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Separating guinea pig with a fractured leg

M

Malini

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I have two female guinea pigs who are 1.5 and 2 months old. The smaller one has a fracture in her hind leg and I have had to separate them on my vet’s advice. The vet also suggested that I can let them see each other once or twice a day without allowing the healthy one to jump on the injured piggy.
I kept them both on my bed and placed one piggy in her hideout home and the injured one on a thick blanket face to face, so that they could see each other. But the healthy one suddenly popped out of her house which scared the other piggy who then went inside the hideout. A few seconds later, the healthy piggy jumped inside as well and accidentally leaped over the injured one’s leg about 3-4 times. She might have also accidentally bumped into the leg a few times. The more I tried to get her out, the more stressed both of them became. I finally managed to put them in their respective enclosures but I’m worried if my piggy’s fracture could have worsened as a result of this.
Could someone please advise or offer some guidance if I should be worried? I’m totally freaking out.
 
I’m sorry to hear this.
I would think it would be best for you to discuss this with your vet. I’m afraid it would be impossible for us to know what if any further damage had been done.

Is she on a good amount of pain relief every day?
 
Thanks for responding. I understand it is hard to comment on this as one can’t know.
She jumped from my lap early last morning and we immediately took her to the emergency vet near us. They put a splint on her leg to immobilise it and gave some injections to manage the pain. I’m keeping her in a very small enclosure to restrict movement and am giving her the prescribed pain relievers and multi vitamin doses regularly. Have been super careful with her but this one incident got me super worried.
 
Oh poor thing.

Please make sure she has a lot of hay available to her. They need lots of it available to them at all times as it is their main food source.

I would ensure you have switched from the whine weekly weight checks and instead try to weigh her every morning. This is so you can ensure she is eating enough hay to keep her weight stable (hay intake can’t be gauged by eye). Being in any pain can stop them from eating enough so it is very important you monitor her weight.

I would also advise that she is in a cage next door to her friend. Being able to be side by side so they can still see and communicate between the bars is very important. Baby piggies should never be without companionship.
It also means that with any luck their bond will remain intact and they will go back together happily once she is recovered

 
Thank you for this really important piece of advice. I will make sure I check her weight every day. Fortunately she’s eating all her veggies, hay, and fresh grass as before, touchwood. I keep removing the older bits of hay to keep her tiny area clean and then add some before putting her to bed every night. Thank you so much again.
 
And you’re right about keeping them next to each other. I’m gonna order a cage separator right away. Thanks.
 
Bless her, hope she is on her mend very soon. Side by side cage or a cage with a separator like a C&C cage type would be great, then neither will pine and miss each other
 
Thank you Bill & Ted. I just ordered a see-through carry bag style enclosure (to make sure as little movement as possible for healing) for the smaller one which can be kept inside the main big cage with the other piggy. Hope that helps alleviate their stress and helps her heal faster.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry your piggy has hurt her leg. Sending healing vibes her way. ❤️
 
Hi CTWC. She’s been eating fine and trying to walk around a little when I get her out on the bed. So hopefully she isn’t in a lot of pain. Thanks for checking in on us. x
 
We are here for emotional support, as well as advice, as having a poorly piggy can be so stressful sometimes.
 
Hi

Here are our tips for looking after piggies with mobility issues, including important water and hay access, regular twice daily bedding changes in the denning area, foot soles and bum care etc.
Wiebke

Thread 'Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility'

Introduction
1 Why can guinea pigs stop moving around?
- Animal attacks, severe illness or pain
- Back leg paralysis with list of potential causes
- Post-op, sudden illness or acute pining after bereavement
2 Adapting the living space
- Bedding and cosies
- Everything within reach
- Warmth and stable conditions
3 Weight monitoring and feeding support
- Weighing...
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Hello @LMPigs. Thanks for checking in on her. She seems to be doing okay on the outside. I really do hope her leg is healing (we’d know for sure when they finally open her splint and do an X-ray check). It has been one week, we have three more to go before they remove the splint. Taking her to the vet tomorrow for the first weekly follow-up to see if the splint needs changing.
 
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