Is my piggy deaf?

[Dawny]

Hi All,

I think my guinea pig might be deaf and have diabetes.

First of all, may sound like a silly question, but how do you know if your guinea pig has diabetes (I know it would be worthwhile me booking him into the vets, but I wouldnt want to look silly taking Geoffrey to see when everything could possibly ok)??/:{

The reason why I'm suspicious of him having diabetes is because he drinks and drinks ++++++ He is about 10 months old and is just under 1Kg (Is this normal?). So I'm not sure if these are all significant symptoms or just coincidences?

With regards to the deafness, if something is dropped, the other 2 GPs shoot into their hiddey holes or if I'm hoovering, they bomburst into their little houses. Meanwhile Geoffrey popcorns ++ when I hoover, but is this only because he can feel the vibrations and is not aware of the loud sound like the other two?

Apart from this Geoffrey is a delightful little chap, very loving, caring and cuddly.

Any help or advice would be appreciated, but I will pop along to the vets sometime just for peace of mind more than anything.

 

[Julesie]

I have two guinea pigs that drink a lot. They easily get through a bottle whereas the other two don't drink nearly as much. I think it just depends on the piggies and isn't a sign of diabetes but I cannot say for sure.

 

[Poppy'sMum]

What dry food do you give him? Some seem to make them drink more. One of mine seems to be hard of hearing, she never runs when the others do, lets me go straight up & stroke her in her cage etc. I'm not worried if she's deaf, as long as she's healthy it isn't a problem for her rolleyes

 

[piggyfan]

If your piggy seems like he cannot hear there could be a medical reason for it such as mites in his ear. It is best to get him seen to a vet and have him checked out.

 

[Abi_nurse]

If you clap your hands does he waggle his ears? Its unusual for him to be deaf, but possible. What colour is he?

As for diabetes, drinking lots is just one of the symptoms, but its also a symptom of many things. Or it could simply be nothing. A vet check sounds like a good idea though.

x

 

[Dawny]

Thank you for all of your kind reples in relation to my post.

I have a few answers for you to see if it helps:

Poppys mum:
I feed him nuggets from P@H (the orange bag, Not the blackcurrent ones). I also give him fresh fruit and veg everyday (Usually peppers or cellery).

Piggy fan:
Yes the vet did diagnose him as having mites in his Left ear only, a few months back. He has been on Xeno 450 every 2 weeks ever since (which seems to have had a good effect, hes only on it now for precautionary methods).

Abi nurse:
I went up and clapped to see what he did and he didnt, flinch, blink, move or make any noise at all. He just very lovingly looked up at me as if to say, "what are you doing?" whilst the other 2 were vocally telling me to stop making so much noise. Lols.