Hello,
I'm new here, but I'm looking for some advice on what to do with my pigs.
I've had guinea pigs for a few years. I originally picked up 2 healthy sows from a pet store. They are healthy, headstrong, and bonded but they don't really care for me all that much. They won't bite, but they are not very cuddly either. They are also bruisers, both well over a KG and not fat, just big. They are Lucy and Ethel
A few months after moving into my new home, I found a third guinea pig someone near me was looking to re-home. She is a rex pig. She is a bit smaller, and much gentler than the other 2. Likes to be held and shows no aggression toward other pigs (not even basic territorial aggression unless really really provoked. She likes me a lot and we're cuddle buddies on rainy afternoons. Her name is Eleanor Pigby.
I had trouble getting them to bond into a trio. The others would chase and chatter after Eleanor and she would lay down and cry. Eventually though they did seem to accept her and all was well for several months.
Then about a month ago, I noticed Eleanor had bald patches about the size of ping pong ball on either side of her rump. I had noticed some mounting behavior and aggression from Lucy but I figured it was normal "keeping the pecking order" However when I saw the patches, I separated her and being a rex, I worried about her skin so I moisturized with coconut oil and called the vet. I know ringworm and mites could also have been a thing.
The vet couldn't find any sign of mites but we did 2 rounds of treatment just in case. In the meantime she actually chewed a spot to a scab so I figured out it wasn't the group doing this, she was chewing her hair. I just have never observed her doing it. After the wound healed, and the medicine insured any mites were dead, I tried to return Eleanor to the fold. However, the 2 others were not having it. Extremely aggressive chattering and tackling, and Eleanor was very protective of the spot on her rump and not playing games either so she returned to her own cage.
The bald spots haven't gotten any better, she will occasionally start chewing again and eventually scratch herself for a small scab that heals shortly after. I thought maybe it was stress, so I moved her cage into another room away from the rowdy noise of the other 2. Instead she just seemed depressed, sitting in her hide and not doing very much. She still likes me but after several trips to the vet and medicine she seems to be a bit wary of any trips to the kitchen with me.
I thought maybe a baby pig would be a better match, so I found a little abby pig at the pet shop that seemed gentle and smaller. I brought her home yesterday and I have 2 weeks to see if they bond. The pig had just been vet checked so I decided to dispense with the quarantine and make a last ditch to try and bond Eleanor with a friend. Instead, Eleanor seems to be being bullied by the baby, running away from nudges and jabs (no blood or fur drawn just pecking) and doesn't want to put the baby in its place.
I'm at my wits end. There's another pig up for rescue that's never been with other pigs, we could try bonding them, I could try a full cage teardown and try to bond all 4, I could take the baby back and try to make Eleanor a happy (oddly true to her name) old maid pig that just hangs out with me and a stuffed toy. I'm just frustrated, and meanwhile her poor bald rump is still a thing.
I'm new here, but I'm looking for some advice on what to do with my pigs.
I've had guinea pigs for a few years. I originally picked up 2 healthy sows from a pet store. They are healthy, headstrong, and bonded but they don't really care for me all that much. They won't bite, but they are not very cuddly either. They are also bruisers, both well over a KG and not fat, just big. They are Lucy and Ethel
A few months after moving into my new home, I found a third guinea pig someone near me was looking to re-home. She is a rex pig. She is a bit smaller, and much gentler than the other 2. Likes to be held and shows no aggression toward other pigs (not even basic territorial aggression unless really really provoked. She likes me a lot and we're cuddle buddies on rainy afternoons. Her name is Eleanor Pigby.
I had trouble getting them to bond into a trio. The others would chase and chatter after Eleanor and she would lay down and cry. Eventually though they did seem to accept her and all was well for several months.
Then about a month ago, I noticed Eleanor had bald patches about the size of ping pong ball on either side of her rump. I had noticed some mounting behavior and aggression from Lucy but I figured it was normal "keeping the pecking order" However when I saw the patches, I separated her and being a rex, I worried about her skin so I moisturized with coconut oil and called the vet. I know ringworm and mites could also have been a thing.
The vet couldn't find any sign of mites but we did 2 rounds of treatment just in case. In the meantime she actually chewed a spot to a scab so I figured out it wasn't the group doing this, she was chewing her hair. I just have never observed her doing it. After the wound healed, and the medicine insured any mites were dead, I tried to return Eleanor to the fold. However, the 2 others were not having it. Extremely aggressive chattering and tackling, and Eleanor was very protective of the spot on her rump and not playing games either so she returned to her own cage.
The bald spots haven't gotten any better, she will occasionally start chewing again and eventually scratch herself for a small scab that heals shortly after. I thought maybe it was stress, so I moved her cage into another room away from the rowdy noise of the other 2. Instead she just seemed depressed, sitting in her hide and not doing very much. She still likes me but after several trips to the vet and medicine she seems to be a bit wary of any trips to the kitchen with me.
I thought maybe a baby pig would be a better match, so I found a little abby pig at the pet shop that seemed gentle and smaller. I brought her home yesterday and I have 2 weeks to see if they bond. The pig had just been vet checked so I decided to dispense with the quarantine and make a last ditch to try and bond Eleanor with a friend. Instead, Eleanor seems to be being bullied by the baby, running away from nudges and jabs (no blood or fur drawn just pecking) and doesn't want to put the baby in its place.
I'm at my wits end. There's another pig up for rescue that's never been with other pigs, we could try bonding them, I could try a full cage teardown and try to bond all 4, I could take the baby back and try to make Eleanor a happy (oddly true to her name) old maid pig that just hangs out with me and a stuffed toy. I'm just frustrated, and meanwhile her poor bald rump is still a thing.
I used to have a piggy called Eleanor 
