Potential skin condition

[ChipTheGuineaPig]

Hi,

I have a teddy bear Guinea pig called Chip who’s coming up to 5 years old this month.

He used to live outdoors in a run for the first 2 years of his life but since his buddy passed away in 2022, he’s been living indoors with me.

I bought him this large cage and he comes out regularly for a run around my bedroom as well as for cuddles in his bed as I know there’s a big difference between his old living conditions to his new ones.

He actually became less shy and more comfortable with me since living indoors and I have seen no signs of stress or sadness after his buddy passing, which was one of my biggest concerns at the time.

However recently I’ve noticed that some of his fur has been falling out with what seems to be patches of dead skin attached. He also appears more unsettled.

I have notified the vets and they said just to keep an eye on him. I am going to go back to the vets but I’d also like to see if I can get some advice here as I have been very worried about him.

Moreover for the past few days he has seemed to have favoured his nuggets more than any of his other food. This is unusual for him as he’s always been a fan of vegetables and never passed up cucumber until now.

If anyone has any advice or any idea on what could be causing his symptoms then please let me know.

I have some photographs that I have taken but I wasn’t sure if and how I can upload them to the thread.

Thank you so much.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

In terms of the skin, the vet needs to rule out mites or fungal first.
If he is clear for both, then teddies are prone to suffering with dry skin. As I say though mites and fungal need to be ruled out first as both require treatment and will cause discomfort.

In terms of him being alone - while it’s good he didn’t go into acute pining, he will be feeling loneliness. It is very rare for a piggy to actually show signs of struggling being alone as they are wired to continue, and this is why sadly a lot of piggies get left single after their friend passes - It isn’t the case they are happier and ok alone, they are just hiding it in order to continue to function.

In terms of his eating - it would be advised to switch from the routinely weight checks and instead weigh him daily. This is so you can monitor hay intake much more closely and step in with any necessary syringe feeding if his hay intake has reduced and consequent weight loss shows. If he is losing weight and appears to be having issues with food, please do discuss it with the vet. Weight loss of more than 50g is of concern

I’ve added some guides below to help further

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Weight monitoring and management
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

 

[ChipTheGuineaPig]

Welcome to the forum

In terms of the skin, the vet needs to rule out mites or fungal first.
If he is clear for both, then teddies are prone to suffering with dry skin. As I say though mites and fungal need to be ruled out first as both require treatment and will cause discomfort.

In terms of him being alone - while it’s good he didn’t go into acute pining, he will be feeling loneliness. It is very rare for a piggy to actually show signs of struggling being alone as they are wired to continue, and this is why sadly a lot of piggies get left single after their friend passes - It isn’t the case they are happier and ok alone, they are just hiding it in order to continue to function.

In terms of his eating - it would be advised to switch from the routinely weight checks and instead weigh him daily. This is so you can monitor hay intake much more closely and step in with any necessary syringe feeding if his hay intake has reduced and consequent weight loss shows. If he is losing weight and appears to be having issues with food, please do discuss it with the vet. Weight loss of more than 50g is of concern

I’ve added some guides below to help further

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Weight monitoring and management
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

Thank you so much