Can't squeek much?

[Olivitree]

Hello! Just joined and I'm diving in straight with a piggy issue!

He's getting on a bit now, he's around 6 years old, he's had this problem for a while in a minor way, but he's steadily been talking to me less and less and now when he does it's a bit croaky. Whats going on?

Lately he's been sitting around in his own wee because he just likes to lay around and sleep a lot, one of my most lazy guinea pigs I've owned. Could it be that over night before I can get to him and move him that he's breathing in something from his urine?

His hey is also kept on the floor of his home, could this be a cause too?

If not that, is it just that he's said everything he wants to say too me and his voice just isn't getting used as his buddy died last year?

I could just be going right off track but those are a few things that have come to mind, what I really want to know is it worth treating as he doesn't seem to be in distress in any way, but then I know prey animals don't so as not to draw a hunters attention. Is it worth forking out £30 to take him for a check up?

 

[MissPiggy78]

Piggies are social animals and are very sensitive to the deaths of their piggy pals. What is his eating like? At 6 he is in his more senior years, but I would say it's always worth paying for a check-up if you are worried.

He may not seem distressed but he certainly seems depressed and sitting for long periods in his own urine is never going to be good. x

 

[Olivitree]

Well, they were both males and seperated anyway but they did have time to communicate regularly through the mesh when they were outside. His eating is pretty increadible if I gave him a whole big letuce plant in the evening I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't see it the next day. He is losing weight though actually, I mean he's pretty big for a guinea pig anyway but he weighs about 1225g, he use to weight 1300g to 1400g a few years ago. I've been told they usually weigh 1200g or less, but he's bigger than average so, I don't know if that shows theres something wrong or it's just because he's an old piggy and just isn't as muscley as he use to be.

I didn't really think about him being depressed, I mean sometimes he looks really chirpy esspecially when he's been able to have a run around with me out side and he's always got cuddles... hmm, maybe I should try and introduce him to my sisters guinea pigs, trouble is they're a pair of bickering males too and much younger so I'm a bit worried they'll hurt him(not the other way around because mine just isn't violent anymore) would that help at all do you think or will it only help at the time until they have to go home again?

Also back to the not squeeking thing, he hasn't got a wheeze or anything on his breathing and it comes and goes, at the moment he's squarbling really clearly and theres not a hint of a croak, could it be food related too orrr do I just wake him up sometimes when I pick him up and he's just a bit groggy and clagged up?(if that happens with guinea pigs anyway)

 

[Claire W]

My guinea pig Eliza lost her companion just under 2 weeks ago and hasn't spoken much since. He may be depressed after losing his friend As already suggested, sitting around in his urine for long periods of time isn't healthy for him. If you are concerned, I'd take him for a check up if only for peace of mind x

 

[Olivitree]

Alright, I think I'll see if I can get him properly introduced to my sisters guinea pigs see if that will brighten his mood a little. I think I will see if I can take him to the vet, but, I'm not sure if my mum will be willing or if the vet will find anything, as like I said, it comes and goes quite regualarly.

 

[Glynis]

Hi and welcome to the forum i'm from OZ (aka Australia) you'll love this forum, heaps of lovely people to chat too, and so much info at the tip of your fingers to access!
It could definitely be a good idea for a check up, the vets could listen into his chest and confirm no infections or anything
WOW 6 is a fab age, you must've been doing everything right for this little guy.
I found that when piggies get older they do tend to sit around more and yeah in their wees and poops, not nice i know, but just make sure you do spot cleans thru the day and a nice change of the area he loves to sit around in daily! Piggies do loose weight when they age, they don't move around as much and don't eat as much.
Sorry can't help you on the squeaking other than as i said get vets to check out his little chest
Good luck xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[KingBoris&HisFollowers]

sorry i cant help with the squeeking although i personally believe a guinea pig should never go without a mate and i think he should have a mate all the time visits arent always enough for such a social little animal mabey try a rescue you could get one close to his age?also its never a good idea to hesitate going to the vet after all our little babys are worth every penny keep us all update would like to know how it all go'sgoodluck with your little guyxx>>>


if you want to try avoid more weight loss i wouldnt give him to much lettuce

 

[minimowers]

Alright, I think I'll see if I can get him properly introduced to my sisters guinea pigs see if that will brighten his mood a little. I think I will see if I can take him to the vet, but, I'm not sure if my mum will be willing or if the vet will find anything, as like I said, it comes and goes quite regualarly.

Hi, when you say you are going to introduce him to your sisters pigs make sure you are very careful. Is he neutered? If you are going to introduce him to girls and he is not then you really need to think of the consequences and if you are introducing him to boys then you need to consider the balance. Boys take a while to bond and introducing an older boy to the pack may upset the balance. Tha boys may not get on with him - and they may stop getting on with each other too....

Regarding his weight, we lost our boar Del Boy a few weeks ago aged 6 and a half and as he aged he also lost weight. He was perfectly healthy just getting on a bit and I guess like humans as they age and become less active they have less muscle and therefore weigh less.

Hope you can find a way of cheering him up soon

 

[Olivitree]

Hi and welcome to the forum i'm from OZ (aka Australia) you'll love this forum, heaps of lovely people to chat too, and so much info at the tip of your fingers to access!
It could definitely be a good idea for a check up, the vets could listen into his chest and confirm no infections or anything
WOW 6 is a fab age, you must've been doing everything right for this little guy.
I found that when piggies get older they do tend to sit around more and yeah in their wees and poops, not nice i know, but just make sure you do spot cleans thru the day and a nice change of the area he loves to sit around in daily! Piggies do loose weight when they age, they don't move around as much and don't eat as much.
Sorry can't help you on the squeaking other than as i said get vets to check out his little chest
Good luck xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you very much!
I think a lot of it is just a stress free life, he spends a lot of time being cuddled and loved so he's pretty chilled out around people so he doesn't stress out if someone new comes around. Though I have been really lucky with him I've only had to take him to the vet for ringworm(which, he had from the damnable pet shop*shakes fist at it* and they offered to "take him off our hands" grrrr) and for his tooth, which keeps breaking for some unknown reason recently, the vet has no idea whats up with it. But I think I'll see if I can get him in for Monday just to be sure about this.
As a further note it does go away when he coughs and he only has to cough once and it takes a day or so to come back.
Alright, time I employed a good trowel and bucket then to keep him out of his wee, daft thing, ahh well I guess it happens to all of us when we get old.

sorry i cant help with the squeeking although i personally believe a guinea pig should never go without a mate and i think he should have a mate all the time visits arent always enough for such a social little animal mabey try a rescue you could get one close to his age?also its never a good idea to hesitate going to the vet after all our little babys are worth every penny keep us all update would like to know how it all go'sgoodluck with your little guyxx>>>


if you want to try avoid more weight loss i wouldnt give him to much lettuce

Hmm, well, I can TRY and persuade my parents but as yet they've said no more guinea pigs so I doubt any more pestering will help, even if I pointed out he needs a friend. But then he did fight with his last friend I think mostly he misses having someone else to watch his back when he's out side munching on the lawn.

Isn't just lettuce, every feed I give him two lettuce leaves, one good chunk of cucumber, celery leaves and some hay in the morning and evening feeds, also he's always got hard food and I keep that fresh and filled, occasionally when we have it in the house I'll give him a bit of broccoli or carrot. For treats he sometimes gets a bit of banana or a cashew nut, he gets two grapes when we have them, he wont eat more than that and when ever we have apples we give him the core. Also he gets to go outside in the grass when ever its sunny and warm or, failing that I bring him in a big pile of it. So it isn't a very restricted diet, also gets apple wood and if he's sneaky he steals silver birch twigs off the lawn.

Hi, when you say you are going to introduce him to your sisters pigs make sure you are very careful. Is he neutered? If you are going to introduce him to girls and he is not then you really need to think of the consequences and if you are introducing him to boys then you need to consider the balance. Boys take a while to bond and introducing an older boy to the pack may upset the balance. Tha boys may not get on with him - and they may stop getting on with each other too....

Regarding his weight, we lost our boar Del Boy a few weeks ago aged 6 and a half and as he aged he also lost weight. He was perfectly healthy just getting on a bit and I guess like humans as they age and become less active they have less muscle and therefore weigh less.

Hope you can find a way of cheering him up soon

They're both boys, both neutered boys in an attempt to stop them fighting as they're utterly nuts at each other, I've introduced him a couple of times and, as yet, it hasn't been a good reception as one gets aggressive and the other tries to mount him(well tries to mount anything piggy shaped in sight) but he hasn't met them now they've been neutered, so I don't know if the dynamics might have changed enough to let him at least eat outside with them as that seems to be when piggies are least aggressive. As her pigs don't get on well as it is I can't imagine he would make it worse really, but it will be done carefully as I don't want everything to be mucked up with them so they have to be split up like my piggy and his buddy(I think they were still buddies really, they just didn't like sleeping in the same cage together)

I feel a bit more at rest about his dropping weight, it seems to have settled now so I think he's as flabby as he's going to get. It's so different holding my sisters guinea pigs, they're all muscle and Jack(my piggy) is just, so squashy by comparison!