Guinea pics terrified at vets

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Vicky2021

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Hi all,

I went to the vets for the first time with my guinea pigs yesterday and come away feeling disheartened 😩.

The experience at the vets yesterday was awful, they were incredibly nervous, cowering underneath their fleece, one was squealing incredibly loudly, she threw herself into the hay bag and the vet had to hold her on the table for to calm her down as they were running like mad. They could only get a weight on one, the other was running. Had to hold them for clippings. Bought them back home, after 30 minutes they were back to their normal selves!

I’ve owned them since June, they are coming up to 6-7 months now. They were terrified at first and after a few months of bonding, they’re more vocal, zoomies, popcorning, love exploring and take food from me when I sit on the floor with them. I wouldn’t say handling is particularly easy with one, but I took recommendations from here and transfer her via her bed and works well.

My house is quite quiet, apart from hoovering/talking, TV. No children at home, just 2 adults, I speak to them everyday. We have a food routine and they know as soon as I open the blinds in the morning is breakfast!

Does anyone else experience the same? Is it normal to come away from the vets feeling ashamed, as I’ve never seen them that bad apart from when I first got them! It was awful 🤦‍♀️. I know they must have been terrified, but I was really surprised! The vet said the weight was good, all looked healthy but I come away feeling like I’m the only owner who has gone through this. I felt so bad for them and felt a bit like a failure (sorry for the dramatic term - but it did make me feel really down).

Many thanks for your help
 
You definitely aren’t a failure. For prey animals, being out of their environment, being handled by people they don’t know is terrifying.
All my animals hate going to the vets. One of my piggies hides, the other shouts his head off. Two of my three rabbits do all they can to get away. The third rabbit is almost 9 years and mostly takes it in his stride now but he definitely isn’t happy. They all soon calm down once back home,

Ensure you weigh your piggies yourself at home, if you don’t already do so, as it’s the week on week weight checks, and checking their heft which tells you their health.
 
I wonder if the vet needs to look at their practices? Mine put the scales on the floor so they could weigh them when they were young and skittish. And they recognised that they were happier with me and did most of the check with them in my arms. They are prey animals and need to feel safe. Of course they don’t feel safe in the vets environment!

It’s not you, it sounds like you are doing great.
 
dont feel disheartened. Things to think about…make sure you yourself are calm, they will feed off your emotions and I know it’s stressful for humans and animals at the vets! When you take one to the vets always take the others, just to get them used to going and being out and about. if you have a long car ride to the vets, take them out in the car every so often just to get them de sensitised. hope that helps!
 
Piggies&buns said:
You definitely aren’t a failure. For prey animals, being out of their environment, being handled by people they don’t know is terrifying.
All my animals hate going to the vets. One of my piggies hides, the other shouts his head off. Two of my three rabbits do all they can to get away. The third rabbit is almost 9 years and mostly takes it in his stride now but he definitely isn’t happy. They all soon calm down once back home,

Ensure you weigh your piggies yourself at home, if you don’t already do so, as it’s the week on week weight checks, and checking their heft which tells you their health.
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Ah thank you so much. That made me feel better 😄. Yes, I did think to myself they had to travel into the car, go into a new pet carrier as they’ve grown then be handled by a couple of people they don’t know and reflecting back, must be really scary for them.
Thanks for the guidance, much appreciated. I started weighing them myself about 3 months ago every 10 days maybe, on the basis before that, they were so terrified and I really struggled. When I got them, I was told they’re really sociable, handled everyday but they come from a home with a very large number of young children, and I think they were just grabbed from the cage constantly, as I saw it when I was there, not the childrens fault as they just wanted to give them a cuddle but they were super scared even outside of the norm when I got them!
 
Please don't worry too much or feel ashamed of yourself! I think it would be more uncommon if your guinea pigs showed absolutely no signs of fear or stress at the vet! It is a notoriously scary place for most pets 😀

My girls are very particular about how/where they like to be held and scream like they're being murdered by the vet just because they are being held in a way they don't like. It is never a nice experience to hear them angry or upset, but I know the vet visits are for their own well-being and the vet has never done anything to hurt them. I of course try to do the most I can to make vet trips comfortable for them (give them veggies, lots of hay, and most importantly a pet carrier that comfortably fits the both of them,) but being moved around and touched by unfamiliar hands is never going to be a pleasant experience. My pigs also seem to to bounce back rather quickly though and are their normal selves within an hour of being back home. I always offer them lots of treats and veggies, which really does seem to help them forget the horrible abuses they believe they endured 😆
 
Tigermoth said:
I wonder if the vet needs to look at their practices? Mine put the scales on the floor so they could weigh them when they were young and skittish. And they recognised that they were happier with me and did most of the check with them in my arms. They are prey animals and need to feel safe. Of course they don’t feel safe in the vets environment!

It’s not you, it sounds like you are doing great.
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Thank you! that makes sense. I done the nail clippings holding them, but actually other methods as you mentioned above may be better. I think they would have been more settled with me.
 
Mine have done all sorts 😅 most of the time they're pretty chilled out, a lot of them actually seem to like my vet which is saying something! Most aren't keen on anyone but me, but he usually gives them a nice fuss.
Fern used to like racing out of the carrier when a hand would go in to catch her, one time she almost made it straight off the table 🙃 she also peed all down my front once while I was holding her, that was embarrassing 😅
Daisy likes to assume the 'banana pig' pose where she will throw her head back as far as it'll go and scream like she's being absolutely murdered.
Vets are used to scared animals, don't be ashamed. It happens, mine seem to be at the vets every 5 minutes so they've got used to it, but normal people won't be there often enough for it to become a routine for the piggies to get used to, and new situations frighten little prey animals, especially when the place smells of cats and dogs etc.
 
None of mine like the vet, even though the vet is lovely and very good with them.
It’s been harder with the pandemic as I can’t go in with them to hold them while being examined, or at least talk to them.
 
Ours are usually terrified and hide away, very much so when they were young but it’s got slightly easier. Then again last time we went, after warning the vet that Betty could be a bit nippy when handled, she decided to make me look like a big fat liar by being charm personified - she was extra friendly to the vet and even licking her hands as she tried to examine her!
 
I think most animals really hate the vet. I know mine are not fond of it and have tried to make a run for it several times. I've had hamsters where I've had to tell the vet upfront, "This hamster will probably try to bite you. Be warned!" You're certainly not a bad owner. It's very stressful for all species of animals and they are not usually at their best in that scenario.
 
Based on my own experience with my four boars, the good news is that they do seem to get used to going depending on how often they’re in the carrier, car, and at the vet itself.

Our boar who goes the least often (has only ever had annual checkups and no ER/urgent visits) HATES it and acts very similarly to yours. Our other boar who was going three times a week at one point literally does not seem to mind at all. He has monthly appointments now, and the vet is always remarking on how well behaved he is. It’s simply another thing they may get acclimated to over time.

Of course, if given the option, I think most owners and pigs would prefer to never have to go to the vet and therefore hate it. 😂
 
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