah, shoot. I guess I should schedule a vet appointment, then. Thanks!

Let us know what you find out!