How much time do guinea pigs require?

Def agree about vet visit but as well as injury or infection, it could also be cataracts which may not need treatment or bother the piggy too much. Just saying that in case you're over worried. The vet will know.
 
Okay, i’ll take them to the vet as soon as i can.

Another question, i got this gross water bottle and i wonder if there is a way i could clean it and use it until i get a new one? I’m worried the rice method won’t cut it, and petstores are closed rn.1A809C41-68F2-4426-A4AE-4C1F8BC57207.webp
 
If it’s cataracts that won’t be a problem.
My Merab had cataracts and was blind for the last years of her life.
They didn’t stop her at all.

Hope there is nothing serious wrong

Have you got any Bicarbonate of Soda and some vinegar?
That makes a good cleaning solution but you have to ensure the bottle is thoroughly rinsed out.
 
Could you put out a bowl of water until you can get another bottle? You can get little thin bristle brushes which if you soaked that in warm soapy water would clean it, but can't think what else you could use.
 
After taking a closer look at him and doing some digging around the webs, i’m 99% sure it’s cataracts. Except for the white, it doesn’t look like a typical eye injury, it looks almost exactly like the pictures of cataracts i’ve seen on the internet.

As for cleaning the bottle, i’ll try out your tips and see if it gets clean enough for my liking.
I do have one of those brushes, however it doesn’t fit and pretty much nothing else does either, which is concerning since it’s so crusty.

I might just use a bowl instead, if it doesn’t get clean enough.
 
Vilde said:
After taking a closer look at him and doing some digging around the webs, i’m 99% sure it’s cataracts. Except for the white, it doesn’t look like a typical eye injury, it looks almost exactly like the pictures of cataracts i’ve seen on the internet.

As for cleaning the bottle, i’ll try out your tips and see if it gets clean enough for my liking.
I do have one of those brushes, however it doesn’t fit and pretty much nothing else does either, which is concerning since it’s so crusty.

I might just use a bowl instead, if it doesn’t get clean enough.
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I clean my bottles by putting in some warm water, then putting in a handful of dry rice, put bottle lid in and shake it like crazy in all directions. It’ll get the green algae out and itll come up like new. You can then clean it using hot soapy water and a bottle brush to make sure it is properly washed. I clean the spot with a cotton bud.
 
Try some rice & shake it up with warm water, that should help. & good 'ole soap too!

Hopefully it's just cataracts though, keep us posted. So glad you have them home & it all worked out! :D
 
This is not really a question but omg i just got SO sad..

I looked at Cinnamon (the pig w cataracts) and saw that his nails are like little spirals on his feet, they’re sooo long... :’(
It has to be so uncomfortable to walk on, i feel so baddddd

I don’t think i should cut his nails yet though, neither of the pigs are very tame yet, although they’re coming around very quickly! My hope is that in a few weeks i can hold him and cut them.
I wish i could get a better look at them though, their fur is so long so i haven’t even gotten to see their nails until now
 
Vilde said:
This is not really a question but omg i just got SO sad..

I looked at Cinnamon (the pig w cataracts) and saw that his nails are like little spirals on his feet, they’re sooo long... :’(
It has to be so uncomfortable to walk on, i feel so baddddd

I don’t think i should cut his nails yet though, neither of the pigs are very tame yet, although they’re coming around very quickly! My hope is that in a few weeks i can hold him and cut them.
I wish i could get a better look at them though, their fur is so long so i haven’t even gotten to see their nails until now
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As this can become a health issue, I think you need to step in regardless of how comfortable they are with handling. You may only be able to cut a little at a time off the nails, but I feel you should get started on it so they don’t cut into feet and cause other issues. It can become very uncomfortable for them to walk, and twist the toes etc. It can take some piggies months to become more comfortable with handling (18 months into the case of one of my boys!) so delaying may not help anything.
 
Piggies&buns said:
As this can become a health issue, I think you need to step in regardless of how comfortable they are with handling. You may only be able to cut a little at a time off the nails, but I feel you should get started on it so they don’t cut into feet and cause other issues. It can become very uncomfortable for them to walk, and twist the toes etc. It can take some piggies months to become more comfortable with handling (18 months into the case of one of my boys!) so delaying may not help anything.
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Okay, i’ll try my best.
How should i do it? I’m worried i’ll take too long and not be able to hold him or something
 
It’s easier if you have someone to help you - one to hold and then you can cut.
Herd him into a carrier or box and then pick him up from that, wrap him in a towel keeping the foot you need first out and then clip a little off at a time, avoiding the quick. If piggy has black nails if you shine a torch up through the nail you can usually see the quick. If you have any concerns about doing it yourself though then it’s safest to ask a vet nurse to do it for you
 
When you're trying to tame them it's good to have the vet staff be the baddies cutting nails 😊 A lot of us struggle with nails and do this.
 
I clean out and feed mine twice a day, probably taking 20 minutes each time.

I also check them over daily and clip nails, groom and trim Betty's fur once a fortnight.
 
Thank you all for your advice!

I talked it over with my mom, and i think i’ll take them to the vet and get their nails trimmed there.

I am so sad for them right now. My guess is that their nails haven’t been trimmed since their fur always hangs over their feet, i know the woman who had them before me and i’m sure she would’ve cut them if she’d noticed
 
Vilde said:
Thank you all for your advice!

I talked it over with my mom, and i think i’ll take them to the vet and get their nails trimmed there.

I am so sad for them right now. My guess is that their nails haven’t been trimmed since their fur always hangs over their feet, i know the woman who had them before me and i’m sure she would’ve cut them if she’d noticed
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You can always ask them to show you how to do it, but don’t feel rushed into it. You can always keep taking to the vet for a trim, and maybe do it while they’re watching you.
 
Sorry that i post so much in this one thread, but things keep coming up...

Anyway, so Raisin has been breathing pretty heavily today and yesterday night, making little buzzing noises for each breath like his nose is stuffy or something.

My room was pretty cold yesterday, it was snowing and my mom opened some windows. Nothing below 16 Celsius though.

What do you think i should do?
 
Vilde said:
Sorry that i post so much in this one thread, but things keep coming up...

Anyway, so Raisin has been breathing pretty heavily today and yesterday night, making little buzzing noises for each breath like his nose is stuffy or something.

My room was pretty cold yesterday, it was snowing and my mom opened some windows. Nothing below 16 Celsius though.

What do you think i should do?
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Does he look puffed up, is he eating and moving around ok?

It sounds like he may have the start of a respiratory infection and 16 Celsius is actually very cold for indoor piggies.
If your room was at this temperature for more than around 10 minutes this is definitely too cold for guinea pigs who are used to a warm house.
I would be worried he may be developing serious infection, and make an appointment for him at the vet to be honest.

Whilst I am also an obsessive about fresh air and opening windows, I never do this in the piggy room when the outside temperature is dramatically lower than the indoor temp.
 
:agr:
When it comes to breathing issues, it is always best to be cautious and see a vet
 
Swissgreys said:
Does he look puffed up, is he eating and moving around ok?

It sounds like he may have the start of a respiratory infection and 16 Celsius is actually very cold for indoor piggies.
If your room was at this temperature for more than around 10 minutes this is definitely too cold for guinea pigs who are used to a warm house.
I would be worried he may be developing serious infection, and make an appointment for him at the vet to be honest.

Whilst I am also an obsessive about fresh air and opening windows, I never do this in the piggy room when the outside temperature is dramatically lower than the indoor temp.
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He hasn’t eaten anything from what i can see, but i’ve only been watching him for about 30 min right now and they usually sleep during this time, both of them are sleeping right now.

They were outside before i got them and i’ve only had them for a week, so i don’t know about temperature or anything like that.

Since he isn’t tame yet, i’ve been doing things that usually make him a little startled and he seems to be reacting and moving around normally.

I think i’ll be taking him to the vet pretty soon, he doesn’t sound like he is breathing very well at all and i don’t wanna risk waiting
 
Vilde said:
He hasn’t eaten anything from what i can see, but i’ve only been watching him for about 30 min right now and they usually sleep during this time, both of them are sleeping right now.

They were outside before i got them and i’ve only had them for a week, so i don’t know about temperature or anything like that.

Since he isn’t tame yet, i’ve been doing things that usually make him a little startled and he seems to be reacting and moving around normally.

I think i’ll be taking him to the vet pretty soon, he doesn’t sound like he is breathing very well at all and i don’t wanna risk waiting
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Sudden temperature fluctuations from outside to inside and vice versa are hard on guinea pigs.
If he isn’t breathing properly, then this is an urgent situation.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Sudden temperature fluctuations from outside to inside and vice versa are hard on guinea pigs.
If he isn’t breathing properly, then this is an urgent situation.
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I will take him to the vet as soon as i can, thankfully he has woken up now and is running around having fun and eating hay, his breathing is still noisy but he is breathing at a normal pace at least. He seems fine now but i’m worried that it’ll get worse quickly, considering how suddenly this happened
 
Vilde said:
I will take him to the vet as soon as i can, thankfully he has woken up now and is running around having fun and eating hay, his breathing is still noisy but he is breathing at a normal pace at least. He seems fine now but i’m worried that it’ll get worse quickly, considering how suddenly this happened
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That’s good. It’s always worth a vet check where breathing is concerned.
 
Congrats on your new pigs. Thank heavens they have you!

Just thought I would chip in for anyone else reading this thread who is considering getting a pet to help with their issues. As someone who has had anxiety/depression in the past, getting pigs again after a few years without them was wonderful. Pets are great for self esteem. When you get them to trust you, it’s a wonderful feeling of satisfaction. And there is nothing better then watching them eating, or sleeping, or popcorning around knowing that YOU did that. YOU made them happy and safe and content. It’s a real rush and so you don’t end up begrudging them the time they might need, because seeing them happy makes you happy. Pets are amazing.
 
Fantasimo said:
Congrats on your new pigs. Thank heavens they have you!

Just thought I would chip in for anyone else reading this thread who is considering getting a pet to help with their issues. As someone who has had anxiety/depression in the past, getting pigs again after a few years without them was wonderful. Pets are great for self esteem. When you get them to trust you, it’s a wonderful feeling of satisfaction. And there is nothing better then watching them eating, or sleeping, or popcorning around knowing that YOU did that. YOU made them happy and safe and content. It’s a real rush and so you don’t end up begrudging them the time they might need, because seeing them happy makes you happy. Pets are amazing.
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Wow that is so true! Your message just made my day 😀
 
I have another question lol.

Would you guys say that 4 square meters (2 by 2) is a good size for a guinea pig run / floor time area?
 
I know it’s been a while since i’ve posted here, but something important has come up that i need some help with.

i suspect my hamster has wet tail,she has diarrhea, smells, is wet on her butt.

The piggies have their cage right next to hers, and i’m scared they may catch it, since it is contagious. The internet is very unclear on whether or not piggies can get wet tail, but just to be safe i have moved their cage into a different room, and taken all their stuff out of the room that the hamster is in.

i was wondering if any of you know anything about wet tail in guinea pigs, could they catch it through my hamster? Do piggies even get wet tail? Do you know what i should do to prevent contamination? Any advice is so, so appreciated!
 
I don’t think guinea pigs can get wet tail - at least I’ve not heard of it the time I’ve been on here. And I don’t think that illnesses can cross from hamsters to piggies.

With what’s going on have you been able to get an appointment for your hamster?
 
Wet tail is caused by a bacteria naturally found on syrian hamsters that can take over when the immune system is suppressed, often by stress. It can kill within days—if you haven’t scheduled an appointment I would do so asap.

Also keep in mind it could just be diarrhea, especially if your hamster isn’t a syrian. This can be caused by a multitude of things, such as feeding too much wet food without weaning or infection. Again, another case to see a vet so you can get an antibiotic/probiotic.

Please keep us up to do date or post on a hamster-dedicated forum— Hamster Central is mainly for those in Europe and Hamster Hideout for the rest of the world but at least on HH we get plenty of members from Europe, too. :)
 
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