Skin Problems Two guinea pigs spotted behind the ears?

[Ashlynette92]

Hello, I've had Ace my guinea pig (she's a girl about 6 months I believe) since April. I got her from the pet store, Jack's Pets, and she's white and black. Behind one ear on her bald spot is pink skin and behind the other is black skin and it's brown spotted. She never scratches unless i catch her doing what i believe is cleaning herself. She'll rub her eyes and then her mouth and then her body and be done. No sign of infection or pain or any other scratching.
I just got a male guinea pig today and he's tan, white and black and has pink skin that's brown spotted behind each ear. No signs of scratching besides him doing the same cleaning thing today. but other than that nothing. are brown spotted skin (i've checked everywhere else, only behind the ears) normal??

thank you!

 

[PigPandemonium]

Could you maybe take a picture to show us what you mean? Also, why did you get a male when you have a female?

 

[jacqueline]

it is normal for guinea pigs to have a bald spot just behind each ear. as long as the skin is intact and looks healthy, don't worry

 

[Ashlynette92]

i will take the picture as soon as i find my camera.
they arent going to be breed together (the lady at jack's pets asked me the same and said her aunt was a breeder). ive read online how many things can go wrong so one will be in my brothers room and one in mine. if they ever play together they'll be supervised. im working on getting a girl to be with my girl so she isnt so lonesome =/ and has company.

The thing is wouldnt the guinea pig be in pain if it was mites or scrathing and bothered if it was fungus or something? i guess ill look for my camera for those pictures!

 

[emeraldamykate]

They shouldn't play together even with supervision. Without a barrier it doesn't matter how well you watch them, your guinea pig will likely get pregnant. It only takes a second for you to take your eyes off of them, and that's all it takes for them to make babies.

 

[Ashlynette92]

There are some pics behind his ears. other than that he's a happy camper. as a matter of a fact even with those brown spots he's a happy camper! no other problems. no missing hair or scratching or....yeah anything basically. but i freaked out when i saw pink skin with brown spots! hopefully you guys can see these pictures pretty good!

 

[jacqueline]

well, i still have to say that it looks like the normal "bald" spots all guinea pigs have behind their ears!!

 

[PigPandemonium]

I think it's just the normal coloring of his skin. All guinea pigs have bald spots behind their ears. I bet if you shaved him (Though don't) you would see that skin coloring all over his body.

 

[Ashlynette92]

yayyy thank you both soo much! I always freak out easily over my pets :/ and I guess it's time to calm down again haha

 

[Ashlynette92]

Hello.
I'm hoping you guys see this as I'm trying to stick to the "one pig, one thread" rule.

The guinea pig in the photos above was found dead by my sister just hours earlier. He just died this morning I'm trying to find out what he died from and if it was contagious so that my other piggie won't also die =/. I don't know if it was his age (the pet store cashier said he was about a year old and that's all she knew).
He had noisy breathing (which I thought was just because of his weight), his back left foot once turned up bruised for no apparent reason and when I put some aloe on it the next day it was fine (there's nothing in the cage to bruise his foot on), wet chin, his nose would sometimes be wet, and now that he's dead when I looked at his body all of his feet were bruised and his right ear is rough looking along the edges of it. almost chipped or necrotic.
His cage has been right next to my brothers bed since I got him and when he's played with my girl guinea pig they haven't fought besides to slightly nip each other and we've kept them apart. He has no signs of parasites. And I really don't want to lose the other too. I don't know if I should've made a new thread or stuck to this one......

 

[bpatters]

I'm sorry you lost your pig. It sounds like he had an upper respiratory infection, and possibly heart problems -- ragged ears can sometimes indicate insufficient blood supply to the ear.

Pigs don't have noisy breathing because of their weight unless they're extremely obese, and it's very rare for that to happen to a guinea pig. The pig in your picture is of perfectly normal weight.

In the future, if you have a pig with a wet nose or eyes, sneezing, coughing, etc., you need to get it a good vet (NOT a pet store vet) as soon as possible. Pigs can get very sick very quickly from an URI, and you don't have time to wait around and see if they improve on their own.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

I agree with bpatters about the noisy breathing.

I recommend reading all you can about guinea pig health and care, both here and on www.guinealynx.info (starting with the Care Guide there). That way you will be able to spot problems early on before something sad happens.

Keep an eye on your guinea pig nevertheless. Do you weigh her? Weighing weekly and keeping records is recommended.

 

[Ashlynette92]

bpatters - Yes thank you. He is really missed and it's not the same without him. During floor time with my other guinea it seems like she's looking for him =/

I had a feeling it was congestive heart problems but I didn't want to jump to conclusions which is why I came here. As for his weight I just thought that because he was bigger he would breath harder. But now I know I'm incorrect.

Foggycreekcavy - I've tried weighing my girl Ace on a digital scale for humans and she's not even a pound yet so nothing would show up. And I never weighed Leonardo. Would I use a food scale or something??
And I've done ALOT of research online on guinea pigs which is how I found this site. and guinealynx.info is another of my favorites and where I found a little info on what it could've been that killed him but not much :/

It seems like every pet I get from the pet store has something wrong with it. =/ And also thanks for the advice on not contacting them Anymore and instead contacting a vet. Last time I got my girl from them and she had a uri they said to just stop with cold water and keep her away from drafts or cold air. -_- The vet let me know otherwise.
I feel sort of bad and like I shouldnt or don't deserve another. But I want Ace and my brothers to have someone to play with. I don't wanna go about the pet store Anymore nor craigslist... if I were ever to get another what would you suggest?

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Yes, you use a kitchen scale to weigh pigs. You can get inexpensive ones, although I really like digital ones better.

And yes, animals from pet stores tend to be sick; poor things.

Your guinea pig needs a companion, but only if you provide a cage big enough for two. At the minimum I would made a 2x4 C&C Cage for a pair of newly introduced pigs. So if your brother wants another guinea pig for his room, he should also have a large enough cage for a pair, and you each should have a pair in each cage. Same sex would be best, since you have a tendency to want to put them together. (I feel I must add here that I do not believe that bedrooms are the best places for guinea pigs. A pair in the family room would be much better)

Have you checked for rescues in your area? Did you try Pet adoption: Want a dog or cat? Adopt a pet on Petfinder or Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Shelters, Veterinarians - Guinea Pig Zone ?

I forgot to add that I am very sorry for your loss. It's very hard to lose a much loved pet.

 

[Ashlynette92]

Thank you so much. I will be looking into kitchen scales, better/bigger cages, the RIP forum on here :/, and both sites and rescues for guinea pigs. also my father, sister, and brother-in-law cant stand the site of them. claim they look too much like rats (*eyeroll) and would "prefer" they stay in our bedrooms