Why is Old Boy going bald?

[fortifiedwithtea]

Afew problems have sorted themselves out. OB is back to 850g and pooping well. Still getting the odd orange wee and very scary red wee. But I was rewarded with a huge normal wee on the kitchen floor yesterday.

Now I know this is a really bad thing to do. But I really thought OB had not long for this world, so I thought what the hell if it makes him happy because he had lost an extreme amount of weight. Ok excuse over. OB discovered a bit of cereal the kids had dropped on the floor and scoffed it. So for the last month he has had a teaspoon of rice crispies as part of his breakfast [embarrassed]. Now he demands it and scuttles off to the kitchen until he gets it.

Do you thing this might be why his belly has gone bald?

When he wasn't weeing properly his whole belly was soaked in wee and stained orange. Bathing even didn't remove the stain fully. I thought the baldness could be caused by overgrooming.

He has no sores and isn't itching. But the I think the baldness is spreading up his chest. Could he have picked up a mite from the grass ? When his brother had mites (no longer with us) the mites attacked the skin on the back not underneath.

So what do people thing is the cause. Vote a) rice crispies, b) over grooming c) mites or other parasite

Im pretty sure that mites would be along the back (don't quote me on that) . I have had various animals pick up mites over the years answer its always been on the back first!

Have you noticed him over grooming?

Not much help.am.i .

And if it makes you feel better about the rice crispies, i would do the same for me and animals. If you don't have long left then why not enjoy it!

Im pretty sure that mites would be along the back (don't quote me on that) . I have had various animals pick up mites over the years answer its always been on the back first!

Have you noticed him over grooming?

Not much help.am.i .

And if it makes you feel better about the rice crispies, i would do the same for me and animals. If you don't have long left then why not enjoy it!

Bastard phone!

Thanks Bonkey. I've only ever known mites to be on the back too. OB has done a lot of licking but I thought that was because of all the wee stained fur. Now all the fur has gone but the baldness is creeping up his chest as well now.

Aaaaaah OB.

I used to give my pigs cornflakes when I was a child. They quaffed them (but I've not given the boars any cereal.)
Only problem I can forsee is- they do contain quite a bit of salt and sugar. And if pigs fill up on cereal, there's less inclination for GP food.
Have you tried OB with a Gorgeous Guinea Melt to soften and condition his fur?
(My cat used to overgroom and literally stripped the fur off her belly). She had one of those 'lampshade' collars. I don't see OB welcoming that idea with open paws though

Maybe 'a little of what you fancy' though.
Some posters on GP Forum give their hogs Cheerios or Wheetabix.

Good to hear he's putting his weight back on and his pee is getting back on track .
(Only a GP mum would appreciate a 'normal' cloudy puddle of pee )

Aaaaaah OB.

I used to give my pigs cornflakes when I was a child. They quaffed them (but I've not given the boars any cereal.)
Only problem I can forsee is- they do contain quite a bit of salt and sugar. And if pigs fill up on cereal, there's less inclination for GP food.
Have you tried OB with a Gorgeous Guinea Melt to soften and condition his fur?
(My cat used to overgroom and literally stripped the fur off her belly). She had one of those 'lampshade' collars. I don't see OB welcoming that idea with open paws though

Maybe 'a little of what you fancy' though.
Some posters on GP Forum give their hogs Cheerios or Wheetabix.

Good to hear he's putting his weight back on and his pee is getting back on track .
(Only a GP mum would appreciate a 'normal' cloudy puddle of pee )

Me thinks this is the thread for double.posts

I have offered my two cheerios on a few occasions....they turned their noses up and waddled off .

GP1 is quite partial to the cone part of DD strawberry Cornetto. (No sugar/fat or salt to concern yourself with eh? GP1? )

It's a rare treat and DD makes sure he doesn't get the ice-cream or the chocolate bit at the end. And she doesn't seem to mind sharing guinea-germs with her piggle.

As your little piggy has been unwell, from what I am reading, hairloss underneath can be caused by many issues, to include vitamin deficiency, parasitic infection, fungal infection. If this balding is confined only to the underneath, I would be inclined to have him checked out for mites.

In the meantime it would do him no harm whatsoever to give him extra vitamin C, daily requirement is 50 mg, you can get Vit C tablets called Redoxan, soluble, they are 500 mg, so you could crush the tablet, divide into ten piles of powder, and mix 50 mg daily, allow the powder to dissolve and go flat, then syringe feed liberally over a 12 hour period.

Mites can become a problem, and appear, when an animal has been very unwell or under stress, as the immune system is likely weakened.

Rice Crispies, as has been said, contain lots of sugar, and guinea pigs cannot process sugars or carbs very well, best avoided really.

Lightbulb moment-

Hair Loss : scurvey

Vit C supplements good idea Piggy - only trouble I found was getting it down their necks. Mine don't drink water, I put Vit C in cloudy applejuice and a syringe (no needle).
I think the kitchen wall tiles got more Vit C than the cavies did

Hmm hadn't thought of stress. He was unwell and couldn't have been happy all thoughs weeks he wasn't pooping properly. The balding is underneath. Scurvy is worth a thought 70 but wouldn't the hair loss be general and all over? Any hoo tonight he is tucking into celery, fine beans, cucumber, carrot and finishing off the last of the cabbage.

I googled some scurvey GP pictures and some of them were all over , some were patchy.
One of the other symptoms is loss of back legs propulsion (like a dragging, bunny hop gait rather than pootling along like little hedgehogs)

Might go part way to explain OB pooh trouble- might not have as much oomph in his back passage muscles to propel out the droppings properly.(Alongside him not being a well boy generally)

Just read the other thread where someone else has has a baldy gp and a thought has struck me. What does ringworm look like? Old Boy's baldness doesn't seem to have got any worse.

OB is impacted today and has had to be held over the loo. Poor old thing. Looked rather pop-eyed. But is eating like a pig