So one of my females (Daisy) has been walking strangely for a while, she had 2 babies in June of 2024, I was not home when she gave birth. A few weeks after she had them she started walking sort of side to side i didn't think much of it at the time as it wasn't all the time that she was walking like that and she seemed perfectly fine, in balance, running, popcorning etc. Then just last night as I went to give them more hay i noticed that she started to sort of hop as she ran/popcorned. I know that scurvy can cause a hopping motion but i don't know how she would have that. Isn't scurvy a vitamin C deficiency? I give all of my guinea pigs veggies everyday, they get oxbow garden select pellets and also a oxbow vitamin C treat almost everyday. Could this be an injury from giving birth? arthritis? she was 8 months old when she had her babies and now she is 2 1/2 years old. Please if anyone can give me any advice or any ideas on what might be happening with her that would be great.
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Strange walking
- Thread starter Maple23
- Start date
Welcome to the forum
It would be best for you to have her seen by a vet. We couldn’t speculate what may be causing this - she would need a hands on check by a vet.
She may be in discomfort with it.
All we can advise is that you monitor her weight closely (stepping up from the routine weekly weight checks to daily weight checks if there are concerns) to ensure she is still eating enough hay (as any discomfort can stop them from eating enough hay).
Yes scurvy is a vitamin c deficiency. However it is not a common problem. We hardly ever see it - just a couple of cases a year and even then they tend to be in rescue/neglect cases.
The only other time we see scurvy is where piggies are given vitamin c supplements. I know that sounds counterintuitive but actually Piggies do not need any kind of vitamin c supplementation as they get enough from a normal diet. Giving any vit c supplements over and above what they get in veggies and fortified pellets can actually be detrimental to them.
What can happen if they are given vit c supplements/treats is their bodies get used to abnormally/ artificially high amounts beyond what they actually need. If the level they have become used to then drops (even if it drops to a level that would be considered normal in a piggy who has not been supplemented) , then the result can be scurvy. Any vit c supplemented piggy needs to be weaned off of supplementation very slowly and carefully so as to not cause a sudden drops in levels and this scurvy.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
It would be best for you to have her seen by a vet. We couldn’t speculate what may be causing this - she would need a hands on check by a vet.
She may be in discomfort with it.
All we can advise is that you monitor her weight closely (stepping up from the routine weekly weight checks to daily weight checks if there are concerns) to ensure she is still eating enough hay (as any discomfort can stop them from eating enough hay).
Yes scurvy is a vitamin c deficiency. However it is not a common problem. We hardly ever see it - just a couple of cases a year and even then they tend to be in rescue/neglect cases.
The only other time we see scurvy is where piggies are given vitamin c supplements. I know that sounds counterintuitive but actually Piggies do not need any kind of vitamin c supplementation as they get enough from a normal diet. Giving any vit c supplements over and above what they get in veggies and fortified pellets can actually be detrimental to them.
What can happen if they are given vit c supplements/treats is their bodies get used to abnormally/ artificially high amounts beyond what they actually need. If the level they have become used to then drops (even if it drops to a level that would be considered normal in a piggy who has not been supplemented) , then the result can be scurvy. Any vit c supplemented piggy needs to be weaned off of supplementation very slowly and carefully so as to not cause a sudden drops in levels and this scurvy.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support