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Guinea pig with painful lump on lower back/leg

RedVipey

RedVipey

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My mother was helping me groom my pigs and was brushing one of my boars until he cried in pain. She found the spot that was upsetting him though unfortunately couldn't see the lump properly because of his hair and his squirming, though my mum commented it felt scab like and was hard. We never noticed it until now since this particular pig hates being handled and touched so I don't often get to check him without him putting up a fight.

Scheduled a vet examination next morning but really worried about him, also my other pig since he's never been alone. Did some research but still not confident what might be wrong with him, Would anyone have an idea? also will my other pig be okay separated? Thanks
 
Hi, it’s sadly impossible for us to say what the lump is but if it hurts him, may be it’s an abscess? Why do you need to separate them? This really isn’t recommended as it causes unnecessary stress. If you are talking about when you take him to the vets, you can always take them both to the vets in the same carrier. Please let us know how you get on x
 
Thought it would be abscess as well but yeah it is hard to say...The vet only requested to inspect Goro and also wasn't sure if taking both would stress the other male out who wasn't being checked, but you're right just going to take them both anyway.
Thank you for your help
 
I hope he is ok.
I absolutely agree with the others though - best to not separate bonded pairs so always take both piggies with you
Let us know how you get on at the vet
 
Well just came back from the vet and turns out it's a puncture wound from fighting, He'll have be syringe fed antibiotics for a week and monitored. I can't recall any serious fights my two boys have been in the past few months in but I might have to separate them for Goro's sake.
 
I am sorry to hear that.
A full on fight causing injuries is usually and sadly the end of their bond and if that has occurred they then need live in side by side cages permanently.
If they are still together, then keep a very close eye on them in case there is something wrong between them. Be prepared to immediately separate them if things turn.
Ensure you weigh them both (particularly Goro) to ensure he is being allowed to eat enough hay.

This guide will help you determine if there is actually an issue between them - Bonds In Trouble

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
Do you think they have been fighting? If there is a problem with the bond leading to that kind of fight I think you would be aware of almost constant tension. I only say this because twice it has been suggested that mine have sustained injuries from fighting when there has been no suggestion of that in their behaviour. I’m not convinced that many vets understand pig social behaviour and that for some of us that do try to understand, a fight would be a reason to permanently separate and that suggesting fighting is actually a Very Big Deal.

You say you can’t recall a serious fight. That might suggest there have been scuffles and so you need to work out what is dominance vs broken bond. The suggestions above cover that.

Hope you work it out.
 
Thanks I'll give it another read, gonna monitor them while we figure out what to do...The vet suggested I neuter them to see if they calm down but I don't know. Teddy (the one not hurt) is the dominant boar, Although Goro likes to challenge him time to time (rumbling and touching ted's butt to get him to move) I just don't see them fight each other or Teddy harassing Goro.
The only bullying behavior I see is when eating at their top loft one may sit by the bridge and not allow the other to go past, and as mentioned Goro may rumble and follow Teddy annoying him once in a while?
Gotta ring the vet again tomorrow just to ask some questions since unfortunately I couldn't be in the surgery due to covid restrictions and I wasn't told much about his health. He did weigh them so I'll ask otherwise I'll do that.
Thanks for the advice everyone I'll make sure my guys are safe and happy :luv:
 
The vet doesn’t sound particularly knowledgable on piggy behaviour - neutering does not calm boars down and it will not make boars get on. Neutering works to calm other animals, but in piggies all neutering does it stop pregnancy.

Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

This sounds like normal dominance to me, not any fighting. Lofts and therefore ramps, along with any other item which only has one way up/down/in/out can cause problems for boars as you have seen - one piggy not allowing the other free access.

Weighing should be done done as part of routine weekly health checks.

Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
Yes admittedly most vets around here don't care much for small animals so it's hard to get local help, the only thing that was suggested was to divide their cage if worse happens. They do have two of everything including food bowls, I have tried to place them not on the loft but they insist on eating together. Same with hay sources but same problem.
I should be more hands on with them honestly, while I do handle them to move them I don't really hold them for too long but I will have to to give Goro his antibiotics so he'll have to get used to it fast lol.
 
If you are providing two of everything and they are choosing to share items, then that is fine - they wouldn’t do it if they didn’t want to.
Only separate them if there are clear issues - a full on fight being the most serious. Signs of bullying are constant harassment by mounting and chasing so that one piggy never gets chance to rest and is never left alone; one piggy never being allowed to eat and therefore loses weight; becoming depressed and withdrawn.
Bullying is different to normal dominance and normal dominance does not require you to step in

Its fine to not hold for them for long if they don’t like it. My two boys don’t like being handled but they tolerate it for their daily and weekly health checks, nail and hair clipping and any medications - I just don’t sit and cuddle them because it’s really not enjoyable for them.
 
Thinking about one thing that might be considered a bullying issue is sometimes they'll rumble and argue in their sleeping spot and one might move to the top loft to get away from the other one (often Teddy who moves), they only like to sleep under the loft so they'll often be resting near each other, but again they seem to enjoy each others company most of the time. This might be a stretch but really trying to think what could be very bad signs.

Do keep an eye on how much they eat and of what and they seem to still have a hefty appetite but will weigh them, don't notice the boys stopping the other from eating? worse case one will get annoyed and hop off to the lower floor.
 
Only time I was really worried about their bond was when they moved into their C&C cage, there was a couple weeks Goro was hellbent on being dominant and would drive Teddy up the wall again though didn't see any intense fighting just charging and chattering.
 
Weighing is the only way to know they are definitely eating enough hay - it’s 80% of their daily food intake but you can’t judge they are eating enough by eye as it’s very deceptive.

I’m not seeing anything desperately concerning in the descriptions you are giving - it comes across as normal dominance. Of course, we can only go by the written word.


RedVipey said:
Only time I was really worried about their bond was when they moved into their C&C cage, there was a couple weeks Goro was hellbent on being dominant and would drive Teddy up the wall again though didn't see any intense fighting just charging and chattering.
Click to expand...

Seeing an increase in dominance after moving to a new cage is entirely normal and to be expected. They will reestablish their relationship and territories in any new environment. So this is why cage and environment changes are best kept to a minimum with boars and if they must be moved, it’s best to always put soiled bedding into the new cage so it still smells of them.

How old are they?
 
Ah, that explains so much! They are right in their teens so are hormonal and this is when they can get grumpy with each other. They are in their teens until 14 months of age but of course hormones don’t suddenly disappear and seeing hormonal spikes even as adults is normal.

Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
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