Pulling hair out due to boredom?

[SimonandAlly]

Continuing from my last post, my pig, Simon has been losing lots of hair and I have seen him pull it. I have been to the vet multiple times and I've done every test there is (mites, cultures on the scabs, ext.) except blood work. Everything comes back negative and I remembered reading somewhere that they can do it out of boredom. I know they are social animals but Simon has been alone for a month after his previous roomie didn't work out well. I have a buddy all ready for him to meet but I was scared that if it was mites or an infection, the other piggy, Ninja, would get it himself. I have been waiting for him to get better for them to be introduced, but is he just pulling his hair out of boredom or loneliness? His cage is next to my girls, so they socialize through the gate, but I know it is not enough. I see him sitting there next to their cage dozing or waiting for the girls to walk by. I am going to call my vet tomorrow and see if this is a possibility but wanted some insight from other experienced guinea owners. Thanks for the help! I want to give him his friend but don't want to cause harm to the other pig if it is something is wrong.

 

[dannif_piggies]

what set up do you have for Simon? Does he have sufficient space and boredom breakers in his cage? Even things like a screwed up ball of plain paper I find my guineas love as they can nibble on it, roll and throw it about etc... or even brown paper bags filled with hay... as you've had the tests for everything, i would suggest it's highly unlikely that it's anything contagious, just when introducing the new piggy, please follow guildlines and advice on a guinea pig bonding as you cannot simply put them in the cage and hope for the best (unfortunately) this is moreso relevant with boars, they are much more territorial... have you thought of getting Simon neutered so after the 6 week post-op timeframe he could be intergrated into your female cage and have wifeys! I hope this is of some help to you, I'm sure others will be along soon to offer further advice

 

[Wiebke]

Continuing from my last post, my pig, Simon has been losing lots of hair and I have seen him pull it. I have been to the vet multiple times and I've done every test there is (mites, cultures on the scabs, ext.) except blood work. Everything comes back negative and I remembered reading somewhere that they can do it out of boredom. I know they are social animals but Simon has been alone for a month after his previous roomie didn't work out well. I have a buddy all ready for him to meet but I was scared that if it was mites or an infection, the other piggy, Ninja, would get it himself. I have been waiting for him to get better for them to be introduced, but is he just pulling his hair out of boredom or loneliness? His cage is next to my girls, so they socialize through the gate, but I know it is not enough. I see him sitting there next to their cage dozing or waiting for the girls to walk by. I am going to call my vet tomorrow and see if this is a possibility but wanted some insight from other experienced guinea owners. Thanks for the help! I want to give him his friend but don't want to cause harm to the other pig if it is something is wrong.

Hi and welcome!

Sorry for your quandary. Loss of a companion can affect both the immune system, allowing opportunists like mange mites eggs present in the skin, to make an appearance. Self-barbering can also have a nervousness component.
Barbering ( Eating Hair)
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

In any case, since the barbering is related to the loss of a companion, I would recommend to go ahead with the bonding but to treat both piggies with a course of ivermectin, to be on the safe side. With a bit of luck, the presence of a new mate (whether you end up with a live-in or a next door companion) will hopefully the boost that is necessary to stabilise the problem and the immune system.

PS: Portland Guinea Pig Rescue in Beaverton near Portland is a rescue that routinely spays their sows. If your boar date is not coming off, you might consider contacting them as cross gender bondings are generally the most stable of them all once initial acceptance has happened - like in all piggy bonds, they have to like each other and get on.
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pdxguineapigs/
website: PGPR

 

[SimonandAlly]

Thanks for your feedback. I did tests for mange mites and it was negative. I do have a checkup for Ninja today and will ask their opinion. I didn't think it was mites because the girls did not get infected and they do have contact through the cage like the rubbing or Simon's booty shake (prancing/purring). They seem unaffected. My only concern is it did start to occur when his buddy was still partnering with him. I still think it was depression because they did not get along well. We originally thought it was a bite/scratch from Simon's companion but the scabs started appearing in new spots on his back. His buddy, Zero, was a couple months old and bullied from his previous home, so I think he began to bully Simon. Probably causing him to start pulling his hair. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for your feedback. I did tests for mange mites and it was negative. I do have a checkup for Ninja today and will ask their opinion. I didn't think it was mites because the girls did not get infected and they do have contact through the cage like the rubbing or Simon's booty shake (prancing/purring). They seem unaffected. My only concern is it did start to occur when his buddy was still partnering with him. I still think it was depression because they did not get along well. We originally thought it was a bite/scratch from Simon's companion but the scabs started appearing in new spots on his back. His buddy, Zero, was a couple months old and bullied from his previous home, so I think he began to bully Simon. Probably causing him to start pulling his hair. Thanks for all your help!

Please be aware that lab tests are not always conclusive. Self-barbering on the back is more often a skin problem (mange or hay mites or a fungal infection which causes major discomfort) of some sort than not in my own experience. Bullying is also an immune system lowering stress situation and Zero could have carried them in.
Nervous self-barbering does NOT lead to scabs; it is just hair eating without injuring the skin.

 

[Hetja]

Please check whether he is in pain or not. I had a guinea pig with a self barbering problem. We later found out that he suffers from extremely pain due to an illness. He was also quite aggressive because if that.