Can Guinea Pigs Get Rabies?

[nsshaas]

Around a little over 3 months ago our guinea pig ran away from our backyard. We found him a few days later three to four hours down our street in someone's backyard. He's been so far and I've been monitoring his weight but just today he bit me on my thumb and I bled a little.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow for something unrelated so should I bring this up? It's been this long but technically if a guinea pig did have rabies he would already have died? I'm pretty scared trying to think of what to do next!

Can guinea pigs get rabies? I looked online and all I could find was a study from 2003 but I'm not the norm since my guinea pig has been outside unsupervised during the time we lost him. It says it's uncommon in small animals and rodents but I'm still worried.

 

[Reenie]

I've no idea the answer to your question, but if you're worried, and seeing your doctor anyway, just tell the doc, and I'm sure they will put your mind at ease.

 

[Wiebke]

Around a little over 3 months ago our guinea pig ran away from our backyard. We found him a few days later three to four hours down our street in someone's backyard. He's been so far and I've been monitoring his weight but just today he bit me on my thumb and I bled a little.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow for something unrelated so should I bring this up? It's been this long but technically if a guinea pig did have rabies he would already have died? I'm pretty scared trying to think of what to do next!

Can guinea pigs get rabies? I looked online and all I could find was a study from 2003 but I'm not the norm since my guinea pig has been outside unsupervised during the time we lost him. It says it's uncommon in small animals and rodents but I'm still worried.

Hi! I have never heard of a guinea pig developing rabies although they technically can, provided they survive the bite (and the shock/damage from being bitten) from an acutely diseased animal in the first place; most would die from one or the other.

However, rabies develops very quickly within a matter of days, not months later if an animal or human is infected.
~
If you have any suspicion that you or a pet have been bitten by a potentially diseased animal, you need to see a doctor or vet for an injection asap in any case to prevent the disease from breaking out. You can ask your vet or doctor if you want confirmation.

I am sure that you have secured your home to prevent another escape. Make sure that your guinea pig feels at home. they are normally territorial and don't move away if they can avoid it, unless they are badly spooked and lost or are stolen or found/picked up by other humans.

Your piggy is still very much on edge with his prey instincts. Please take the time to carefully read these guide here, so you can avoid being bitten and can handle him in ways that do not trigger his defence and the other instincts. Learn their own behaviours and use those to make friends with him.
" Biting" And What You Can Do
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language (this guide also tells you about guinea pig prey animal instincts and how to avoid triggering them apart from teaching you a spot of piggy whispering)
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?

 

[Freela]

I believe that technically, all mammals can get rabies. However, if your pig came home without any bite wounds from other animals, it's not possible for him to have contracted rabies by other means. Rabies also is not spread by bites unless the animal is actively ill (i.e. cannot be spread in the incubation period.) So if your guinea pig is not showing any symptoms (hydrophobia, nervous system breakdown, etc.) you are both fine.

 

[V.C.D.C.P]

Guinea pigs may fet a certain form of prototype virus of the genus Lyssaviru called Furious Rabies” but for a small prey animal like a guinea pig it would’ve needed to be bitten by a predator. Or in rare cases breath in a certain rare airborne strain pf the pathogen. Caviidea can get rabies so that means rabits can get them to. Which i think must’ve us should’ve known that b’now.

Also you may see frequent changes do to this being my seventh day on the job, and for some reason i was put on here. My supervisor my change this.

 

[V.C.D.C.P]

Signed Marry.