Neurological issue/being bullied off food?

[Eviolus-]

I was doing a spot clean just now and one of the baby pigs (pet shop nan scenario) started squealing, it sounded like it was either in submission or pain but she makes weird noises a lot so I just decided I'd check up on her once I finished but she ran away from the rest of the group with a pretty extreme head tilt, similar to the one her lethal sister had.

My first thought was the other pigs attacked her but when I gave her a quick check up she had no issues except her teeth were nearly touching.

That wasn't too big of a deal to see, not great but fixable. I was checking her stomach and back for any abnormalities and her ribs felt like they had little to know fat on them. It then occured to me that the likely inbreeding from her mum could have caused neurological damage and she is always quite shy when approaching food. I always thought that although she ate little with the others she came back after to get her fill but when I gave her some hay she refused to eat until another pig was with her.

Does anyone have any tips? I figured a good start would be hand feeding hay and veg every day and weighing her daily but I'd really appreciate someone else's input. I list the lethal I mentioned earlier (Her name was Tonic) quite recently and I don't want to lose another

 

[Eviolus-]

Also I forgot to mention that she is suspected to either be partially blind or have some neurological issue that mimics the symptoms, I assume the latter since she has attempted to do tricks I've taught the other pigs before that she wouldnt know otherwise, she didn't seem to fully comprehend it though since she got it very wrong and she just wanted the food

 

[Wiebke]

I was doing a spot clean just now and one of the baby pigs (pet shop nan scenario) started squealing, it sounded like it was either in submission or pain but she makes weird noises a lot so I just decided I'd check up on her once I finished but she ran away from the rest of the group with a pretty extreme head tilt, similar to the one her lethal sister had.

My first thought was the other pigs attacked her but when I gave her a quick check up she had no issues except her teeth were nearly touching.

That wasn't too big of a deal to see, not great but fixable. I was checking her stomach and back for any abnormalities and her ribs felt like they had little to know fat on them. It then occured to me that the likely inbreeding from her mum could have caused neurological damage and she is always quite shy when approaching food. I always thought that although she ate little with the others she came back after to get her fill but when I gave her some hay she refused to eat until another pig was with her.

Does anyone have any tips? I figured a good start would be hand feeding hay and veg every day and weighing her daily but I'd really appreciate someone else's input. I list the lethal I mentioned earlier (Her name was Tonic) quite recently and I don't want to lose another

Hi!

It may be worth having her vet checked to see whether she could be blind and have dental problems, too. The front teeth should be self-sharpening and even; unless there is a problem with the back teeth, they do not need any intervention.

Here are our detailed tips for babies that need extra support. the guide is part of our pregnancy, birth and baby care information pack: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...pport-feeding-orphans-and-tiny-babies.159468/

 

[Eviolus-]

Hi!

It may be worth having her vet checked to see whether she could be blind and have dental problems, too. The front teeth should be self-sharpening and even; unless there is a problem with the back teeth, they do not need any intervention.

Here are our detailed tips for babies that need extra support. the guide is part of our pregnancy, birth and baby care information pack: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...pport-feeding-orphans-and-tiny-babies.159468/

Thanks, the vet said she is less responsive visually than a normal pig but her eyes reacted to light normally. He said her teeth look fine too but she's really skinny and reluctant to eat unless shes with another pig but other pigs steal the food from her or chase her away, would it be worth syringe feeding if it gets any worse?

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks, the vet said she is less responsive visually than a normal pig but her eyes reacted to light normally. He said her teeth look fine too but she's really skinny and reluctant to eat unless shes with another pig but other pigs steal the food from her or chase her away, would it be worth syringe feeding if it gets any worse?

Please look at the link. Syringe feeding babies is not recommended as anything that goes down the wrong way will cause fatal pneumonia.
You can find all the possible ways of how to safely support feed a baby in need, including what is suitable to feed a still nursing baby in the green link in my previous post - all nicely laid out and explained in detail, so you can choose what method suits you best.

How old and how heavy is your baby? Has your vet considered that it could be one of the rare piggies that may not have the much more important sense of smell?

 

[Merab]

Hope your baby pulls through.
Sounds as if she’s in excellent hands with you

 

[Eviolus-]

Please look at the link. Syringe feeding babies is not recommended as anything that goes down the wrong way will cause fatal pneumonia.
You can find all the possible ways of how to safely support feed a baby in need, including what is suitable to feed a still nursing baby in the green link in my previous post - all nicely laid out and explained in detail, so you can choose what method suits you best.

How old and how heavy is your baby? Has your vet considered that it could be one of the rare piggies that may not have the much more important sense of smell?

Sorry for getting back slowly, I haven't been getting notifications, I have read the link but shes too old for a lot of it to apply.

She's just under 2 months old and 413 grams.

I dont think its related to smell since I see her sniffing her way around quite often

 

[Wiebke]

OK - in this case you can syringe carefully, as long as you do not squirt anything into her mouth; she is still small so a mouthful is likely to be about 0.2 ml (it is about 0.5 ml in an adult). Feed her as much as she is willing to take and see whether that helps towards her putting on weight.
Here is our illustrated syringe feeding guide: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Could you also try and feed her with her mother in adjoining bowls outside the cage so she has the example/assurance but not the competition? Do it in an area that you can cover with a towel (but in a way that you can still keep an eye on) to make her feel safe additionally.

It sounds like she could be at least partially blind.

 

[Eviolus-]

OK - in this case you can syringe carefully, as long as you do not squirt anything into her mouth; she is still small so a mouthful is likely to be about 0.2 ml (it is about 0.5 ml in an adult). Feed her as much as she is willing to take and see whether that helps towards her putting on weight.
Here is our illustrated syringe feeding guide: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Could you also try and feed her with her mother in adjoining bowls outside the cage so she has the example/assurance but not the competition? Do it in an area that you can cover with a towel (but in a way that you can still keep an eye on) to make her feel safe additionally.

It sounds like she could be at least partially blind.

Thanks, I'll try it. Do you have any ideas on her random squeals?

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks, I'll try it. Do you have any ideas on her random squeals?

No, sorry, not without a video for body language and situational context.

 

[Eviolus-]

No, sorry, not without a video for body language and situational context.

Ah okay, thanks for the help