bald spot on Latte’s head

[mackenzieluvslife]

so sorry if i’m annoying anyone... i’ve asked a lot of questions already...
i got my two girls a couple of weeks ago and as soon as we got Latte, we discovered a bald spot on her head.
upon further inspection there doesn’t seem to be any infection and she is in no pain when it is touched.
was it stress? a fight? or was it just natural?

 

[Piggies&buns]

The pictures are not clear enough for me to be able to confirm whether it is even a bald spot - from the picture, it looks like it might just be a rosette of hair.
If it is a bald spot, then we won’t know what caused it, only a vet can.
Guinea pigs are prey animals so touching it won’t necessarily produce a pain response - they avoid showing their pain whenever they can as a defence mechanism. You should always go to a vet for any concerns.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Do you mean the centre bit on top of her head? She looks like she might be a created piggy so could be that

 

[VickiA]

Looks like a crest or a rosette to me (where the hair parts in a sort of circle).

 

[Claire W]

She looks like a created piggy to me. My Ellen is a crested piggy and has the same parting of fur on the top of her head

 

[Betsy]

My Betsy has the same she is a crested piggy too. Could you post a clearer picture?

 

[PigglePuggle]

Hopefully it is just a crest or rosette and is the way the fur grows but its always best to take any new piggies to the vet in their first couple of weeks with you anyway to get a good all over health check, to spot any potential problems they arrived with, but also so both you and the vet have a record of what is normal for them you can refer back to in future.

 

[Wiebke]

so sorry if i’m annoying anyone... i’ve asked a lot of questions already...
i got my two girls a couple of weeks ago and as soon as we got Latte, we discovered a bald spot on her head.
upon further inspection there doesn’t seem to be any infection and she is in no pain when it is touched.
was it stress? a fight? or was it just natural?

Hi!

If you mean the centre of the crest (i.e. the rosette on top of the head), then it is normal for any crested piggy breeds.
In this case you only need to see a vet if the tiny bald spot is not evenly round and grows larger quickly.

 

[mackenzieluvslife]

My Betsy has the same she is a crested piggy too. Could you post a clearer picture?

this is probably the best picture i can manage her to stay still for.

 

[mackenzieluvslife]

reading all of the replies makes a lot of sense. we aren’t sure of either of their breeds. (i actually started a thread to see if anyone had any ideas) so perhaps it is just a crest or rosette. after searching up pictures that’s what it looks like.

 

[Wiebke]

this is probably the best picture i can manage her to stay still for.

As stated in my post, a little bald spot in the middle of a rosette or crest is normal - it is the result of all hairs growing away from the one spot.

 

[Wiebke]

reading all of the replies makes a lot of sense. we aren’t sure of either of their breeds. (i actually started a thread to see if anyone had any ideas) so perhaps it is just a crest or rosette. after searching up pictures that’s what it looks like.

Here is our illustrated breeds guide. Please keep in mind that in these days of much increased mass breeding you get a lot more cross breeds where piggies combine two breeds.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...ig-picture-guide-to-common-pet-breeds.121399/

 

[Claire W]

I’ve zoomed in on your photo and that indeed does look like a crest but if you’re not sure, a vet check would be advised

 

[Bill & Ted]

She’s a little cutie, I agree it’s probably where her crest parts, if in doubt always check with a vet x

 

[Freela]

On top of her head? That just looks like a rosette, where they hair grows in a whorl. Abyssinian and crested pigs have them as a fur pattern, giving them that 'bedhead' look.

 

[Merab]

Do keep on asking questions.
It is much better to learn that something is perfectly normal than risk ignoring a potentially problem.
Pre forum days I took a piggy to the vet as I was worried about the bald patch behind the ears only to be told that was normal for guinea pigs.
As has been said though, if there is any real concern a vet trip is advised.
She’s very cute