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Very Dirty Bum!

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lovehammys263

lovehammys263

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I have recently noticed from coming back from holiday ( they were left on sawdust with people coming and feeding them every day) that my short haired sow Hattie has a very dirty bottom. For 3 days now I have been giving her a bum bath every day because she needs so but it just keeps getting messier. Her bottom is covered with hardish wee and wet poo and there are now bald spots coming around the area. I don't think this is normal... But I wouldn't know if it was because I have only been owning piggies for about 4 months. Do any of you know how to get rid of the mess or what the cause could be? All my other pigs are fine who live with her.
 
:D A dirty bottom is often the sign that the piggie is not well and therefore cannot clean itself, or may be too overweight to be able to reach her back end. Wet poo shows that there is a problem with her digestive system, and she probably needs to see a good piggie-savvy vet ASAP. Once the internal problem is sorted out, she will feel more able to clean herself. Good luck.:tu:
 
I agree with 7squeekers- get your pig to a vet. Diarrhea is a common cause of death in guinea pigs as it dehydrates them very quickly. Could also be the food your'e giving them, only feed very small amounts of watery foods such as cucumber, never feed iceberg lettuce and I would avoid banana altogether as I've heard more than once that it can kill guinea pigs. Good luck and hope that piggy feels better soon (:
 
I <3 piggies said:
I agree with 7squeekers- get your pig to a vet. Diarrhea is a common cause of death in guinea pigs as it dehydrates them very quickly. Could also be the food your'e giving them, only feed very small amounts of watery foods such as cucumber, never feed iceberg lettuce and I would avoid banana altogether as I've heard more than once that it can kill guinea pigs. Good luck and hope that piggy feels better soon (:
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PANICKING! I feed the 4 pigs a whole cucumber each week and they have a banana every few weeks. It's not as much diarrhea but soft/mushy poos.
 
Don't worry- if it is the cucumber then problem solved! just cut down on the amount, mine only get a few slices each every 3-5 days. Also the banana effect happened within a few hours on the stories i read, so I wouldn't worry, not sure if it actually IS the banana but I'm too scared to feed it to my pigs now. Just take her to the vet and all will be well (: (I'm sorry that I scared you)
 
Dirty bums can be caused by many things but the bald spots may be the start of urine scalds. I'm currently under the vets for a dirty girlie, last year she had incontinence from cysts, this year we're not sure what we are dealing with just yet.
 
It's got worse. She is losing fur around her legs and bottom. Her poo isn't like diarrhea but just a bit soft. She has got a few urine scalds too. I am washing her bottom but it gets dirty again from mainly the wee staying on her.I have stopped feeding her veg for about 3-4 days now, and as a result her poo has got harder but she is still messy:(
 
This sounds like it could possibly be urine problem and because shes getting wet, its making the poos stick to it and make it look messy. She could be incontinent or even have a urine infection/ cystitis. Once youve given her a bum bath, dry her completely and sit her on an incontinence pad or coloured blanket that will show wetness. Move her into a different position every few minutes.. If theres small amounts of urine each time then its a urine problem and you should take her to the vets along with a urine sample. If shes not "dribbling" and then passes a normal volume of urine in the one go, id maybe consider her bedding.. Is she laying on a pet bed or blanket in her cage thats making her wet? Or is she moving away bedding and laying on the bottom of the cage when shes sleeping? This would make her all soggy at the rear end. If she seems kinda sluggish and sick in general then this could also cause it if shes laying in the same position for too long. After a bum bath, you could apply a thin layer of unscented vaseline to the bald patches to create a protective barrier between skin and urine. This will prevent further scalding, something we used alot in spinal dogs/cats that where dribbling urine on the inside of their leg during recovery.

If your not sure and this doesnt resolve quickly then id get her to the vets x
 
Adelle said:
This sounds like it could possibly be urine problem and because shes getting wet, its making the poos stick to it and make it look messy. She could be incontinent or even have a urine infection/ cystitis. Once youve given her a bum bath, dry her completely and sit her on an incontinence pad or coloured blanket that will show wetness. Move her into a different position every few minutes.. If theres small amounts of urine each time then its a urine problem and you should take her to the vets along with a urine sample. If shes not "dribbling" and then passes a normal volume of urine in the one go, id maybe consider her bedding.. Is she laying on a pet bed or blanket in her cage thats making her wet? Or is she moving away bedding and laying on the bottom of the cage when shes sleeping? This would make her all soggy at the rear end. If she seems kinda sluggish and sick in general then this could also cause it if shes laying in the same position for too long. After a bum bath, you could apply a thin layer of unscented vaseline to the bald patches to create a protective barrier between skin and urine. This will prevent further scalding, something we used alot in spinal dogs/cats that where dribbling urine on the inside of their leg during recovery.

If your not sure and this doesnt resolve quickly then id get her to the vets x
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Thanks so much. I will try all of those tips! I will also buy some un sented vasaline tomorrow. I really hope it isn't a big problem. Thanks again for your help .
 
It's unlikely that a guinea pig will have dirty bum/urine scalds for no reason. You really need to get her to a vet to resolve the problem. It might be a UTI which antibiotics should help clear up.
 
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