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Earless Guinea Pig? Help!

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Liv

Liv

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Dear fellow cavy lovers,
I just adopted a young male guinea pig with a strange deformity. He has no outer ears! I read somewhere that sometimes a piggy mother can chew off her baby's ears if she gets carried away while grooming but I don't think this is the case here as there is literally no trace of an outer ear and his inner ears look weird too - one of them has a wide opening and the other one looks like it may be fused together, in which case he may be deaf on that ear? I have some pics, will share as soon as I figure out how...
Anyway, I got him as a companion to my 10-week old teddy boy - saw a Gumtree ad for baby pigs and arranged to meet with the owner for a handover. It was much too rushed, she literally stopped her car, flung the guinea pig into my carrier, took my money and drove off before I could ask her any questions. I only noticed his missing ears once she had left. I freaked out and called her and she was apologetic, saying that his siblings must have "chewed them off". I then asked if his parents are related, i.e. if he was a product of inbreeding and she assured me they are not. Not sure I believe it and now I am worried he may have other more serious issues. However, other than his ears he looks fine: he has the normal number of toes, healthy-looking eyes, mouth and nose. He is currently happily interacting and running around the cage with my other baby boy. Is it possible that his missing ears are just some weird, non-harmful birth defect? Has anyone seen this before?
Thanks in advance,

Liv
 
Hello and welcome

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience with a breeder. This is why we do not advocate buying piggies off sites like Gumtree.

I would certainly take this young man to the vet to have him fully checked over. If he has come from a breeder you should adopt a cautious approach and ensure he is in good health and enforce proper quarantine so that there is no chance of spreading any illness he may have -I'm not saying he's ill at all - but if he has anything contagious you may spread it to your teddy boy. The vet will also be able to tell you if this is congenital or if his ears have been chewed off.

As we have members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country and county, so we can adapt any advice accordingly. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. In the same section you can also upload your avatar, that is the picture that appears with every post you make. Thank you!
 
Welcome to the forum.

Awww bless him.. A quick check up at the vets will do him and you the world of good. If he is acting happy then that is a good thing. At least he has ended up with a caring owner. Any idea on names?
 
VickiA said:
Hello and welcome

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience with a breeder. This is why we do not advocate buying piggies off sites like Gumtree.

I would certainly take this young man to the vet to have him fully checked over. If he has come from a breeder you should adopt a cautious approach and ensure he is in good health and enforce proper quarantine so that there is no chance of spreading any illness he may have -I'm not saying he's ill at all - but if he has anything contagious you may spread it to your teddy boy. The vet will also be able to tell you if this is congenital or if his ears have been chewed off.

As we have members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country and county, so we can adapt any advice accordingly. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. In the same section you can also upload your avatar, that is the picture that appears with every post you make. Thank you!
Click to expand...

Thanks Vicki, updated my profile. It's been tough finding a suitable companion for my teddy. Adopted him from a local owner in Dundee who had an accidental litter (the parents are now separated, which is good). He was living with his dad and very anxious after being separated so I wanted to minimize as much as possible the time he had to spend alone. No piggies at my local SPCA and sadly no piggy rescues nearby, so I went for Gumtree which seems to be flooded with unwanted pigs, many of them from accidental litters. :( I doubt he was intentionally bred. But I did rant at the previous owner about uncontrolled breeding and the risks of inbreeding. She seems like a nice enough person, was apologetic about having neglected to mention his deformity and even offered to take him back. But I would only consider that if he doesn't get on with my boy, and only if she convinces me that he will have a good alternative home. Will get him checked by the vet, fingers crossed!
 
sport_billy said:
Welcome to the forum.

Awww bless him.. A quick check up at the vets will do him and you the world of good. If he is acting happy then that is a good thing. At least he has ended up with a caring owner. Any idea on names?
Click to expand...

Thanks, will get him checked. Haven't named him yet, suggestions welcome! :)
 
I've no doubt youll give this little chap a far better life @Liv . Sounds like he hasn't had best start in life poor chap. I appreciate the difficulties finding rescue piggies in Scotland - not easy I know. Hope the vet can give him once over and tell you whether he's hearing or deaf. Sounds like he's had a lucky escape making his way to you.
 
Update on earless piggy: got him checked by the vet today and she said he seems fine! She confirmed that his ears were not chewed off and that he was probably born this way. They did a hearing test and he can definitely hear. Heart, lungs and gut sound healthy too. Phew!
I have named him Puck because when he pokes his little head out from the fleece forest, his pink nose, large black eyes and white crest make him look like a mischievous little sprite. ;) He's so scrawny, weighs 120 g less than my teddy Bhalu, even though they are the same age! He's eating well though so hopefully he will grow into a big, strong boy. :luv:
20160520_094606.webp
 
Aw I think Puck suits him :luv:
Great to hear he's healthy and can hear xx
 
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Aww what a gorgeous, special little piggie! So happy he's landed himself with a lovely new home :clap:
 
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I'm glad he's doing well... he's a cute little guy ears or not!
 
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He's so cute. Glad he's healthy. Puck suits him, I bet he will be a right little character.
 
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