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Covid and piggies

Last time I had covid I did not hug them for two weeks, as I was scared of them getting sick and it was hell not being able to hold them.
 
I’m sorry to hear you are unwell.

Most human viruses do not spread to Guinea pigs so they are not really at a risk of catching it.
However we do always do recommend to limit contact when you are unwell with anything. If somebody else can take care of them until you feel better then that is best. If they can’t then you need to just do the basic care - feed, water, clean and avoid physical interaction with them.

Contagion - Inter-species Transmission and Pet Care During Owner Illness/Pregnancy (incl. Covid)
 
Guineapiggirl34 said:
I think I have covid again, Cani handle and kiss my piggies or is it best not to? I love them and love cuddling them but I don’t want them to get sick. Thanks.
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Hi

HUGS

The transmission risk is very low but please try to refrain from handling your piggies (or any pets) when you are ill with an infectious disease and use good hygiene and a face mask if you have to.

The new strains of Covid are not any worse but they are getting ever more infectious as they develop.

You may find this link here and the very practical advice in it very helpful: Contagion - Inter-species Transmission and Pet Care During Owner Illness/Pregnancy (incl. Covid)
 

Guineapiggirl34 said:
One thing I sit in the same room as them all day, I am across the room from them, that should be ok?
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It is not ideal but OK. The transmission is very low. You can still watch them and talk to them.

Please wash your hands before and after feeding/hay refill etc. and wait with cage cleaning until you are better again. Your piggies will survive a little neglect just fine as long as they have water, food and any necessary medication.
 
How long before I should hold them? I still have a sore throat, and feel like hell. I do t really want to hold them even, but they are seriously well shitty. They are so grumpy they are arguing constantly. They are being fed the same as before. I haven’t weighed them for 19 or so days, weighed today all but the baby still growing have lost 15-30 g (most weight by my very fat girl) you know they were complaining over the hay I got from one company. I mentioned in a seperate post about a seperate problem, well I changed to hay box and they are still not really eating it. It can’t be the hay, not from two different companies. I would imagine a hungry Guinea pig will eat anything. I mean in the wild they will eat any old rubbish /weeds old hay grass etc. will the survival instinct stop my babies from starving themselv3s? Or will they starve out of stubbornness for feeling they are given inferior food? I know this seems maybe a strange question but I don’t want the being hungry! I donmt want them hungry especially when they are feeling neglected cuddle wise.
 
Guineapiggirl34 said:
How long before I should hold them? I still have a sore throat, and feel like hell. I do t really want to hold them even, but they are seriously well shitty. They are so grumpy they are arguing constantly. They are being fed the same as before. I haven’t weighed them for 19 or so days, weighed today all but the baby still growing have lost 15-30 g (most weight by my very fat girl) you know they were complaining over the hay I got from one company. I mentioned in a seperate post about a seperate problem, well I changed to hay box and they are still not really eating it. It can’t be the hay, not from two different companies. I would imagine a hungry Guinea pig will eat anything. I mean in the wild they will eat any old rubbish /weeds old hay grass etc. will the survival instinct stop my babies from starving themselv3s? Or will they starve out of stubbornness for feeling they are given inferior food? I know this seems maybe a strange question but I don’t want the being hungry! I donmt want them hungry especially when they are feeling neglected cuddle wise.
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Hi

How long have you experienced symptoms?

If you really need to please wear a mask and disposable gloves if you have them, and wash your hands and arms really well before and after.
 
I had the first symptoms of a sore throat;for a week then Really full blown since Saturday. What about the Guinea pigs not eating the hay and loosing a little weight? Will they starve themselves?
 
Guineapiggirl34 said:
I had the first symptoms of a sore throat;for a week then Really full blown since Saturday. What about the Guinea pigs not eating the hay and loosing a little weight? Will they starve themselves?
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Hi

They will hopefully start eating hay when they get really hungry, even if they don't like it.

Anyway, you should be getting over the fully infectious phase now, whether you have Covid or just a bad cold. This season's Covid is coming with a very sore throat. :(
 
Thanks, I will give it to the weekend/Monday before cuddling them? I’m not sure I able able to wear a mask due to my chronic face pain, and fortunately or in this case unfortunately, they love to be by my neck. If you place them on my lap they leap up to under my neck, which is where they are want to be, to be cuddled and kissed.
 
Hi I am sorry this is slightly seperate, but still with the I am ill and not coping category. We have found mould in the my room/piggie room, very damp Cornish cottage, can a dehumidifier be safely run at night in the room with them? I know dehumidifiers can cause people to dehydrate if they sleep with them on… sorry, I have so many problems at the moment!
 
I am tagging in @piggieminder as I am sure they have a dehumidifier when I quickly searched the forum.
The piggies have access to water bottle and their veggies when given so they shouldn’t dehydrate at all.
I hope you feel better soon.
 
Now
I have a dehumidifier but only use it when I'm drying washing in doors and it's not on a night as this is a tiny house and it's noisy.

Then
When I lived in Cornwall we had condensation damp problems. We had a dehumidifier on the landing and left all the bedroom doors open. It was set to come on at a certain humidity and was left on all day to switch on and off as was needed. I think it was off at night.
I think for your piggy room it would be an idea to set it to come on as needed during the day (the instructions should tell you the settings) and switch it off at night for safety. If it's set right the air shouldn't dry out too much.

I hope you feel better very soon.
 
Hi unfortunately I can’t have it on during the day as I can’t cope with the noise I have chronic pain/migraines etc. domyou think putting it on a low setting at night would be ok? I know they are at risk of dehydration but the mould is also a massive risk to them… it seems a bit like all the problems I have are unsolvable…
 
They are no more at risk of dehydration if it is on at night than if it's on in the daytime. As the machine would be set to come on when the air has a certain amount of moisture in it it's not going continuously so shouldn't make the air too dry. It's going to depend on the machine you have and the operating instructions.
 
So I had an Illness not covid but I was ill for 10 days, no piggie cuddles as constant sore thorat. Piggies very grumpy with no cuddles. I am better, cuddling pigs I have, found a small furless lump very tiny I. Suspect a bite from his wife. No idea when this occurred. It seems fine has a nice thick scab o;it, and touch8ng it doesn’t seem to affect him. Do I need to do anything or just let it heal?
 
Guineapiggirl34 said:
So I had an Illness not covid but I was ill for 10 days, no piggie cuddles as constant sore thorat. Piggies very grumpy with no cuddles. I am better, cuddling pigs I have, found a small furless lump very tiny I. Suspect a bite from his wife. No idea when this occurred. It seems fine has a nice thick scab o;it, and touch8ng it doesn’t seem to affect him. Do I need to do anything or just let it heal?
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Hi

I am very sorry but glad that you are now over it. There seem to be more than one bug making the rounds with causing very sore throats and taking it out of people at the moment.

Sows don't usually bite, except for instinctive defense bites when on edge and as a reaction to sudden movement from a potential predator.
It is much more likely that it is either an injury or self-inflicted due to intense discomfort in the lump or skin, which may have been barbered as well as scratched or bitten.

If in any doubt, please see a vet since we cannot comment sight unseen. We cannot judge whether the lump is the cause or whether is it a result of the scratch/bite. If in any doubt, please see a vet. See a vet promptly if the lump/injury is starting to swell up very quickly.
 
I will keep my eye on it. I can really press it around and he doesn’t seem to mind at all. It is probably half a baby peas size, so could just be swelling from the injury. I will keep a close eye and if it doesn’t improve in a few days or gets worse he will go to the vet. Poor boy he keeps going to the vet so I will try to wait! His missus has been kinda grumpy though. She was in heat three days ago and while he was trying to mount her, she let him a bit but she fought him a lot too, and she was also chasing him and taking flying leaps trying to mount him! She is much smaller than him hence needing to leap up. Hope she isn’t going to fight for authority.
 
Guineapiggirl34 said:
I will keep my eye on it. I can really press it around and he doesn’t seem to mind at all. It is probably half a baby peas size, so could just be swelling from the injury. I will keep a close eye and if it doesn’t improve in a few days or gets worse he will go to the vet. Poor boy he keeps going to the vet so I will try to wait! His missus has been kinda grumpy though. She was in heat three days ago and while he was trying to mount her, she let him a bit but she fought him a lot too, and she was also chasing him and taking flying leaps trying to mount him! She is much smaller than him hence needing to leap up. Hope she isn’t going to fight for authority.
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When in a strong season, sows will allow boars to mount only at the very end of it during the short fertility window. Beforehand, if the urges are very strong, they will actually mount mostly the sow ranked below here or (if they are at the bottom) the one ranked just above. If there is only the boar, then he will have to do.

Sow Problems 'Down Below' (Ovarian Cysts, Super-seasons, Womb Infection, Pregnancy & Mammary Tumours)
 
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