lame baby guinea pig ??

Question
Hi Kat,
I got a 3 week old guinea pig yesterday( we already have a 5 month old) and she is walking strangely. it looks like she is hopping when she walks just like a rabbit walks, it is not popcorning. she was in a cage with a rabbit in the petshop so i was wondering if she could just be copying the rabbit or could she have scurvy? there were no fresh veg or hay in the cage in the petshop just pellets and water.she seems fine in every other way, she is eating and drinking and they both get on well already but she isn't walking very far, and like i said when she does walk she looks just a rabbit!
any help would be very much appreciated
thanks

Answer
Hello Eleanor,

Well...It probably IS popcorning. At 3 weeks old, that's how baby piggies tend to move. I've raised several litters and baby piggies rarely, if ever, walk. They popcorn everywhere. It's not the full blown twisting over excited bouncing off the walls that older pigs do (though it is sometimes when they get excited, they aren't incapable of over happy popcorning). It typically looks just like the little bunny hops you are describing. However, since piggies are social animals and shouldn't be feed rabbit food and should never be house with rabbits, there are other possiblities. If you are right, and it's NOT normal baby piggy movement, something may be wrong. It could be scurvy. When piggies are housed with rabbits at pet stores, someone is getting cheated on nutrition and it's very possible it IS scurvy. Giving her a bit of orange each day for a few weeks should fix the problem. Since she still seems relatively well, it's likely not too advanced yet. Another possiblity is she COULD be copying the bunny. Piggies are very social animals and learn from other piggies (or bunnies if that's what they are around) alot of their behaviors. Alot of the things piggies do that we just assume all piggies do, they actually learned from other piggies when they were very young. She may also be injured. Rabbits do "lamb leaps" when they are happy and may have accidentally kicked and injured the baby piggy in his excitement. If you suspect injury, she should see a vet for treatment. Like I said, it really just sounds like baby piggy popcorn walking but, I can't see her move, you can. From your description, that's what it sounds like, but I may very well be wrong. Trust your instincts. If you still feel something is wrong and the oranges aren't working, see the vet. Better safe than sorry.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs