A sometimes limp

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Tgirls

Post   » Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:08 pm


I'm new here and to guinea pigs in general. We just adopted two female guinea pigs that someone was giving away. They have been with us about a month now. Not sure exactly how old but both are definately close to being babies. The previous owner only had them for a few weeks and got them from a pet store.

Well Tricia is the smaller of the two and she will sometimes walk with limp lifting up her front right leg. The first time this happened was about a week ago and I though maybe she just stepped on something because it lasted for about two hours and then she was walking and running on it normally. This afternoon she was not using it again. I watched her for awhile and sometimes she will step down on it but on the top of the foot not the bottom. I looked at her foot and there does not seem to be any injury to it, I touched it and tapped it a little and she didn't seem to be in pain. Any ideas what is going on? Should I take her to the vet?

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sus4rabbitsnpigs

Post   » Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:17 pm


Are they getting enough vitamin C?

What breed are they?

If she is a baby, it likely isn't arthritis or breed related issues like Satins can get.

She may have sprained it though. What type of cage do they have?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Feb 08, 2008 8:01 pm


Yes, review diet to ensure there are no vitamin or mineral deficiencies.

www.guinealynx.info/.html

Tgirls

Post   » Fri Feb 08, 2008 8:50 pm


I think they are getting enough vitamin C, I actually used the diet recommendations on this site to figure out what to feed them. Maybe I should consider a supplement though since this is the second time that I have noticed this. Tricia does not eat as much of fresh veggies as Tasha (her cagemate), I don't think they had any fresh veggies or fruit until they came to live with us.

They are in a 2x4 C & C cage with fleece and towel bedding.

I really have no idea what breed (I haven't gotten that far yet in my guinea pig education).

Tricia's is putting a little weight on her foot again but I figured she needed some rest so she did not get her floor time today.

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PinkRufus
Contributor in 2020

Post   » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:55 pm


Doe's she do any jumping at all? One of my boars had something like this recently, soft tissue injuries can start to heal, then become irritated with too much use. Restricting movement is a good idea for the time being. Is the foot swollen or pink?

Tgirls

Post   » Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:11 pm


She does do a little popcorning and the girls love chasing each other during floor time. It doesn't look swollen but her foot is so small in the first place. She's using it again today so I think I'll just restrict her movement for awhile and get more education on their diet.

Thanks to those who responded. As a first time guinea pig mom I am really glad to have such a great resource!

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