elliiiiiex
Junior Guinea Pig
I'm suffering with a tonsillitis and my guineapigs live indoors with me. I'm worried that they could catch something is this possible and is there anything i can do prevent the chances?
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I'm Ill Can My Guineapig Get It?
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Many coughs, colds and viruses are species specific and do not cross over, but not all, so it's a good question. Certainly fungal infections can be transferred from one to another, but a virus causing tonsillitis in humans spreading to guinea pigs?
I have read that it doesn't happen, but I don't want to say for sure that this is 100 % correct.
I have read that it doesn't happen, but I don't want to say for sure that this is 100 % correct.
AuntyC
Adult Guinea Pig
If the weather is mild where you are(it is very warm here for November!), keep the room well ventilated without being draughty for any of you! I have a little cloth mask (bought from a DIY shop) that I wear when carrying any kind of virus when handling my foster pigs. Don't know how effective is it at stopping germs! I know Ferrets can catch human cold virus from us.
Most illnesses are species-specific and do not cross the species barrier (ferrets are an exception- they are actually the usual test animals for human flu experimentation because they are susceptible to the same viruses as us.) That said, I do wash hands really frequently when I am sick and handle the pigs, but it's more for my own peace of mind than anything else. Bacterial infections like tonsilitis are harder to pass than viruses and require mucus/saliva droplets to pass even between humans, so I think the risk is really minimal.
Although there are only very few things that actually transmit between guinea pigs and humans (tonsilitis bacteria are not one of them), we generally do recommend to use good hygiene whenever you are ill ( thorough hand washing before and after, including preparing food and cleaning) and to keep handling and cuddling to a minimum during that time.
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