TianTian
Junior Guinea Pig
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2014
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 18
- Points
- 155
Hello everyone.
I was wondering whether someone could shed some light on my guinea pig's situation.
His name is Tian and I got him from a pet shop roughly 5 weeks ago, along with his mother and his little sister.
I wasn't told their age but I think they were less than two weeks old at the time so they could be anywhere between 6-8 weeks.
His little sister was tiny when I first got her but she grew up quite nicely. She's always eating, drinking plenty of water, being very active, vocal etc. Her coat is quite thick and she's a real character.
Tian didn't grow up as nicely as she did. When I got them, he was roughly twice her size. For the first 2-3 weeks he was as active as she was, eating and drinking a lot. He was even being a bit reprimanded by mum for being a bit too hyper. After the first 2-3 weeks, I noticed a change. He had got quieter and was not nearly as active as before. I had decided to give them some time to adjust to their surroundings but when I saw him being like that, I decided to pick him up to see if anything's wrong and I was shocked to see his two front legs bent. I took him to the vet but was told I had to way a few days to get him examined as there was a national holiday in the middle of the week. I took him to the vet after a couple of days and after they took some X-Rays, I was told that is hereditary but his quality of life would be acceptable and so I should let him be. When I asked why it appeared so suddenly, the doctor said it's because they develop quite rapidly and any such hereditary issues (incest related) can appear suddenly. The alternative was to re-break and straighten his legs and I would never do that to him.
I'm worried because his coat is thin, he is thin (I can feel his rear bones) and he's not growing like he should. His little sister got huge and he's only a big bigger than when I first got him. He is passing what seems like healthy stool (firm and dark) and eating as well as drinking. Most of the time he's curled up in a corner taking naps. I don't know what to attribute this to and unfortunately, living in Cyprus, I don't have access to good exotic vets. I really do not want the poor thing to be suffering.
Any information is highly appreciated.
I was wondering whether someone could shed some light on my guinea pig's situation.
His name is Tian and I got him from a pet shop roughly 5 weeks ago, along with his mother and his little sister.
I wasn't told their age but I think they were less than two weeks old at the time so they could be anywhere between 6-8 weeks.
His little sister was tiny when I first got her but she grew up quite nicely. She's always eating, drinking plenty of water, being very active, vocal etc. Her coat is quite thick and she's a real character.
Tian didn't grow up as nicely as she did. When I got them, he was roughly twice her size. For the first 2-3 weeks he was as active as she was, eating and drinking a lot. He was even being a bit reprimanded by mum for being a bit too hyper. After the first 2-3 weeks, I noticed a change. He had got quieter and was not nearly as active as before. I had decided to give them some time to adjust to their surroundings but when I saw him being like that, I decided to pick him up to see if anything's wrong and I was shocked to see his two front legs bent. I took him to the vet but was told I had to way a few days to get him examined as there was a national holiday in the middle of the week. I took him to the vet after a couple of days and after they took some X-Rays, I was told that is hereditary but his quality of life would be acceptable and so I should let him be. When I asked why it appeared so suddenly, the doctor said it's because they develop quite rapidly and any such hereditary issues (incest related) can appear suddenly. The alternative was to re-break and straighten his legs and I would never do that to him.
I'm worried because his coat is thin, he is thin (I can feel his rear bones) and he's not growing like he should. His little sister got huge and he's only a big bigger than when I first got him. He is passing what seems like healthy stool (firm and dark) and eating as well as drinking. Most of the time he's curled up in a corner taking naps. I don't know what to attribute this to and unfortunately, living in Cyprus, I don't have access to good exotic vets. I really do not want the poor thing to be suffering.
Any information is highly appreciated.
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