Is This Normal For Guinea Pig?

[Jutomo]

Hello guys. I just got a new guinea today. I just notice that there are two bald patches behind his ears. I was a bit worried so I searched online and found it is normal. However, I also find that in one patch, there is a small lump. I could not really find anything explaining this. I have added my pic in this post and could anyone tell me if this is normal or abnormal? Thanks very much.

 

[VickiA]

Hello to you and yours. That bald patch absolutely normal on all piggies. I think it's designed for humans to kiss them Not sure about the lump though. One of the experienced posters such as @Wiebke can advise better on that.

 

[valsie]

Hello Jutomo,

I have had many guinea pigs over the years and I have to say I have never seen that before.

Have you checked for mites?

 

[Jutomo]

Hello to you and yours. That bald patch absolutely normal on all piggies. I think it's designed for humans to kiss them Not sure about the lump though. One of the experienced posters such as @Wiebke can advise better on that.

Thank you for your kind reply, VickiA. Yea, I have found out that the bald areas are normal for the pigs and I think your thinking is really reasonable Just not sure about the small lump. I really want this little thing can keep healthy, just got him today and like him so much.

 

[Jutomo]

Hello Jutomo,

I have had many guinea pigs over the years and I have to say I have never seen that before.

Have you checked for mites?

Hi Valsie, thanks for your kind reply. I am not sure if it is caused by mites and I do not really know how to check if it is from mites... Could you please give me more details about this? I am still a quite new pig keeper. Thank you.

 

[Jutomo]

I just have my guinea pig checked again. It is not really a lump, it actually feels like some little hard thing there. But I am still unsure about this. Hope it is not a big deal...

 

[7squeakers.]

I think it is just a mole or a pimple. One of my piggies has a small mole-like lump on her ear. It never changes or bothers her.

 

[valsie]

Luckily I have never had a piggy with mites but if it was me I would just go over the whole body, parting the fur to check for any mites.

I think I agree with the other posters though...it's probably just a raised mole and nothing to worry about.

I think us guinea pig owners tend to be over cautious and worry about every little thing!

 

[Lady Kelly]

Hi Jutomo, I don't know what country you are in but as a generic rule I would say if anything concerned me I would book a vets visit for a health check/peace of mind. That said I have both small animals and exotics specialist vets near to me whilst a number of members do not have a suitable local vets. If you are in the UK you might be able to find one through our vet locator above.

I have not heard of mites causing anything like this before and you wouldn't be able to see mites because they are too small for the human eye to see. You would have a good indicator of mites if your pig is scratching/biting fur excessively, seems to have discomfort and wriggles a lot when handled and/or hair breaks away easily when tugged with skin attached. In more severe cases they will develop bald patches.

Best way to monitor health by weighing regularly at the same time of day to get the same point in the feeding cycle. I weigh mine once a week unless I am noticing small drops in weight at which point I will weigh them more regularly. Pigs are natures prey so won't always exhibit outwards sign of illness, a significant drop in weight can often be the sign of something going on

 

[Kerrie74]

Hi, yeah all my guinea's have patches like that, but it's always best to take your new piggies for a vet check, I always do it just to be on the safe side. There's a vet locator at the top of the page

 

[shersher78]

The baldness is not unusual, most guineas have them as many others have said & it's just a case of it being more noticeable on some than others (My Rillo had black ears & black skin under her fur so wasn't really noticeable unless you looked closely). As 7Squeakers has said, it very well could be a little mole or such but I would certainly get it looked at by someone in the know. He's a little cutie

 

[Jutomo]

I think it is just a mole or a pimple. One of my piggies has a small mole-like lump on her ear. It never changes or bothers her.

Thank you 7squeakers, I also feel it is like a pimple or mole and my pig does not feel its existence at all.

 

[Jutomo]

Luckily I have never had a piggy with mites but if it was me I would just go over the whole body, parting the fur to check for any mites.

I think I agree with the other posters though...it's probably just a raised mole and nothing to worry about.

I think us guinea pig owners tend to be over cautious and worry about every little thing!

He does not really scratch much, I guess it is not likely to be mites. Very true valsie. We really love our pig very much and care about them very much and that is why we worry about every little thing

 

[Jutomo]

Hi Jutomo, I don't know what country you are in but as a generic rule I would say if anything concerned me I would book a vets visit for a health check/peace of mind. That said I have both small animals and exotics specialist vets near to me whilst a number of members do not have a suitable local vets. If you are in the UK you might be able to find one through our vet locator above.

I have not heard of mites causing anything like this before and you wouldn't be able to see mites because they are too small for the human eye to see. You would have a good indicator of mites if your pig is scratching/biting fur excessively, seems to have discomfort and wriggles a lot when handled and/or hair breaks away easily when tugged with skin attached. In more severe cases they will develop bald patches.

Best way to monitor health by weighing regularly at the same time of day to get the same point in the feeding cycle. I weigh mine once a week unless I am noticing small drops in weight at which point I will weigh them more regularly. Pigs are natures prey so won't always exhibit outwards sign of illness, a significant drop in weight can often be the sign of something going on

Thank you so much Lady Kelly. I really appreciate your useful post and all the advice you gave. I will think about taking him to vet once he does not seem right. He is all right at the moment and I will keep checking my pigs' weight.

 

[Jutomo]

Hi, yeah all my guinea's have patches like that, but it's always best to take your new piggies for a vet check, I always do it just to be on the safe side. There's a vet locator at the top of the page

Thank you for your advice Kerrie74. He is all right at the moment. But I will take him to vet once he needs.

 

[Jutomo]

The baldness is not unusual, most guineas have them as many others have said & it's just a case of it being more noticeable on some than others (My Rillo had black ears & black skin under her fur so wasn't really noticeable unless you looked closely). As 7Squeakers has said, it very well could be a little mole or such but I would certainly get it looked at by someone in the know. He's a little cutie

Thank you shersher78. I also think it can be a mole as he does not really feel itchy and does not scratch at all. Here are two more pics of my Domino. He is really gorgeous and I decided to get him once I saw him.

 

[Kerrie74]

Ok, no problem The reason I suggested you take your guinea is because you've just gotten him and you were worrying, but I'm paranoid anyway lol, I've adopted three that had problems, two came to us with problems (the rescue never took them to the vets when they should have) and one got ill just after, so I'm probably just overly cautious now, plus we've lost two guinea's since Feb.

Very cute guinea pig!

 

[Lady Kelly]

oooooooooooooohhhhh squeeeeeeeeeeeee he's an aby! I love Aby's!

 

[ayemee]

It could just be a mole like others have said. If in doubt though a quick vet visit would put your mind at rest.

He's absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Jutomo]

Ok, no problem The reason I suggested you take your guinea is because you've just gotten him and you were worrying, but I'm paranoid anyway lol, I've adopted three that had problems, two came to us with problems (the rescue never took them to the vets when they should have) and one got ill just after, so I'm probably just overly cautious now, plus we've lost two guinea's since Feb.

Very cute guinea pig!

Thank you Kerrie74. I think what you do is really right. It is always safer to take guinea pigs to vet when they have something wrong. Unfortunately I am just a student at the moment and consulting a local vet really costs a fortune. But I will definitely take my pigs to a vet if necessary because their health and happiness are obviously worth the money (even if I have to starve for a few meals) lol.

 

[Jutomo]

It could just be a mole like others have said. If in doubt though a quick vet visit would put your mind at rest.

He's absolutely gorgeous!

Thank you ayemee. I will consult a vet once there is something wrong. I am glad you like my little boy.

 

[Jutomo]

oooooooooooooohhhhh squeeeeeeeeeeeee he's an aby! I love Aby's!

Thank you Lady Kelly. Yes, he is super cute and I really love him! Btw, thank you for telling me his breed as I did not really know about that before lol.

 

[Kerrie74]

Ahh I don't know if students get council tax reduction or help with rent but if you do there's always the PDSA if your guinea's do get ill.

 

[Jutomo]

Ahh I don't know if students get council tax reduction or help with rent but if you do there's always the PDSA if your guinea's do get ill.

Thank you Kerrie74. Unfortunately I am not in UK and I am actually in Australia. It seems that there is no PDSA here. However, it does not really worry me. I will soon graduate and I am sure I will be able to give my pigs a happy and healthy life.

 

[Kerrie74]

Ahhh! I forget we have people from different countries posting! I'm sure you will too

 

[Lady Kelly]

Thank you Lady Kelly. Yes, he is super cute and I really love him! Btw, thank you for telling me his breed as I did not really know about that before lol.

Yep Aby or Aby cross, you can tell from the crazy hair that starts in rosettes. Many of my pigs have been aby or Aby x and I think their personalities tend to match their hair lol

 

[Jutomo]

Yep Aby or Aby cross, you can tell from the crazy hair that starts in rosettes. Many of my pigs have been aby or Aby x and I think their personalities tend to match their hair lol

Lol, I really like their 'hairstyles'. How are you Aby and Abyx pigs' personalities like? My boy is actually very quiet and he seldom whistles or screams at the moment. Maybe when he is closer to me, he will become a bit different.

 

[VickiA]

What a gorgeous little aby chappy. I love aby pigs. They usually have so much character x

 

[Lady Kelly]

Lol, I really like their 'hairstyles'. How are you Aby and Abyx pigs' personalities like? My boy is actually very quiet and he seldom whistles or screams at the moment. Maybe when he is closer to me, he will become a bit different.

I've had quite differing personalities with my pigs but all of the aby/abyx have been a bit nuts. Bumble is pure aby - she pretends to be shy but wheeks with the rest of them, likes to boss the new underpig around but when she's out at laptime will appear timid and won't eat while you're looking at her. Bea aby x (now passed) was a bossy lady so got the nickname Queen Bea, she acted too posh for all that piggy malarky but wheeked the loudest and always looked surprised when she popcorned. Jemima aby x peruvian - she is a right character, I've had her since she was 6 weeks. She's tiny but the boss now, still wheeks so loudly that her ears occasionally flap, she's bossy and forever displaying her dominance. Buddy aby x himi (now passed) - he was a chilled out fella but could demolish cucumber in a comical manner in record time, loved nothing more than doing zoomies for 80% of his day and liked to sleep out in the open (instead of in his hidey) from the very day I got him.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello guys. I just got a new guinea today. I just notice that there are two bald patches behind his ears. I was a bit worried so I searched online and found it is normal. However, I also find that in one patch, there is a small lump. I could not really find anything explaining this. I have added my pic in this post and could anyone tell me if this is normal or abnormal? Thanks very much.

The patches behind the ears are normal. This thread here can help you learn what is normal and what not with new guinea pigs: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-body-quirks.58854/