Red Feet

[alilporkbun]

Red Feet

My sister's pig Zoe normally has pink feet. But recently, the soles appear to be a bit more red than pink. Any ideas what could be the cause? Thanks.

 

[MoMmA CaVy3160]

Re: Red Feet

k, i have two question for ya:
1. is your sister's piggie alittle on the pudgie side??
2. what type of bedding is she using??

sometimes the bottom of a piggies back legs and paws can become red due to the piggie either being alittle pudgy, so they sometimes draging themselves along the litter (my piggie that i adopted is a little on the fat side and the bottom of her legs are alittle red also). or it can also be the type of litter that he/she walks around on, i like to use carefresh rather than aspen, even though its more expensive than aspen. try placing an old towel in a section of the cage (preferably at his/her sleeping spot or place a layer of carefresh on top of the litter, so it won't be so bad on his/her feet, hope this helps .

 

[Briana D]

Re: Red Feet

It sounds like bumble foot. Please check www.guinealynx.com for further information. If you pig does indeed have bumble foot you will need to treat it ASAP.

What kind of flooring do you have in the cage?

 

[alilporkbun]

Re: Red Feet

Thank you all for your input.

I looked at the information from guinealynx. Bumble foot results from unsanitary conditions and wet bedding. Zoe is actually a small girl. My sister changes her cage weekly- we use kiln-dried pine on linoleum. Her floor time has been increased. And we use a brick to deter any leakage that may come from the water bottle.

I have made some observations about Zoe's behavior. She spends a lot of her time around her food and water. But she tends to excrete waste where she consumes food and water. And for this reason, that the area where she dwells most often is very soiled. She has an entire cage of clean bedding to romp through, but she prefers her soiled bedding and food. We are considering moving her food and water around the cage to encourage activity throughout the cage and limit heavily soiled areas. If you have any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Briana D]

Re: Red Feet

I would still think about treating for the beginning stages of bumble foot. Since bumble foot is caused by unsanitary conditions and wet bedding then the fact that the pig hangs out in her waste would give a reason that she may have bumble foot.

I think moving the pellets and water bottle around may be a good idea. You may also want to have the water bottle across the cage from where the pellets are located. Causing her to walk more will cut down on obesity which can also cause bumble foot. If moving the bottle and bowl around doesn't work you may have to do daily spot cleaning. Everyday take out the most soiled bedding and replace with fresh clean bedding.