Dull dry fur

Sarah c

Junior Guinea Pig
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Nottingham uk
Hi all and thank you for taking time to read this x so we have rescued 4 piggies who wee in an appalling condition. Hutch completely bare even of hay. We have one Peruvian, one American, one texel and from what I can gather one cream argente (had to google that one!) so to cut to the chase Ottos fur (cream argente) is very dull and dry to the touch, no shine whatsoever. Is this normal for their breed as read a few posts where bathing them and using coconut oil oil bushing it through. If not normal please share as he is the sweetest piggie! Will post a pic if anyone knows breed any advice welcome thank you x
 

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Hello again
Ah sweet boy …..I don’t have any experience of this but I’m sure one of the moderators will be along to offer advice.
You mentioned you rescued the boys and they were living in poor conditions ….no hay etc
It maybe that Otto and the boys may be missing on good nutritious food , lots of hay etc
Hopefully now you have them that will improve Otto’s fur
Good luck 🥰
 
Hello again
Ah sweet boy …..I don’t have any experience of this but I’m sure one of the moderators will be along to offer advice.
You mentioned you rescued the boys and they were living in poor conditions ….no hay etc
It maybe that Otto and the boys may be missing on good nutritious food , lots of hay etc
Hopefully now you have them that will improve Otto’s fur
Good luck 🥰
Thank you! I’ve read online about putting Vit C in water? They are well spoilt now with a huge hutch outdoors and garden run but now in for winter….when I say it was criminal this is how they were when we rescued
 

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Poor boys, they are in a brilliant home now 🏡❤️ Welcome to the forum. I would say just focus on a normal balanced diet, as you are doing. It will take time for them to adjust, but gradual is the way to do it. Their gut biome needs time to adjust to a new diet of unlimited hay and gentle introduction of veggies and small amounts of pellets. I don't think supplements are necessary if they can eat some veggies, but introduce veggies gradually so they have time to manufacture the tummy bacteria they need. Some very fresh poop soup from a healthy piggy would be useful if it's available. Otherwise, just normal feeding will produce good results. Thank you for rescuing them ❤️🙏
 
Welcome to the forum

Poor piggies. They will improve now they are getting good care

Have they been checked by a vet?
Don’t bathe before seeing a vet. Bathing or using any products can hide physical markers a vet needs to make a diagnosis of a problem so only bathe after the vet has seen them and only if they say it is necessary.
It’s not normal for the coat to be dull and dry.
A dull, dry coat or stiff coat can be a sign of a variety of health issues from malnutrition and dehydration to parasites, fungal or skin issues so all those need to be ruled out if they haven’t already been.

Bathing and using products can be quite bad for their skin. It can strip their natural barrier so bathing can actually make things worse in some cases, therefore so it should only be done if absolutely essential (ie if the coat is dirty, urine stained, or if required as part of a course of skin treatment such as at the end of a treatment for ringworm).

You will see I have added links to our guides throughout my reply which give further information on each aspect:

Please do not put vit c in the water. Nothing should ever be added to the water.
Doing so can change the taste of the water, stop them drinking entirely, promote algae growth. It also means you have no control over any dosages and can’t know that they are actually getting any of the dosage you intend.

All About Drinking, Bottles and Dehydration

Please only supplement with vit c if a vet diagnoses a piggy with a need for additional vit c. Often getting them onto a good diet is all that is needed.
If additional vitamin c is needed (ie if there is a diagnosed case of scurvy), it should be administered directly to the piggy (so you can control the amount and dosage) and only done as a short course (usually just two weeks) alongside getting them onto a good diet.

Generally healthy piggies do not and should not be supplemented with any vitamin c. They get all they need from a balanced diet.
Prolonged use of vit c can end up being harmful as their body becomes used to abnormally and unnecessarily high amounts so if that level then drops, it can cause them to get scurvy purely from the drop. Plus excess vit c is excreted in the urine so if they get all they need from their diets then any supplementation on top is just coming straight out. (Any piggy who has been long term supplemented needs to be weaned off very slowly)

The guide below has a section at the end regarding vitamin c

Probiotics & Live Gut Microbiome Transfer ('Poo Soup'); Recovery Formula Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links and Transfer Recipe

Make sure to weigh them regularly so you be sure their hay intake is sufficient to keep them stable.

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

Introduce any veggies very slowly if they are not used to them as otherwise it can cause digestive problems

How to Introduce New or Reintroduce Regular Fresh and Dry Food Safely - The Rules

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Keep us posted on how they go
 
What a beautiful boy he is. 💙

I hope they get a clean bill of health at the vets and they can just get on living their best lives with you.

Are they are all living together? How old are they? 4 boars together are highly likely to fight and fall out. I have been in this position and ended up with 4 separate cages!

Will you be able to split them into two pairs?

Have a read of Section 2
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
 
Thank you! I’ve read online about putting Vit C in water? They are well spoilt now with a huge hutch outdoors and garden run but now in for winter….when I say it was criminal this is how they were when we rescued

I’d hoped @Piggies&buns would be along
You’ve had great advice and as @weepweeps has said if all your boys are together prepare for a risk of fallouts as they get older
I hope you feel reassured and always ask anything you’re unsure of
Can’t wait to see some pigtures …….just saying 🥰
 
Yes, four boars together is notoriously unstable and difficult to get to work unfortunately (plus the need for enclosures to be exponentially bigger than normal sizing requirements; there aren’t any commercial hutches big enough for four boars))
But, if they have always been together and particularly if they are older then there may be a chance they will be ok. It is important you are aware of the risk factors of keeping more than two boars together brings though and that you have a separation plan in mind if things turn.

If they are ok and do remain together long term, then this will be one of the only successful boar quartets we have come across on the forum.
Most people end up with boar quartets due to poor pet shop advice - being told four youngsters will be perfectly fine together, sold cages which are too small for two boars, let alone four. And unfortunately they then run into huge problems (and potentially four single piggies) when those baby piggies reach teens and it all goes very wrong.
 
What a beautiful boy he is. 💙

I hope they get a clean bill of health at the vets and they can just get on living their best lives with you.

Are they are all living together? How old are they? 4 boars together are highly likely to fight and fall out. I have been in this position and ended up with 4 separate cages!

Will you be able to split them into two pairs?

Have a read of Section 2
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Hi and thank you for your reply. When I hahad the original 3 the alpha started bullying one so I split them (alpha doesn’t bother the other one) and my bullied Otto now is on the upstairs with a baby (yet another rescue as someone bred and was giving them away for nothing and I knew I could give him a good home x meet baby boda (short for lil biddle boda bum! Although I call him flurp as he’s daft as a brush! X
 

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Poor boys, they are in a brilliant home now 🏡❤️ Welcome to the forum. I would say just focus on a normal balanced diet, as you are doing. It will take time for them to adjust, but gradual is the way to do it. Their gut biome needs time to adjust to a new diet of unlimited hay and gentle introduction of veggies and small amounts of pellets. I don't think supplements are necessary if they can eat some veggies, but introduce veggies gradually so they have time to manufacture the tummy bacteria they need. Some very fresh poop soup from a healthy piggy would be useful if it's available. Otherwise, just normal feeding will produce good results. Thank you for rescuing them ❤️🙏
Thank you so much for advice much appreciated x
 
Welcome to the forum

Poor piggies. They will improve now they are getting good care

Have they been checked by a vet?
Don’t bathe before seeing a vet. Bathing or using any products can hide physical markers a vet needs to make a diagnosis of a problem so only bathe after the vet has seen them and only if they say it is necessary.
It’s not normal for the coat to be dull and dry.
A dull, dry coat or stiff coat can be a sign of a variety of health issues from malnutrition and dehydration to parasites, fungal or skin issues so all those need to be ruled out if they haven’t already been.

Bathing and using products can be quite bad for their skin. It can strip their natural barrier so bathing can actually make things worse in some cases, therefore so it should only be done if absolutely essential (ie if the coat is dirty, urine stained, or if required as part of a course of skin treatment such as at the end of a treatment for ringworm).

You will see I have added links to our guides throughout my reply which give further information on each aspect:

Please do not put vit c in the water. Nothing should ever be added to the water.
Doing so can change the taste of the water, stop them drinking entirely, promote algae growth. It also means you have no control over any dosages and can’t know that they are actually getting any of the dosage you intend.

All About Drinking, Bottles and Dehydration

Please only supplement with vit c if a vet diagnoses a piggy with a need for additional vit c. Often getting them onto a good diet is all that is needed.
If additional vitamin c is needed (ie if there is a diagnosed case of scurvy), it should be administered directly to the piggy (so you can control the amount and dosage) and only done as a short course (usually just two weeks) alongside getting them onto a good diet.

Generally healthy piggies do not and should not be supplemented with any vitamin c. They get all they need from a balanced diet.
Prolonged use of vit c can end up being harmful as their body becomes used to abnormally and unnecessarily high amounts so if that level then drops, it can cause them to get scurvy purely from the drop. Plus excess vit c is excreted in the urine so if they get all they need from their diets then any supplementation on top is just coming straight out. (Any piggy who has been long term supplemented needs to be weaned off very slowly)

The guide below has a section at the end regarding vitamin c

Probiotics & Live Gut Microbiome Transfer ('Poo Soup'); Recovery Formula Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links and Transfer Recipe

Make sure to weigh them regularly so you be sure their hay intake is sufficient to keep them stable.

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

Introduce any veggies very slowly if they are not used to them as otherwise it can cause digestive problems

How to Introduce New or Reintroduce Regular Fresh and Dry Food Safely - The Rules

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Keep us posted on how they go
Thank you so much for your advice it’s much appreciated! So many people on a different platform were saying about vitamin c and bathing him and putting coconut oil on him which just sounded traumatic but so great to have clarication x
 
How long have you had them?

If it’s been a while and his coat has always been like this with no improvement with good care, then it would definitely be a good idea to get a vet check done
 
Ah I see so you have been to the vet. Obviously that is different information to in your first post so it would be helpful to know what came of the vet visit.
Was a course of mite treatment given? (It’s usually three separate treatments with a couple of weeks between each treatment)

Have these marks continued since any treatment or since being separated from the others?
Has there been any improvement in his condition?

How long have you had them?
 
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