How to protect guinea pigs while in town

[madysoncahill]

Hi,

Tomorrow I have to bring my guinea pigs(I have two) into the vet. However, with the coronavirus on the rise again, I'm not sure how to properly protect my guinea pigs while in town. They don't exactly make little masks for them but I might have to go shopping and don't want to leave them in the car. Can I just put a blanket over their cage as a sort of mask or would that not work?
Also, I live in the US so here in the last week, there has been a significant rise.

Thanks so much for any help.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Your piggies aren’t at risk of Coronavirus so please don’t worry about that. Protect yourself from the virus and ensure your piggies are comfortable within their carrier with plenty of hay

 

[VickiA]

There is no evidence that your piggies can catch the virus.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Hi,

Tomorrow I have to bring my guinea pigs(I have two) into the vet. However, with the coronavirus on the rise again, I'm not sure how to properly protect my guinea pigs while in town. They don't exactly make little masks for them but I might have to go shopping and don't want to leave them in the car. Can I just put a blanket over their cage as a sort of mask or would that not work?
Also, I live in the US so here in the last week, there has been a significant rise.

Thanks so much for any help.

Hi, there are so far no verified reports of covid-19 causing illness in pets, especially no suggestion it may affect rodents. So this is not a cause for concern. However both taking your guinea pigs shopping and leaving them in the car alone could cause unrelated health and welfare issues such as them overheating or becoming stressed. A vet trip is fine, and a blanket over the carrier would certainly help them feel secure, but be aware of the dangers of overheating if they are in a car or out and about with you- ideally have someone else wait in the car with them while you pop to the shops, or even better, ask your vet to keep them in their reception area until you are ready to collect them?

 

[madysoncahill]

Oh okay! That makes me feel so much better. I just know that there was I think two domesticated cats and a few large cats(in the zoo) that caught the coronavirus from humans so I thought my pigs could as well. Thanks!

 

[madysoncahill]

Hi, there are so far no verified reports of covid-19 causing illness in pets, especially no suggestion it may affect rodents. So this is not a cause for concern. However both taking your guinea pigs shopping and leaving them in the car alone could cause unrelated health and welfare issues such as them overheating or becoming stressed. A vet trip is fine, and a blanket over the carrier would certainly help them feel secure, but be aware of the dangers of overheating if they are in a car or out and about with you- ideally have someone else wait in the car with them while you pop to the shops, or even better, ask your vet to keep them in their reception area until you are ready to collect them?

Yes, I have someone who could wait in the car. I had planned on taking them with me and putting them in the cart but I wasn't sure if that was safe. I might just leave them in the car with someone though. Definitely not alone

 

[PigglePuggle]

I don't think any of the cat cases were properly verified, this was suggested when testing was still early in development and less reliable- with almost 15 million human cases, if pets were affected we would be seeing a lot more than 3 potential cat cases! So please don't worry about that

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

Tomorrow I have to bring my guinea pigs(I have two) into the vet. However, with the coronavirus on the rise again, I'm not sure how to properly protect my guinea pigs while in town. They don't exactly make little masks for them but I might have to go shopping and don't want to leave them in the car. Can I just put a blanket over their cage as a sort of mask or would that not work?
Also, I live in the US so here in the last week, there has been a significant rise.

Thanks so much for any help.

Hi!

Guinea pigs don't catch coronavirus. They don't need extra protection more than the normal good hygiene with hand washing before and after and staying away from them as much as possible (ideally in another room and looked after by somebody else) whenever you are ill with any infectious disease.
You may find these guides here with more detailed information helpful:
COVID-19 - Worried about Covid-19 (coronavirus) transmission risk to your cavies and care during illness?
COVID-19 - Vet visits/emergencies during coronavirus/Covid-19 lockdown

Please never leave any pets locked in a car!
The video at the start of this thread (with a vet playing the pet) will show you what happens - and how quickly!
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

You may also find our new owners guide collection a very useful resource. The format allows us to update and extend our information at need. The threads have been specifically written to help new owners learn what is normal and what not, how to understand guinea pig behaviour, settled them in and speak to them in their own language ('piggy whispering') to gain their trust more quickly. We have also included various care, housing and diet guides which contain the practical details and measurements that a new owner needs. It is worth bookmarking and having a read through: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

Since we have members from literally all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country and if possible state to location in your account details (accessed by clicking on your username on the top bar). This makes it appear with every post you make and allows us to tailor any advice to what is relevant and available where you are, being able to cite medical US brands, take into account differing vet access and prices, respect your climate and adjust any advice to what is currently happening re. pandemic. All these things can play into a more personalised advice so we can support you as best as possible with just a quick glance to the left.