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Barbering?

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Piggiewinkles

Piggiewinkles

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi,

I've just noticed Monty's coat looks like he, or his housemate, have been nibbling away! There's no bald patches, just looks like he's had a poor hair cut in certain places! His coat wasn't like this earlier this morning before I went to work. He's only been with Stanley for just over a week and they get on great, with Monty definately being the more dominant boar, so I can't imagine it being Stanley doing this to Monty's coat. They get plenty of hay, water, pellets and veg, and are let out to run around the living room for a couple of hrs a day at least. (They live indoors). Stanley is being treated for a slightly congested chest and sneezes occasionally, but other than that they are both very active and vocal. The only thing I have just noticed is one of Monty's eyes seems a little bit crusty in the corner. Should I take him to the vet? :(
 
The barberer is not necessarily the dominant piggy - it probably IS STanly who's getting creative here!

Keep a close eye and ear on Monty in case he develops further symptoms of URI.
 
Think i'm going to take him to the vet just to be on the safe side. His eye was fine this morning but since I noticed it about half hr ago it seems to have gotten worse. He is happy in himself, although I know guinea pigs can hide when they are ill as they are prey animals, but he is eating and drinking and chirpy. Are URI's contagious? As I took Stanley to the vet last week because his chest sounded congested, and although he didn't have a runny nose he sounded snotty. I'm currently syringe feeding him baytril twice a day. Could Monty have caught something from Stanley? I've read on the guinealynx website a crusty eye can be a sign of a URI, although he doesn't have any other symptoms such as a snotty nose or being lethargic.
 
Wiebke said:
The barberer is not necessarily the dominant piggy - it probably IS STanly who's getting creative here!
Click to expand...

Just caught Stanley in the act! Little ! Also I don't think Monty could reach the area's where the nibbling has taken place!

Now i'm just worried about Monty's eye and him being ill :(
 
URI is catching (I have a bug making the rounds in my tribe at the moment) and not all symptoms need to be present.

If his eye is getting worse and or you observe a new symptom, I'd take him to the vet. The earlier you catch it the better. Don't panic - it is only deadly if left untreated for too long and you are very careful!
 
Thanks Wiebke....definately going to ring in the morning and make an appointment for when I finish work in the afternoon. Can get Stanley checked too while i'm there to see if he's responding to the baytril.
 
Just a quick update....took Monty to the vet and she said although his eye looks quite irritated his chest and lungs sound ok, so it's probably not a URI (phew!). However he has been sneezing a bit so she she's given me some baytril to syringe feed him (0.2ml twice a day for the next 7 days), especially as he's sharing a cage with Stanley who has had a poorly chest. She put some stuff in his eye that made the gunky stuff turn a greeny/blue colour and i've got to bathe it (just with cotton wool and warmish water) if the discharge continues. She said he may have just simply scratched it and irritated it, because she couldn't see anything stuck in it. She checked his teeth and weighed him and all his good :)
What was interesting was she said Stanley has possibly been barbering him as a kind of grooming/affection gesture. She said he's probably picked up that Monty's eye has been irritating him so has been trying to show he cares! How sweet! Or he could just be a little mental! lol :))
She checked Stanley's chest and it sounded much better and they're both a good weight. Stanley has put on 10g in 2 days! and Monty 5g in 2 days. So it's good they're eating well and still running about.
I've never had guinea pigs 'barbering' before and thought something was really wrong, so as always this forum and people's advice have really helped. Thank you.
 
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