One of my guinea pigs started limping this evening. He's not been in top form for a while now and I suspected the kidney problems that took his brother (he pees a lot, smells a bit pissy, drinks a lot, but is otherwise very happy). He's never been the Usain Bolt of guinea pigs, always preferring to sit still eat, wander a short distance and see if he can pee on your trousers, sit in the puddle of piddle, wander off again, etc.
While we were eating tea this evening, I noticed him sitting even more still than usual, at a slight list (like a narrowboat that needs the ballast rearranging slightly). Then when I gave them their tea, he kind of hobbled out. I picked him up and examined him. No obvious signs of damage, nothing I can think he injured himself on, but he is slightly noisy with his breathing. (Only slightly and it may have been him talking - he has quite a repertoire of sounds.)
He's eating OK and his hutchmate seems unconcerned. They get on well and I have never seen them fight. He does sometimes get the other one trying to hump him, or using him as a step-up to the roof of their wooden house, but he's never before sustained any injuries from this - just developed a 'slightly annoyed' expression.
Any advice?
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Small pets
Sudden onset limp in previously only mildly decrepit guinea pig
GeorgianMumto5 · 30/01/2013 22:23
Hi Georgian, just to throw another suggestion into the mix vitamin C deficiency is a possible cause of limping (scarvy sp?). Make sure your Oldboy is getting his fair share of green veg if cagemate is being too dominant. You could add vit C to their water and keep their dry mix/nuggets in air tight container as vitamin C deteriates very quickly.
It's not the best time of the year for a bath but my OB loved a gentle leg massage standing in his Johnsons Bath bubble bath in a washing up bowl.
If you do it, the room will have to be warm and plenty of towels and possibly a hairdryer if he'll let you. He must be completely dry. You cann't risk a chest infection.
You have had your guinea along time so sorry if I'm telling you stuff you already know. Hope your Oldboy is better soon 
.
If it's a sudden onset then I'd be going along with an injury- could be a muscle sprain rather than a break or anything sinister.
And YY look at their diet, this time of year is difficult for veg, my two trough a variety of veg (peppers are good,but they only like the red/orange/green).
I've never given VitC in water because mine refuse to drink it.
The pellets are VitC rich but have to be changed regularly as it does deteriorate.
My little hog (little black Abby boy) had a strange gait last year, he normally strides about like a hedgehog, but he was 'rolling'. It was only for a period of hours really. I reckoned he was sat in one place in the hay box (the pooh nest suggested he'd just bedded down and hadn't shifted) so it looked like he just had stiff muscles.
Mine fight occasionally but to my knowledge have never tried to bonk each other 
My 2 boars had rather exotic coloured wee and pooh after dark veg-
GP1 had troughed down red and orange peppers (he will happily sit and share slices of pepper with my daughter). His wee was cloudy peach coloured 
GP2 did maroon poohs after raw beetroot (and his wee was pinky)
It's a worry because I always think "blood in wee" but when I thought back, then held off the dark veg, they went back to normal .
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