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Immediate Help Need! Gp's Hind Legs Bend Outwards!

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Ismael

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Hi I got 2 male guinea pigs about 3-4 months ago. Both of them get along well as one is older (Fluffles) and the other is younger(Coco). Everything was going perfectly fine until a couple of days ago i noticed Coco didnt want to use his hind legs. He did everything else including eating and drinking yet he didnt want to walk. At one point when he released the cleaning fluid from his eyes, he attempted to clean himself yet he couldnt get his hands over his head so he just tried to shake off the fluid instead. I took him and put him in my tub filled with water about 1.5 inches high. I held him up yet still had him in the water to see if he would swim to see if he has movement in his legs. He attempted to swim and succeded yet stopped right away. so at this point i knew he wasnt paralyzed. I thought maybe he might have had a vitamin c definciency, so i got seperated him from Fluffles and gave him his own cage and hoped for the best. 2 days later I noticed something quite shocking. Coco's hind legs were bent outward completely! I had no idea how this couldve happened as I'm the only one with access to them! Please help i dont know what is wrong with my guinea pig!
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The only way to get a diagnosis is to take piggy to the vet. If he doesn't want to use his legs it is quite worrying so a vet visit is best. Sending healing vibes!

When you said you put him in water, for piggies the water should never be high enough for the pigs to be able to swim. The water should only be a few centimetres.
 
I do understand your reasoning for putting him into water for diagnosis purposes, but it can cause panic and if the legs or back are injured, this may hurt them further, but I do see your logic. Some vets do recommend water therapy for animals in general for getting the legs strong again, and to regain full movement, but it is best to discuss this after diagnosis and to remember that it can also cause alot of stress in guinea pigs.....
Personally I would take Coco to the vet as soon as possible. In some types of injury it's easier to reverse the damage when treated early, so please don't delay.
What ever the cause, just as Chief Guinea Pig says, only a vet can diagnose. Once you have your diagnosis you may find someone on here has experience of the same thing, and can offer you advice.
In the mean-time I suggest making sure everything is close to him (food, water), offer watery veg so that he doesn't have to strain so often to get to the spout to drink, keep him warm (but not hot), and keep him calm. I appreciate that Sunday is not the best of days for finding a vet, but early treatment can make a difference to the overall outcome. Also watch that he is not lying in his own urine, try to gently keep his underside clean and dry.
Tagging @Wiebke and @helen105281. x
 
As Critter said , could be any number of things , vet would be the safest bet,
 
Ismael said:
Hi I got 2 male guinea pigs about 3-4 months ago. Both of them get along well as one is older (Fluffles) and the other is younger(Coco). Everything was going perfectly fine until a couple of days ago i noticed Coco didnt want to use his hind legs. He did everything else including eating and drinking yet he didnt want to walk. At one point when he released the cleaning fluid from his eyes, he attempted to clean himself yet he couldnt get his hands over his head so he just tried to shake off the fluid instead. I took him and put him in my tub filled with water about 1.5 inches high. I held him up yet still had him in the water to see if he would swim to see if he has movement in his legs. He attempted to swim and succeded yet stopped right away. so at this point i knew he wasnt paralyzed. I thought maybe he might have had a vitamin c definciency, so i got seperated him from Fluffles and gave him his own cage and hoped for the best. 2 days later I noticed something quite shocking. Coco's hind legs were bent outward completely! I had no idea how this couldve happened as I'm the only one with access to them! Please help i dont know what is wrong with my guinea pig!
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Please have your boy seen by a good vet as soon as possible and don't try stuff from the internet on spec until you know what is causing it. You can easily make things worse if there is something wrong with his spine. There are a whole range of issues from mechanical to neurological to sudden calcium or vitamin deficiency (typically in older guinea pigs) and some others that can cause back leg issues.
Hopefully, it is something that can be righted fairly easily!
 
It could be a vitamin deficiency or calcium crash but he needs to see a vet for a proper diagnosis and ideally an xray. Do you have access to a vet that can see guinea pigs? If you update your location on your profile it will help with any advice we can give.

I would also give extra vitamin c until you can see a vet.

As Critter has said, keep everything he needs close to him so he doesn't need to move far to eat and drink.
 
Coco seems to be getting better! He has much more movement in one of his hind legs yet the other is still questionable
 
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