Rosiehardy93
Junior Guinea Pig
Got 2 new girls from the hated p@h I did as felt sad for them ! Any the women said , " I'm sure you no but your pigs can get ringworm from stress so best to leave them alone 48 hr etc is that true ?
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Can Piggies Get Ringworm From Stress ?
- Thread starter Rosiehardy93
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helen105281
Senior Guinea Pig
Stress can make them run down which then makes them susceptible to illnesses such as ringworm, URI etc. Was that a staff member at Pets at Home? If so, there are lots of cases of Pets at Home pigs coming down with ringworm shortly after being bought.
Ringworm is a fungal infection, so it can't be brought on by stress alone. They have to be exposed to the fungus to develop ringworm. However, stress can lower the immune system, making them more susceptible to ringworm infection (and other infections.) Honestly, if I heard a store employee say that, I would think it was them trying to cover their butts in case the pig happens to already be infected with ringworm via the pet shop!
Rosiehardy93
Junior Guinea Pig
Yea that's what I thought , can you treat them before they have it as a prevention or not ?
An immune system that is lowered by stress or by illness can play a role in making guinea pigs more susceptible to picking up ringworm.
However, ringworm has got an incubation period of 10-14 days before it becomes visible, so a previous exposure to the fungus is necessary in catching it (which pet shops are infamous for and which, by the sound of it, the branch you got your piggies from is likely to struggle with).
This is one of the reasons why good standard rescues have a mandatory 2-3 week quarantine for any incoming guinea pigs and why we recommend to quarantine any new guinea pigs that come from a place without a quarantining policy, especially if you want them to join other piggies or pets of yours. There is no preventative treatment for fungal issues.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/importance-of-quarantine.108034/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/ringworm-hygiene-and-pictures.115402/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/
However, ringworm has got an incubation period of 10-14 days before it becomes visible, so a previous exposure to the fungus is necessary in catching it (which pet shops are infamous for and which, by the sound of it, the branch you got your piggies from is likely to struggle with).
This is one of the reasons why good standard rescues have a mandatory 2-3 week quarantine for any incoming guinea pigs and why we recommend to quarantine any new guinea pigs that come from a place without a quarantining policy, especially if you want them to join other piggies or pets of yours. There is no preventative treatment for fungal issues.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/importance-of-quarantine.108034/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/ringworm-hygiene-and-pictures.115402/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/
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