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Is it just old age?

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MushiiPeas

MushiiPeas

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hey,

My guinea is seven and her friend died a year ago, ever since i have always got her out everyday and made loads of fuss to make sure she's not lonely but recently she has got really skinny but she is still eating fine and talking to me when i cuddle her and come in the room. She doesn't squeak like she's in pain when i pick her up or anything. She smells like pee too and her bottom is a little bit wet, i bathed her but within 2 days she's really smelly it's repungant. She doesn't run around anymore and just sits in her house in her cage? :(

Thanks
 
She could be a bit sad cos she's lonely, or just bored on her own so won't run around.

My old pig couldn't wash herself when she was old either, and she was also fat so maybe that made it harder. I got her new friends who cleaned her.

If you can't get her new friends then I think just give her as much attention as you can, maybe brush her to help keep her clean, and maybe give her a small teddy bear to cuddle.

Her weight loss could be old age or could be something to do with her teeth, or even worms or something. I'd take her to the vet for a check up and see if there's something wrong. Good luck x x
 
I agree that taking her to the vets is the best thing to do. Wet bottoms and smelly wee's can be a sign of a UTI which she will require antibiotics for.

The loss of weight could be due to illness or old age but I would feel better by her seeing a vet just to be on the safe side.

xx
 
I would checked her UTI (urinary tract infection); smelly pees can be one sign for that. Older guinea pigs often get more sedate and tend to pee more where they sit and not move away; however that should not distract from checking for illness.
http://www.guinealynx.info/uti.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/urine_scald.html

Older guinea pigs can often lose weight (condition) while still being chipper. It might be good if you weighed her regularly at least once a week.
http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

You might find this article about older guinea pigs helpful:
http://www.jpgpr.com/jpgpr400.html
 
I found exactly the same with my older pig Jez (who sadly died recently aged six )
Both my older pigs, Sam and Jez, who lived to age six, started to get thin during the last year of their lives, despite eating, drinking, peeing and pooing normally.
I also found that Jez started to get smelly because he didn't move around much - he would sit in one place for ages and if he did a wee he would just sit in it. That didn't happen with Sam, who was active up until the end. I had to give Jez a bath every 2 or 3 days towards the end when he was too stiff and inactive to keep clean/clean himself. rolleyes
 
Hey thanks for all the advice and articles they have been really helpful xx>>>, i managed to get an appointment at the vet for when i'd finished college. He said she was really healthy for her age and she doesn't have any infection however he did say he's pretty sure she's on her last legs :(

He thinks the pee smell is where she doesn't move around much and like you guys said she just sits where she pees, he suggested that i bath her every 3 days and i'm going to move the house around in her cage so she doesn't just sit in the same place. He said it's common for guinea pigs to lose weight when they get old, he suggested i gave her some pordidge oats to help her fatten up.

I've got one more problem as he suggested i bath her, she loves the bath and seems really happy but when i get her out in the summer i just towled dryed her throughly, do you suggest i use a hair dryer as it's the winter i don't want her to get a cold, have you ever used one on your guinea pigs?

THANKYOU :)
 
I use a hairdryer with no problems. Use the lowest heat setting and hold your hand between the dryer and pig, gently stroking/ fluffing the hair. This way you can be sure that it is not too hot nor risk burning her skin.

Bathing every 3 days might dry her skin out. If it's just because she's sitting in pee you might be able to alternate with a good bum wash with a flannel. Cutting her hair short in that area will also help.

You obviously really love your girl and I'm sure you will make sure she's comfy and happy. :)
 
Thankyou, i do love her lots. My last guinea pig got a tumour and it was horrible to see her go through that. I Want to make sure chocolate has the best last couple of months or maybe a year i can give her :]

Thanks for telling about bathing her too much will dry her skin, maybe i'll bath her once a week if she needs it with me cleaning her up. :)

I bought jonhsons shampoo for small animals.

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<chocolate
 
I am glad that it is not an infection that Chocolate has - that must be a big relief for you!

Try to keep her as much as possible on a thick layer of fleece that has been washed several times without softener, so any fluids are wicked away as much as possible. If you can cut up a cheap polyester bed throw into several pieces, you can change the "bed linen" in her house daily or even twice daily without having to make up the cage all the time. That will make her hopefully comfy.
 
She looks lovely.

You can 'bottom bath' rather than do all of her, every 3 days does seem a lot though. Perhaps a daily wipe with a baby wipe or similar would help? What bedding is she on? Something absorbent like Vetbed might be good for her and soak away the pee.

She's a grand old age, bless her, hope she's ok

Sophie
x
 
Well done 7 is a great age.
Get some vet bed, its a godsend you only need a small piece for her to sit on it absorbs all the wee and she won't get wet. I got some from e bay for a fiver and cut it up into 3 and it was great.
 
Aww, Chocolate is beautiful and I am so relieved she doesn't have an infection. I use Johnsons small animal shampoo but I use the insecticide one. They smell lovely afterwards :) xx
 
She's a beautiful piggy! x)

Gorgeous Guineas do a fab range of shampoos & lotions, which are specially designed for piggies and are based on natural ingredients, so they tend to be much much gentler on their skin than many other brands. It might be worth a look if you'll be bathing her often:
http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/shampoos.html
 
Hey everybody good news she seems alot better now and she put on some more weight, i've been giving her a tiny few real poridge oats and she really likes them but i only give her a tiny amount like half a tea spoon every other day cos i don't think it's good for her to have alot. I'm gonna get some vetbed when i get my ema [*](that's like a grant from college as i'm too busy to get job this year)[/*] through next weet until then i'm just changing where she's pee'd every day which seems to be helping. Maybe i can hang onto her another year!

Thanks for all your kind comments xx>>>
 
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