Female Guinea Pig ~3 years old with PTSD (chewing issue)?
I got a female guinea pig off of Craigslist over two years ago as a companion for a rescue guinea pig. The trouble, I believe, starts with the fact this CL guinea pig was housed with a rabbit and no other guinea pig. The first month I had her with her friend, she chewed a giant hole in the tarp of the midwest bottom. They got transferred over to a c&c and over the months I have figured out that the CL one is the cause for a lot of destructive rips and holes in fleece and fleece hides...I had to put a brick over the corner she was chewing to stop it. Now she has moved over to the other corner...I am exhausted from having to sew every single week (and I cannot sew well). Has anyone else had this kind of issue? She has unlimited hay and all the chews she could want. She is always a nervous wreck and gets upset at anything and everything compared to any of our other current thirteen. I do know she gets really hormonal when she's in heat and harasses her friend for two solid days, and I have found a small missing hair spot on her friend's face. Any suggestions would be appreciated cause I'm about ready to switch them over to a different kind of bedding or change up bonds (we're an in-home rescue). Fleece isn't cheap and I'm at my wits end.
- PooksiedAnimals
- Supporting my GL Habit
How is her weight? Has she been checked out by a vet? My most destructive guinea pigs have been ones in pain. I would worry that she's not feeling well.
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
Guessing if she is really hormonal and part of this is the drive to chew, it is possible a spay (ovarian cysts) might help.
https://www.guinealynx.info/ovarian_cysts.html
Unsure how to stop the behavior. I imagine changing to a different type of bedding could help but understand why you like fleece.
I do know that some people's setup uses two layers of fleece sewn together on 3 sides with a piece of coroplast slipped between, stretching it tight and not as easy to grab.
https://www.guinealynx.info/ovarian_cysts.html
Unsure how to stop the behavior. I imagine changing to a different type of bedding could help but understand why you like fleece.
I do know that some people's setup uses two layers of fleece sewn together on 3 sides with a piece of coroplast slipped between, stretching it tight and not as easy to grab.
Her weight is stable. Healthy chunk. She's acted this way from the beginning, but another female with hormonal issues acted off since the start.
A cyst sounds like a likely possibility and I'll look into it.
I currently have another intake going in for a spay due to spraying we noticed and she has an unknown mass on her uterus.
I will take this girl in to Dr. Nenn (LAGPR) for an ultrasound the next time she's there, which won't be till at earliest next year. I managed to get in to see her at her last visit in October for the other intake.
A cyst sounds like a likely possibility and I'll look into it.
I currently have another intake going in for a spay due to spraying we noticed and she has an unknown mass on her uterus.
I will take this girl in to Dr. Nenn (LAGPR) for an ultrasound the next time she's there, which won't be till at earliest next year. I managed to get in to see her at her last visit in October for the other intake.