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Help please

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Toddyguineapig

After bringing two of my piggies in from a romp in the garden this afternoon I noticed that they have sores and black marks around the mouths - one's much worse then the other - there are also a few grazes around the muzzle on one. They both started eating when I put them back into the hutches but I'm obvoiusly REALLY worried at what I've seen. I read the post that's already on here about something that seems to match up with my piggies and have e-mailed Thistle cavies to see if they have any more info.
I have nine little precious's altogether and none of the others have it and all seem fine.
I'm going to take them both to the vet in the morning but I'm not sure how good they are when it comes to these babies.
If anyone knows what it sounds like I'd love some help please. I'll try and get a pic and post
Thanks

Jacquie :...
 
It sounds puzzling, and I too think it is worth seeing what Wendi at Thistle Cavies thinks given that she knows about the troublesome mouth problem that as affected some piggies.

Is there any way the pigs could have fought? Is there any chance a chemical could have affected the grass?
 
The grass has been kept clear of dogs for a while and I've been hosing it down when they haven't been outside. They haven't been going out for very long and were kept in for the last two days and today was the first day.
I've been racking my brain to see if anything's been different. The only things are - I was given a bale of hay which has been in the hutches - I usually buy the bags and this seems very hard (paranoia setting in!), they've had some Timothy hay with herbage for the last few days, they've had their usual food and fresh stuff - they did have a sliver of banana each last night and that's it really.
I have noticed that they've been even more skittish then usual and there was a bit of kicking going on (they're 4 month old boys) but we put an upstairs in the hutch with ramp and they have their own area and seemed to be a bit calmer.
i'm so worried :...
 
After having a closer look I think they've been fighting - phew! not nice but better then something nasty.
Also I moved them from the conservatory into a cage in the bedroom and I've noticed them squaring up to each other - gonna have a look at advice on boars now.
If anyone thinks differently from the pic I'd love to hear any other views.

Jacquie x
View attachment 681
 
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Looks like a scab. As others have said, suspect fighting. Young boars often become aggressive around this age, whether or not they are related, be prepared to separate them.
I had this problem last night with 2 boars, one 6 months and the other 8 months old. The little one was the attacker and bit his companion around the lips. I take the view that if a scrap/fight results in blood being drawn then I will always separate them. I once had to suture a large gash on the side of a boar's face. Yet another boar had to have an eye removed following an attack by his brother. You often find that most boars settle down at approximately 12-15 months of age and can sometimes be paired again.
Never try to separate 2 fighting boars just by separating them with your bare hands. You will only make that mistake once! Cover them with a towel or blanket before picking them up.
 
Oh, poor piggie! Looks like quite an argument they had, it does look like blood/scabs.
AP said everything I would have - if blood is drawn then it's best to separate, never put your hand in between fighting boars etc. If the boars are 'adolescents' i.e. maturing then they will be very hormonal, hence why boys between 5 - 10 months are more prone to fighting for dominance.
 
How are the little fellas this morning? Boys eh! It usually looks worse than it is with these sorts of things, hope they're ok this morning. As I said last night, if they don't go back together we've got lots of options for matching them up with baby boars of a more compatible temperament!

Sophie
x
 
Little Sam had a nice restful night in a cage in the bedroom with lots of yummies and cuddles, although not sure he enjoyed the cuddles as much as I did - he's at that funny age where he doesn't want mummies cuddles any more hehe!
I took the cage down to the conservatory where all the others are - including the naughty bro and lots of chattering and squeaking started. The boys can see each other and poor little Sam was climbing the side of the cage (in a nice way cos I don't think he's the aggressor) to get to Dennis :( it was really sad to see cos they were always close and if you took one away from the other there was lots of protesting.
I'm going to put them in an indoor run later with a wire divider and see what happens so fingers crossed they've made up, watch this space.......

Thanks for your time last night Soph - and to Wendi at Thistle Cavies - much appreciated :rose

Jacquie xx
 
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Poor piggy ... yes, it does certainly look like fight wounds :(.

It is a difficult one. Once separated, it is hard to reintroduce boars together again. Not impossible, but can be tricky. But with injuries like that it is upsetting and can't be allowed to go on.

Bathe the injuries with boiled, then cooled, water with a little salt added. Keep an eye out for infections. Also, check the back and neck of your piggies for wounds which are not clearly visible.

Space is the key with boars. Plenty of space with their own areas and own bowls.

Keep us posted.
 
The boys have been seperated since the deed but have been where they can see each other. Poor little Sam seems to be upset they've been parted and they both spend a lot of time chatting. I put them outside into two seperate runs up against each other today and Dennis seemed to be acting up again so I'm going to keep them seperated indefinately but continue to let them see each other every day and if it seems that things are calming down then I might try them back together, otherwise they'll have to find other friends.

Jacquie xx
 
I can totally sympathise, i have 3 single boars atm but will have 2 as ive recently had one neutered. These 2 started off living together but after 13months had to be separated but are happy living next door to one another & for the past 2 summers have been happy to graze alongside each other in my run yet will not share living space :)
 
I don't know if this has been mentioned, but is there a possibility that they may have gotten stuck on a fence or barbwire or anything of that sort? I don't know what kind of fencing they may have, or if they are free to roam around in your yard. But I'm just thinking of some possibilities for their injuries.
 
They were inside an arc run at the time. they live in a hutch in the conservatory usually and we modified the hutch so they could have some space. I had noticed a bit of chasing in the hutch but didn't really think anything of it. I kept them apart for a while - they could still see each other - and tried them together yesterday after they'd been out all day in a run next to each other but they had another squabble so they're now seperate again. Sophie's going to see if they can be bonded with others. It's really sad as I think Sam just wants a quiet life and misses his bro.........but that's boars for you. Hopefully they'll find new frineds to live with so fingers crossed View attachment 713
The boys hutch
 
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