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Post by rustypete on Oct 21, 2021 16:08:51 GMT
After a few days, Pete stopped squealing when I picked him up as I have to to lock them in at night, Rusty his brother has never squealed, Pete did squeals for a few seconds and then calms down and when he did squeal back then he wriggled a lot, However today when I picked him up he did not want to stop squealing especially when I felt around the hips area but he wasn’t wriggling either. However he’s fine in other areas though. He’s still eating drinking, running around etc... So I’m a bit confused whether his squealing is him in pain or not?
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 21, 2021 19:43:27 GMT
You need to take everything into consideration. Yes, you're feeling around his hips, and he's squealing. He's also running around, eating, playing, etc. If he's not losing weight, his poos look fine, etc. it's most likely he's squealing because you're keeping him from doing something he wants to do, not because he's in pain when you touch him.
It's always good to check for the worst, which you did. Keep checking his hips, and if he squeals, watch how he acts when you let him go.
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Post by rustypete on Oct 22, 2021 15:33:37 GMT
You need to take everything into consideration. Yes, you're feeling around his hips, and he's squealing. He's also running around, eating, playing, etc. If he's not losing weight, his poos look fine, etc. it's most likely he's squealing because you're keeping him from doing something he wants to do, not because he's in pain when you touch him. It's always good to check for the worst, which you did. Keep checking his hips, and if he squeals, watch how he acts when you let him go. Thanks, back when I did animal management back a few years ago. I got told by one of the teachers that when a small animal squeals it means that it means he/she is pain. I assume this is false info then? I just thought I’d ask on here to double check. |
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 22, 2021 20:20:51 GMT
Animals talk, just as we do. The fact that we swear or yell when we're upset about something might be misinterpreted as pain, but someone who didn't understand our language. Guinea pigs have a rather extensive language, in that they string together different sounds to make what's basically sentences. They don't usually squeal unless they are upset/annoyed, or hurt, so it's important to keep their sounds in context. You were right to be concerned. You felt around his hips, and he squealed. Then you watched him, and he moved just fine. That tells you he didn't want to be held. He wanted to run around. It's the same with picking up pigs. They squeal and squirm, but they're not in any pain. They're just ticked off that we're doing something they don't want done to them, and making sure we know it. Yes, a squeal can mean pain, if that's the context  |
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Post by rustypete on Oct 23, 2021 20:03:32 GMT
Animals talk, just as we do. The fact that we swear or yell when we're upset about something might be misinterpreted as pain, but someone who didn't understand our language. Guinea pigs have a rather extensive language, in that they string together different sounds to make what's basically sentences. They don't usually squeal unless they are upset/annoyed, or hurt, so it's important to keep their sounds in context. You were right to be concerned. You felt around his hips, and he squealed. Then you watched him, and he moved just fine. That tells you he didn't want to be held. He wanted to run around. It's the same with picking up pigs. They squeal and squirm, but they're not in any pain. They're just ticked off that we're doing something they don't want done to them, and making sure we know it. Yes, a squeal can mean pain, if that's the context Are some guinea pigs more vocal than others then? As I’ve never heard Rusty squeal at all whilst Pete does. However he didnt today. So I guess sometimes he doesn’t mind like when he doesn’t squeal. I suppose sometimes when guinea pigs squeal it may mean they need the toilet aswell as guinea pigs pee every 15 mins. |
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Post by Bean on Oct 24, 2021 7:42:11 GMT
Oh yes, I have some who will crack out the wheeking as any sign of movement or the sound of a fridge/ plastic bag, and others who are happy to let the others make all the noise. I had one pig who really wanted to join the chorus but her squeak was just more of a raspy hiss - she really tried though!
If you think the squealing is related to toileting then I'd keep an eye on it, as it can indicate an issue with their waterworks or digestion.
But they can just chunter away to themselves a lot, and some are very vocal if they don't really want to be handled or if one of their buddies is in their way/ pinching their food. If we need to give Tissue a once over, rather than stroking her to her particular requirements (she's really fussy!), she will squawk in the most irritated fashion!
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Post by rustypete on Oct 24, 2021 11:11:21 GMT
Oh yes, I have some who will crack out the wheeking as any sign of movement or the sound of a fridge/ plastic bag, and others who are happy to let the others make all the noise. I had one pig who really wanted to join the chorus but her squeak was just more of a raspy hiss - she really tried though! If you think the squealing is related to toileting then I'd keep an eye on it, as it can indicate an issue with their waterworks or digestion. But they can just chunter away to themselves a lot, and some are very vocal if they don't really want to be handled or if one of their buddies is in their way/ pinching their food. If we need to give Tissue a once over, rather than stroking her to her particular requirements (she's really fussy!), she will squawk in the most irritated fashion! Thanks. I wasn’t actually thinking that as I generally knew Guinea pigs wee every 15 mins and as they live in a hutch. You wouldn’t really know when they go to the toilet or if they need to. Just curious how come you mentioned that as If they have an issue with there digestion/waterworks, wouldn’t it be easier to tell by there poops? I’m pretty sure there also still working out dominance as even though there two males. I’ve seen Pete hump Rusty quite a few times. Rusty seems very used to this as he just moves/runs out of the way. But they also like being together as well or like when I’ve started hand feeding or eating. they’ve come up together. I think Petes the more dominant one because of the humping. |
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 24, 2021 17:29:27 GMT
The poos tell the story. Good, solid, slightly moist, decently sized poos are the sign of a health pig, no matter how they act. Obviously, if they have a physical disability, it won't show in the poos, but eating a good, healthy diet definitely shows. When the poos get dry, small, too light or dark in color, or too soft, time to remove possible culprits from their diet. Also time to check for the obvious signs of a URI or UTI. Raspy or labored breathing, runny nose/eyes, etc. for the URI, and while you can't use the strips or anything to tell if one has a UTI, you can tell if one cries when peeing, or if gently pressing around the urethra makes them uncomfortable. As for talking, most of mine have been great talkers. Wheeking is something they developed to tell us they want food, but the rest of the time mine talk a lot. That's also a sign of healthy, happy pigs, just as is lots of movement, as sick pigs tend not to move or talk much. Obviously, not a absolute, as I've had totally healthy pigs who just let others do the talking. I've found changing the cage arrangement elicits a lot of vocalizations from the pigs, as they have to check out whatever changed, and sometimes put it back the way it was |
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Post by rustypete on Oct 24, 2021 20:18:25 GMT
The poos tell the story. Good, solid, slightly moist, decently sized poos are the sign of a health pig, no matter how they act. Obviously, if they have a physical disability, it won't show in the poos, but eating a good, healthy diet definitely shows. When the poos get dry, small, too light or dark in color, or too soft, time to remove possible culprits from their diet. Also time to check for the obvious signs of a URI or UTI. Raspy or labored breathing, runny nose/eyes, etc. for the URI, and while you can't use the strips or anything to tell if one has a UTI, you can tell if one cries when peeing, or if gently pressing around the urethra makes them uncomfortable. As for talking, most of mine have been great talkers. Wheeking is something they developed to tell us they want food, but the rest of the time mine talk a lot. That's also a sign of healthy, happy pigs, just as is lots of movement, as sick pigs tend not to move or talk much. Obviously, not a absolute, as I've had totally healthy pigs who just let others do the talking. I've found changing the cage arrangement elicits a lot of vocalizations from the pigs, as they have to check out whatever changed, and sometimes put it back the way it was Thanks what do you mean by too dark? Because isn’t poo naturally dark? Brown- black? Pete also hates being away from Rusty, when I locked them in earlier, I put Rusty in first and Pete took ages to catch as he kept looking for Rusty and squeaking a lot to try to find where Rusty was |
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Post by Bean on Oct 25, 2021 7:26:53 GMT
If you can see the same kind of poos around now (from them both), that's probably your benchmark of a healthy poo! But yes, the ones that are closer to black can be a sign of things like dehydration or internal bleeding. You soon get used to what's normal, so when something appears that's different, it's fairly easy to notice, especially when you're cleaning them out.
The other thing to look out for is them straining or squealing when they're passing wee or poo, which you'd probably be alerted to by the noises (again just by way of getting used to what's normal), but they do change their body shape slightly when they toilet so if you had cause to look out for it, you'd probably notice!
If Rusty isn't showing any ideas of being the boss himself, hopefully he'll accept Pete's dominance without much fuss. It sounds like they have a really close bond which is very promising, even with the teenage years approaching! Also, having loads of space is the best thing you can do for males, as being able to get away from each other when things heat up can head off loads of tension. They certainly have lots of space in that run.
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Post by rustypete on Oct 25, 2021 14:55:52 GMT
If you can see the same kind of poos around now (from them both), that's probably your benchmark of a healthy poo! But yes, the ones that are closer to black can be a sign of things like dehydration or internal bleeding. You soon get used to what's normal, so when something appears that's different, it's fairly easy to notice, especially when you're cleaning them out. The other thing to look out for is them straining or squealing when they're passing wee or poo, which you'd probably be alerted to by the noises (again just by way of getting used to what's normal), but they do change their body shape slightly when they toilet so if you had cause to look out for it, you'd probably notice! If Rusty isn't showing any ideas of being the boss himself, hopefully he'll accept Pete's dominance without much fuss. It sounds like they have a really close bond which is very promising, even with the teenage years approaching! Also, having loads of space is the best thing you can do for males, as being able to get away from each other when things heat up can head off loads of tension. They certainly have lots of space in that run. Thanks. I clean the hutch & run out every Friday, the first few times I noticed there poo was dark brown but just recently I noticed some it was black but also with a shiny look, it’s harder to notice who’s poo is who’s but I think it is normal.. I also noticed Rustys fur was darker around his private part recently. I just think this is because he’s been Mabye sitting in the same place he wees as it’s been like that for a few days. and they’ve never made any noises with peeing/popping (As Pete is a darker colour I can’t tell if it’s similar with his fur). They did drink slightly more water last night and today. But I think that might just be because it’s slightly warmer weather today. |
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 25, 2021 19:07:00 GMT
It takes time to know what's normal. For those of us with our pigs indoors, where we interact with them all the time, it's probably easier to notice something not quite right, than it is with outdoor pigs. I even set up a piggy cam, once, when my pigs were newbies, so I could watch them when they didn't know I was watching them. Very educational, and a great way to get to know your guinea pigs The feed went to my computer, so I could watch them any time I wanted. Whatever you do, you'll get to know what's normal, and when you should take special notice. |
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Post by rustypete on Oct 25, 2021 20:11:58 GMT
It takes time to know what's normal. For those of us with our pigs indoors, where we interact with them all the time, it's probably easier to notice something not quite right, than it is with outdoor pigs. I even set up a piggy cam, once, when my pigs were newbies, so I could watch them when they didn't know I was watching them. Very educational, and a great way to get to know your guinea pigs The feed went to my computer, so I could watch them any time I wanted. Whatever you do, you'll get to know what's normal, and when you should take special notice. When you say piggy cam. Do you basically mean a bit like how zoos/wildlife parks have habitat cams to monitor nocturnal animals and other animals. Sounds like a good idea. Are they expensive? Or would any camera that connects to your computer work? Like would a go pro work somehow. Or another kind of camera that’s not too expensive. |
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 26, 2021 20:30:47 GMT
Yes. I have it around, somewhere. It was great to be able to watch the piggy cam channel, lol It wasn't very expensive. For some reason I want to say it was about $25. It showed me what they were doing when they thought I wasn't watching, and they did get up to some fun things |
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Post by Bean on Oct 27, 2021 7:42:49 GMT
I know someone who had one for her dogs, and was helpless watching them chew up her sofas while she was at work! At least guinea pigs are unlikely to get up to anything too destructive!
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