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Post by katzintheclouds on Dec 6, 2011 2:36:56 GMT
Hi everyone I'm new here, but I have two wonderful piggies named Chipotle & Machete.
Machete is the youngest one, Chipotle's about five now & Machete's only about 3. I've noticed in the last few weeks that she is beginning to lose a lot of hair on her butt. There is absolutely no problem with Chipotle's coat though, which is what baffles me. If there were lice/mites/fleas whatever, I would imagine she would have hair loss too right? I haven't noticed Machete over-grooming either. She seems a little itchy on her butt but not very much. I also thought about fungal infection but I clean them both often, and again Chipotle has no hair loss.
Can anyone relate? I heard that maybe it could be Chipotle is grooming her or pulling her hair out? Chip's the oldest & obviously the dominant one, but Machete has an attitude & she usually stands up for herself.
Any ideas?
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Post by twistedsymphony on Dec 6, 2011 15:42:08 GMT
Could still be mites or a fungal infection, one of my pigs is far more susceptible to that than the other one, so freya will always start showing symptoms weeks before the other one. Have a look at pictures and see if you can spot any similarities.
I would suggest a vets trip to make sure, and rule that out. Otherwise, maybe it is a case of over grooming. Does her skin feel hot? does it look a bit red? is she dandruffy?
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Post by katzintheclouds on Dec 6, 2011 20:38:29 GMT
Thank you for responding! Do you know where I can find any pics of this?
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Post by Kayleigh on Dec 6, 2011 20:46:12 GMT
I would treat both the pigs and their cages for mites/lice and fungal just to be sure. Once ruled out you can narrow it down to overgrooming or boredum grooming.
Kayleigh
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Post by twistedsymphony on Dec 6, 2011 22:22:39 GMT
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Post by katzintheclouds on Dec 7, 2011 23:34:10 GMT
Thanks everyone! I ended up taking her to the vet, they did a skin culture & there were no mites. There is no open sores & no fungual characteristics, the bottom line was : barbering. I told him about the behavior of the pigs & that I never really saw Chipotle (the other one) chewing her fur, so we're thinking that Machete is doing it to herself. Has anyone had any luck getting this to stop??
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Post by twistedsymphony on Dec 8, 2011 16:15:39 GMT
all I can think is, give her sticks to chew (I get pear sticks)? and toys, and lots of space to run around? Maybe if you keep her entertained she will stop.
Other than that, at least its nothing serious. My friend had one that pulled its fur out of its back left leg. Never found out why, vets were stumped. He was a very happy pig though, loads of entertainment and always popcorning, but would still pull his fur out, he had a friend to live with a good diet and was ridiculously spoilt!
So I guess sometimes it can just become an odd habit. So make sure its not because they are bored, or want more hay, or veggies, or something to chew. After you rule those out you might just have to learn to live with it lol.
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Post by twistedsymphony on Dec 8, 2011 16:23:22 GMT
Peter Gurney says this on the subject of barbering.
BARBERING
Although they may have all the hay they want, no lack of nutrients, and ample space to move about, some guinea pigs are bound and determined to chew on the hair of their cage mates. Apart from isolating the industrious guinea pig, there is little that can be done to effectively curb this behavior. Application of "bitter apple" is claimed by some to work, but others just accept having a "designer pig" or provide private living quarters for the offender. If you are not showing your cavies, this should not be a very serious concern.
Other pigs (like the two pictured here) barber themselves. Evangeline's black and white cavy would have hair 3 to 4 inches long if it weren't for her tendency to trim her hair shorter.
Pinta's cavy, Abigail, continually barbers her legs. It seems to be a neurotic habit.
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