Small piggie

[Lunapxggies]

Hello! Last year in december i got a little piggie from a pet store (she was living in awful conditions it worried me so i took her home with me) Right away we found out she had ring worm and we had to treat it right away, so for a while i had to pull her out of the cage and handle her so we never really got to bond because she was sick from the start. But that’s not the issue i had to wait 2 months before introducing her to my other 3 pigs, so right at the start they didn’t vibe well, now they’re pretty okay no altercations or anything, but she is still very jumpy and afraid. But i noticed she’s so much smaller than the others and when i give them their veggies i have to give her hers in her spot cus she’s hiding, is this an issue i should consult a vet on?

 

[Wiebke]

Hello! Last year in december i got a little piggie from a pet store (she was living in awful conditions it worried me so i took her home with me) Right away we found out she had ring worm and we had to treat it right away, so for a while i had to pull her out of the cage and handle her so we never really got to bond because she was sick from the start. But that’s not the issue i had to wait 2 months before introducing her to my other 3 pigs, so right at the start they didn’t vibe well, now they’re pretty okay no altercations or anything, but she is still very jumpy and afraid. But i noticed she’s so much smaller than the others and when i give them their veggies i have to give her hers in her spot cus she’s hiding, is this an issue i should consult a vet on?

Hi!

It can be that you have got a runt but please make sure that access to unlimited hay cannot be blocked by the other piggies because hay should be around 80% of what a piggy eats in a day and a mix of preferably green veg and frehs herbs should only make around 15% with pellets about 5% - veg and pellets basically replace the wild forage with which guinea pigs would have supplemented their grass/hay diet with the trace elements that they could not have got from the nightly nutritious grass fibres. A good, mainly hay based diet can add a year or two to the average healthy life span and take it from the bottom end to the upper; it also helps with general health.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

However, only a vet can tell you whether there is something wrong with her because we can't sight unseen and without hands-on access.

What you can do is to feel for the 'heft' around the ribcage to judge whether she is a good weight for her small size or whether she is underweight. If you can just about feel the ribs, then she is likely a runt; if you can feel every single rib, then she is underweight and there is a problem. Try to feel her companions; generally the bottom piggies are not quite as fat as the top in a group but the difference shouldn't been very noticeable.
Our weight guide tells you how you can use your kitchen scales and the ribcage to work out whether your piggies are at any time, age and size healthy and a good weight for their size or not: Weight - Monitoring and Management

If you worry that she is being bullied, then follow the advice in this guide here to work out whether she wants to be with the group or not. You will always get a lot of dominance behaviour in the weeks after an intro because that is the time the group is fully established from the top down. Many people are unfortunately not aware that bonding doesn't take just a few hours but several weeks.
Please have a read of these links here. You may find them very helpful in understanding what is going on:
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

I hope that this helps you. The links will provide more-in depth information and practical tips for the aspects I have touched upon that cover the different aspects concerning your question. Writing them all out would by far exceed this post.