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Very small piggy :(

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jalzoo

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Hello :)

We've got two guinea pigs which we bought from pets at home about 3-4 weeks ago now, We have a black one (Boss) and a blonde one (hugo) :)

Boss (black one) was the one who started getting very ill first he ended up with a eye infection and URI, who then passed it on to Hugo (the blonde one),
Anyway they went to the vets straightaway roughly about a 2-3 weeks ago and have been on Baytril since. There eye infections have cleared up in both pigs and we think the URI is going too apart from the odd sneezes sometimes.

Anyway, the blonde one is being the big "dominant" one at the moment so hes humping, rumble strutting, he also keeps scaring boss while boss is eating so boss runs of into his little hutch thing and stays there for a while..its quite distressing to watch him do it to the black one as he's quite small.

Were just worried about boss's weight at the moment, he eats his greens (broccli, pepper,celery,cucumber,savoy cabbage) we feed him on our laps away from hugo, also he very rarely eats his "museli mix in the bowl" as he gets shoo'd away by Hugo :(

I'v posted some pictures of both of them, and i'd just like to know is boss's weight to skinny compared to Hugo? and what do we do to make Boss a bit fatter? I'v put a pen next to Boss (black one) to compare.
Also, the vet also a couple of weeks ago that boss had put 5 grams on in a week, where as Hugo put 20 grams i think,on in a week!

Thanks to anyone who can help, much appreciated :)
This is boss
Also, you can see where Hugo has mounted him on his back, as his fur is coming of a bit, we dont know if thats his breed where his baby fluff falls of or what..
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couldnt post two pics for some reason, but heres hugo.


This is hugo, (the dominant one)

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I would suggest giving them 2 food bowls so one each, one of everything water bottles hidies etc etc. What size cage do you have them in?

Did you contact P@H regarding their illnesses and vet costs? Often they will give you free stuff or pay back the cost of vet bills.
 
Yep they have two bowls each and two waters,
They have a pretty big cage from P@H at the mo, but there c+c cage parts are arriving tommrow or thursday hopefully which will be 2x4 !

I complained to P@H but havn't heard a reply yet, but we did go down there and they refunded us the vet costs etc
 
Could i recommend you make the C&C a little bigger than 2 x 4? Boars can be rather dominant and need alot of space, the more the better.

Some pigs are naturally small, i have a piggy who is teeny tiny, she is over 3 years old and weighs 750g she is perfectly healthy and in proportion, just petite, and ironically called minnie ha ha!
 
Aww minnie sounds lovely!

Yeah, i was thinking it may just be him the way he is, he seems to be very feminine hehe! Dont worry we deffo know he's a boy!

Could i ask how big you would recommend a c+c cage to be? :)
 
Generally, 2x5 is better than 2x4... but its more a case of... well... How big can you reasonably make it? :) The bigger the better. Also, if you dont have the space to make it longer than 4, is it possible to make it 3x4 etc etc etc... :)

The best thing for them (dominance wise) is to give them two food bowls and water bottles like you are. Have multiple piles of hay around the cage, and give them atleast two hideys (each with two entrances/exits)

It could be that boss is struggling to eat. Did the vet check his teeth? :)
 
Yeah he eats his greens etc no problems there, its just he gets shoo'd away from both bowls we have!

Boss also has those chews that hang on the side of the cages, i think there called Honey sticks or Fruit sticks, he chews on them alot.

The vet did check his teeth and said they was fine!

also with the C+C cage i think we may go for something bigger than 2x4 :)
 
Btw, looking at Boss's picture, does he look overly skinny or is he okay for now?

Thanks!
 
Does anyone know if stunted growth is a side effect of Baytril in young piggies? Bingo was absolutely tiny, much smaller than Buddy, when he was on Baytril but when he came off the Baytril and on to Septrin he began growing really quickly. Now they are roughly the same size.

Is this something anyone has heard of? Just a thought.


Amy
x
 
How much do they actually weigh? I would say Boss is very much younger than the other one. He shouldn't be losing fur off his back, I would advise getting the vet to check for mites or fungal just in case.

With regards to feeding, please don't give them "treats" like honey sticks etc, these are very bad for their teeth, & also he will ignore his pellets or dry mix if he has them.

They need unlimited pellets, try them with either Wagg Optimum (now called Harringtons) as they are very small, or Burgess Blackcurrant & Oregano, both these brands seem to go down well with piggies rolleyes

Make sure they have two hideys & maybe even three food bowls so Boss gets his fair share. If you have Hugo out for a cuddle when you feed them, it will give Boss a head start on eating & he will be able to gain a bit of weight. Also make sure they have unlimited hay (with some alfalfa hay occasionally up to the age of a year) as they need a constant supply.

HTH :)

Just to add, weigh them regularly at least once a week to monitor their weight gain & keep a record of it.
 
Last edited:
*Nibbles&Nugget* said:
Does anyone know if stunted growth is a side effect of Baytril in young piggies? Bingo was absolutely tiny, much smaller than Buddy, when he was on Baytril but when he came off the Baytril and on to Septrin he began growing really quickly. Now they are roughly the same size.

Is this something anyone has heard of? Just a thought.


Amy
x
Click to expand...

Taken from Guinealynx

Baytril -- (Enrofloxacin)
Oral Dosage: 2.5-10.0 mg/kg q12h Calculate Dose in mg
Baytril can be administered by oral, subcutaneous or intramuscular routes.

Baytril is considered one of the "big guns", frequently used to treat guinea pigs with bacterial infections. Read additional information on baytril's use/misuse and efficacy on this thread. Louise C. notes it kills: E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis, S. aureus. Baytril can affect the appetite, more likely when given orally. Ideally baytril should only be used on adult pigs as it is believed to interfere with proper growth, particularly in long term treatment. Bactrim (Tribrissen) is a safe alternative for young pigs.
 
Baytril interferes with the development of the growth plates (the active growing part of the bones) so can effect young piggies. Have they been on Baytril for 3 weeks (the opening post reads as though they have)?

Poppy's mum has given good advice for their diet, just to add not to fill them up on veg before they have their pellets - they will gain more body mass from the dry food as it contains the proteins, fats and balance of vitamins and minerals they need.

Suzy x
 
Hey all,

After reading about the Honey sticks that they chew, so i toke the chew sticks out and things have got so much better!

Boss is eating his muesli pellets and his greens also hes drinking alot more today!
Though i still think hes trying to find his Honey sticks :p he loved those!

Also yes, they'v both been on batryil for about 2-3 weeks now, its running out slowly!

Thanks all for your replies, been a big help :)

Also regarding his fur, its only coming out where Hugo has been mounting Boss, Boss isnt scratching or anything, so were thinking its just where hugo has been mounting him :(
 
Welcome to the forum. I hope you learn as much as I have. I would definitely try and give your boars as much space as you can, and read up on boar behaviour on the relevant threads. You may find that dominance takes a while to settle down as they are young (they go through hormonal surges, teenage years from four months to anything up to 14 months), so this will help. You C&C may also be a double decker if you can't go outwards, go up! You would need to make sure that the ramp is properly safe for them, and some kind of liner is used, but this might also help them have their own space.
 
Hi,
My piggies live in a two tier 2 by 4 c+c cage. I find having two levels is really great for them as they can have their own space if they need it. Sometimes they follow each other around and sometimes they like to chill on their own.
My dad made me a ramp (with sides) out of wood, which i lined with a piece of carpet tile (about £3.00 from B&Q) so they don't slip. I also made supports from pieces of plastic pipe (again really cheap from B&Q), which i used to support the upper level.
Hopefully your piggies will settle and your little one will grow!
I'm not suprised one of them is very small, as i went to a P@H last week and was quite shocked at how tiny some of their piggies were :(
Helen.
 
Sorry I can't help with the size thing, but is it possible some are like humans and just don't get big?
 
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