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Am I doing something wrong?

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Lisajazz

Lisajazz

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Hi all - after a bit of help / advice

I am fairly new to guinea pigs. I have 5 pigs which I have gotten over 2 months.

I had 2 who were perfectly healthy and then got a baby one from P@h. Being niave she went straight in with my other 2. 2 days later she showed signs of an infection. Unfortunately she developed pneumonia and despite loads of vets visits, feeding her rescue food every 2 hours throughout the night and injected antibiotics she died - heartbreaking. The vet said she was too young to be sold and too underweight too.

a week later one of my other 2 guineas developed the same only being more savvy to it and her behaviour I got her to the vets right away and both were treated with baytril. One for 10 days and one for 5. Both were fine.

I have since got 2 more guineas and it's been very uneventful, I quarantined the new ones and they have all lived happily together for 2 weeks in a huge c&c cage.

Today we noticed that one of the smaller ones (2 months old) had crusty snot round her nose. Took her to the vet - she couldn't find any other symptoms at all but prescribed baytril as she doesn't want to take a chance (neither do i). She's having 0.1ml twice daily.

So of 5 guinea pigs 3 have had URI's. Is that bad luck? Am I doing something wrong?

The vet said that the P@H one would have been unwell when we got her.
 
It is very easy to transmit some bugs; so don't beat yourself up! You did your best, and you are on a steep learning curve. I'm so sorry you lost the little one; it's so gutting, isnt?

I've just had something similar with cystitis - first one guinea pig had it (and as I thought, was over it), but just weeks after one of the new ones has come down with the same thing as well! I'm keeping my figers firmly crossed that hopefully that was the last of it!
 
:)p I would just like to say that not all P@h stores are bad. I have had two of my piggies from them and they are both strong and healthy piggies. The piggies that they sell are not put in with rabbits and they have tunnels, hay racks, hideyholes and lovely soft padded beds to sit/play on. The pens are always lovely and clean and they have plenty of food and water. I know they are looked after as my friend is the assistant manageress and if they are ill she takes them to the vets. She has guinea pigs, ferrets and dogs of her own so she is a animal lover.
Admittedly it would be better if they didn't sell any animals at all.:)p
 
Hey the manager of our local store is a mate of my hubby so can't slate all of them. he runs a good one but some are rough. We went into one the other day (not very local) and they had no hay or food, plus one of their guineas had bald patches. We complained and said so.

Then another we went into I heard them talking about not selling one they had out back - there was a note on the cage that it had sneezed. Not taken it to the vets though.

The one our mate works at is spotless and he is a good manager.

We have been given a new guinea as compensation along with all of our vets bills - even for the 2 guineas that needed treatement after the one from there infected them. AND they gave us £40 vouchers. I still feel sad for the lost baby though.

The new guinea is in quarantine right now - also as we dont want her to get what our baby has. She's fairly brave compared to others so I hope she is in good health. Fingers crossed and so far so good.
 
I agree, our P@H store is very good. I keep hearing all the bad press about them, but I don't find that with mine. Hmm. Having said that, I wouldn't buy piggies from a petshop. I got mine from a farm (no they don't intensive rear piggies there either). I still had trouble. I bought two 'boys', who turned out to be girls and ended up with a grand total of 5 lively piggies. (wish I had known about this site before. Nevermind wouldn't be without them.

It's nothing you've done. It happens. I am just coming to the end of a joyful mite infestation, which luckily, thanks to people on here, was caught in the early stages.

What I will suggest, as I have done it, set up a 'piggy' bank and put whatever you can afford into it. It takes the pain away from vets bills, which at the moment aren't too bad.:o
 
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