Hi. I recently bought two new male guineas after two years not having any (I got too upset when they died and swore never to have them again). One of them developed a fungal infection which we've been treating since getting him and it seems to be cleared up now (we're still medicating though). He's very easy to deal with - seems to enjoy being cuddled and happily eats food from our laps.
The other one, however, is a bit of a nightmare and hates being handled. I'll put him on my lap and he'll panic and try to get away. Last night he drew blood from my finger for the first time. We've tried to handle him every day since they settled in but nothing has changed. Occasionally he'll take a singular bite of food but I'm pretty sure it's just because he wants to bite something rather than because it's food. When he's in the cage he'll happily take food from my hand and will sometimes even let me stroke him. We've tried making him comfortable, wrapping him in fleece etc but it makes no difference. I don't really know what to do with him as there has been absolutely no improvement when handling him. Do we just leave him alone of keep persevering? He's not the dominant guinea, which may make a difference.
Also, today we noticed that he has a dry nose so perhaps he's contracted the fungal infection. I'm going to get a vets appointment now but it worries me that I'll either have to feed him intrafungol or dab the cream onto his nose. It's not going to be an easy task.
Thanks for reading and any advice would be appreciated.
The other one, however, is a bit of a nightmare and hates being handled. I'll put him on my lap and he'll panic and try to get away. Last night he drew blood from my finger for the first time. We've tried to handle him every day since they settled in but nothing has changed. Occasionally he'll take a singular bite of food but I'm pretty sure it's just because he wants to bite something rather than because it's food. When he's in the cage he'll happily take food from my hand and will sometimes even let me stroke him. We've tried making him comfortable, wrapping him in fleece etc but it makes no difference. I don't really know what to do with him as there has been absolutely no improvement when handling him. Do we just leave him alone of keep persevering? He's not the dominant guinea, which may make a difference.
Also, today we noticed that he has a dry nose so perhaps he's contracted the fungal infection. I'm going to get a vets appointment now but it worries me that I'll either have to feed him intrafungol or dab the cream onto his nose. It's not going to be an easy task.
Thanks for reading and any advice would be appreciated.
