Guinea Pig Has Big Cut. Help!

[KarenD]

I have two piggies that are blood brothers and they are over a year old. Today I noticed them fighting and while cleaning their room I noticed a huge cut on the back of one of them. The one who got the cut was the one who was trying to run away from the other one. I have absolutely no idea what to do!

 

[Freela]

You can gently clean the area with saline and a clean cloth and get a better look at it to see if it's a bite wound or possibly a ruptured cyst or abscess (to me the picture looks like it could be thicker than blood from a fresh cut, which might also bleed more freely.) Maybe try to get another pic of the actual source of the bleeding once it has been cleaned off and maybe then we can help to figure out what it's from. Poor little guy!

 

[Amy Barton]

boil some water and add some sea salt to clean to wound. If it doesn't appear to be healing well or shows signs of infection I would take him straight to the vets. Darcy had a nasty wound on her lip last week from a fight. Luckily by cleaning it twice a day and making sure her cage was super clean we avoided infection and it has healed perfectly. A cut like that is prone to infection so a trip to the vets might be for the best as the last thing you want is for it to get infected. Good luck! Hopefully you can figure out how he got it.

 

[KarenD]

Ive already I'm sure it's a bite. The little one who started the fight has a habit of biting and it doesn't really bleed. It's like a deep scrape and it has absolutely no hair anymore. Thank you for your advice!

 

[VickiA]

If boars are fighting then you need to consider separating. How old are they and what size cage are they in?
If they are fighting and drawing blood then it is kinder to separate them permanently. It will only escalate.
As for the injury I would ask the vet to take a look at it as he may need antibiotics and pain relief.

 

[laylas mum]

I would maybe look at getting th m neutered with a piggie savvy vet too

 

[Tiamolly123]

I think you should pop him to the vet. He might need antibiotics because if you get an infection in there, you could be in real trouble. The vet may wish to put a stitch in. Let us know how you get on.

 

[Reenie]

I would maybe look at getting th m neutered with a piggie savvy vet too

Neutering piggies, unfortunately doesn't change their personalities. If they don't get on, they will still fight. If you do need to split them up though, neutering would enable you to get them each a wife. @Wiebke is best to advise in these circumstances.

 

[Wiebke]

Please have your piggy seen by a vet. I agree with Freela that it does not look your typical fresh bite wound, more like a little abscess or cyst has burst. Please disinfect it with saline solution. In an emergency you can make it yourself by mixing one teaspoon of salt into half a pint/250 ml of boiled cooled water.

If you are worried about fighting, please take the time to read this guide here; it tells you in detail what you can do at any stage of things not going well. Neutering is useless; it doesn't change behaviour or personality (testosterone is still prduced and liberally sprayed all over the place, as my neutered "husboars" amply prove when they stink up the place). Neutered boars also still go through all the stages of a teenager the same as an unneutered boar.
If yours don't get on, then there are other things you CAN do: Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[KarenD]

If boars are fighting then you need to consider separating. How old are they and what size cage are they in?
If they are fighting and drawing blood then it is kinder to separate them permanently. It will only escalate.
As for the injury I would ask the vet to take a look at it as he may need antibiotics and pain relief.

I already separated them, I made them a 3x3 c&c cage and thought it was big enough for them but I guess not. I split it right down then middle now and they are a year and maybe 4 months old. I'm planning on then getting checked tomorrow since when I noticed the bite it was already late

 

[KarenD]

Please have your piggy seen by a vet. I agree with Freela that it does not look your typical fresh bite wound, more like a little abscess or cyst has burst. Please disinfect it with saline solution. In an emergency you can make it yourself by mixing one teaspoon of salt into half a pint/250 ml of boiled cooled water.

If you are worried about fighting, please take the time to read this guide here; it tells you in detail what you can do at any stage of things not going well. Neutering is useless; it doesn't change behaviour or personality (testosterone is still prduced and liberally sprayed all over the place, as my neutered "husboars" amply prove when they stink up the place). Neutered boars also still go through all the stages of a teenager the same as an unneutered boar.
If yours don't get on, then there are other things you CAN do: Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

When are they considered adults? They are a year and maybe 3 months old and thank you for the article! Planning on taking him to get looked at first this tomorrow

 

[Amy Barton]

I already separated them, I made them a 3x3 c&c cage and thought it was big enough for them but I guess not. I split it right down then middle now and they are a year and maybe 4 months old. I'm planning on then getting checked tomorrow since when I noticed the bite it was already late[/ is it possible you could get your pigs neutered and get them a female friend each?

 

[Wiebke]

When are they considered adults? They are a year and maybe 3 months old and thank you for the article! Planning on taking him to get looked at first this tomorrow

Yours are just about coming out of the teenage months and hitting adult age but they can still have the odd hormone spikey day at this age.

You would let them cool down and then see how it goes with re-intros over the weekend. The way they react when they meet again will tell you whether there really was a serious fight or not. Please follow the tips for re-intros in our guide, but be careful about the wound and leave off the bath; give them a wipe down instead and be careful around the wound.

 

[KarenD]

I'm not sure I can do that any time soon long because I'm a college student and can't afford 4 guinea pigs, I have thought about it just at the moment that is not possible for me

 

[KarenD]

Yours are just about coming out of the teenage months and hitting adult age.

Oh my babies are growing up! Thank you!

 

[Wiebke]

Oh my babies are growing up! Thank you!

I have added some remakrs and tips to my last post. I hope that they help you.