More Education On Guinea Pigs Required Please

[Sue_P]

even piggies who typically dring a lot of water may be ill and need seen by a vet.

My Punky consistantly drank a lot - tests showed his pancreas and liver were deformed. he needed a lot of extra care with his diet, bedding, his skin, etc

My vet said my rodents don’t need all the veg I was giving them and that some things can make cystitis worse, he said it’s best that their diet is mainly hay and pellets but I can give them a carrot a day and maybe a little of something else occaisionally if I wanted. I stopped buying them dark green leafy things cos on a chart thing they seemed the worst offenders, I give a few cauliflower leaves daily, I’ve just started again with a bit of apple and I give them carrot. I was giving melon and they love it but the price has gone right up and the cheapest ones at the market look manky now.

I got two nice water melons from the market at one point for £1 and they loved that but it made them pee way heaps more than usual.

The vet said most of the vitamins and nutrients they need is in their pellets anyway.

& I make sure my rodents get cleaned out twice a day.

The wheelie bin men don’t want to empty my bin now cos it’s full to the brim with p*ssed on newspaper, I think they were wanting it in the paper bin but I ain’t putting it in that, it’s gotta carry disease right? Who wants that recycling?

 

[Sue_P]

Now I am getting freaked out. My charlie has always drank loads of water - she's at the bottle loads when none of the others drink much at all.

No other symptoms - anything wrong do you think?

Good job I asked about it hey?

Sorry, should have said that Punky did have other obvious symptoms. He was born with bad cateracts, and had regular periods where his weight dropped for no apparent reason. The consistant excess drinking was one of several symptoms.

Both my rodents eyes are fine, I was looking at them last night and thinking how greatful I am that I don’t have to administer eye drops like I had to do with Henry.

One benefit of rodents is that their eyes are on top of their head, trying to get it in my Henry’s eyes was a nightmare, most would drop to the floor cos his eyes were on the side of his head.

 

[Sue_P]

I am a rescue owner and i am more than willing to collect your guinea pigs and get them the treatment that they need, i feel it is best that we get their problems sorted as soon as possible. Operations are expensive and any decent animal rescue will move heaven and earth to get an animal the medication/treatment it needs. Please consider my option for you as it will be in the best interest of your piggys that i collected them soon and free them from whatever Urine tract problems thay are suffering from.

Thank you for reading. PP

My vet said it could be just one of those things they have and are prone to and can probably live with it and could maybe live to old age.

He didn’t seem overly concerned.

He just said to monitor it and if it gets bad to come back but he wasn’t urging me to do anything more to them.

He agreed if they were his own he’d do nothing.

Surely my rodents can’t be suffering much cos he’d have said so right?

If you want to pay for x-rays and tests then go for it but I ain’t giving away my rodents to no one.

 

[Sue_P]

I would urge you to consider having your piggies seen by a piggy savvy person and a good vet. Without actually seeing your boys and having them seen by a knowledgeable vet, we can only help so little through the internet. Increased thirst can be a symptom of cystitis, but it can also indicate other problems.

If I knew of a good vets practice I’d use them. As it happens me and Meanie Mummy are off to the same vets that I blame Henry’s death for (partly their fault) tomorrow to give the new bunnies mixy jabs. I’d love to go to a vets that I thought were good but I ain’t found one and we ain’t travelling miles and miles to go to a recommended one.

My own piggies generally do not like it being touched when roaming free. However, they like rushing up to me and picking food off my hand.

Do you try picking them up when they’re roaming free? I pulled a small tuft of hair out of Fudge last night in the struggle.

They’re so quick it’s unreal.

& I still ain’t mastered trapping them in small spaces, my best technique seems to be to get them out in the open and grab. Sometimes their legs are faster, sometimes my arms are faster.

Do you actually reckon they’ll get more tame the more I handle them? I’m not convinced.

 

[Sue_P]

My late Bertie drank lots because he had a kidney growth.

& could the kidney growth be removed? How much did it cost? Did the vet just give medication? & can I ask how long did it took for him to die?

My current 2 boys quite like coming to me in their run for a chin tickle and will let me pet them if I give them a tasty treat.

You’re making me jealous.

None of my previous 6 pigs did that though.

My Fairy God Mother says she’s only had girl guinea pigs cos she hears male ones can be more aggressive and she only goes for babies so that they can be handled and are friendly, she thinks I made a mistake by getting non-baby males.

So can male ones be just as friendly or is it true that it’s the females that are the nice ones?

 

[Sue_P]

Niki have you seen a pic of Pixi & Luna yet?

We’re getting our hands on them tomorrow morning and I’m so exited.

 

[flintstones]

They are very cute!

As for piggies if they are still sqeaking well peeing, I would take them to the vet.

 

[popcorn paradise]

My vet said it could be just one of those things they have and are prone to and can probably live with it and could maybe live to old age. He didn’t seem overly concerned. He just said to monitor it and if it gets bad to come back but he wasn’t urging me to do anything more to them. He agreed if they were his own he’d do nothing. Surely my rodents can’t be suffering much cos he’d have said so right? If you want to pay for x-rays and tests then go for it but I ain’t giving away my rodents to no one.


I am growing incresingly concerned about how little you care for your guinea pig's welfare. By not getting them the treatment they need you are breaking the law. Your vet is not trained specificly in guinea pig care. I AM! Most vets are only trained on cats and dog's. They do not know much about treating guinea pigs and like you, they think they are just disposable pet. If your willing to let them have a slow painfull death then why will you not consider giving them to me, i will pay for their treatment and care. Aswell as Spend many hour's, day's, week's and month's to get them back to full health. Guinea pigs are not prone to urine problems, they need to be treated and i am offering you a way of getting them treated and back to full health without you having to spend your money or your time nursing them back to full health. This is an amazing oppertunity for you and your pigs. Why dont you hand them over to me that way, you are sure they will be cared for and recieve treatment from a competant vet aswell as you will have more time and money to spend on the bunny's. You will get updates via the forum on how they are doing so it isnt like you will lose complete contact.

 

[Sue_P]

Thanks for the amazing opportunity but no.

 

[popcorn paradise]

Why will you not consider it?

 

[Sue_P]

I considered it the last time old folk on guinea pig forums were narking at me telling me to hand them over, I decided not to and I’m not changing my mind. They’re mine, a part of my family and a part of my life, I’m not giving them away just because of what other people think. & does anyone listen to a word I say? Fudge hasn’t squeaked in the last few days. He only squeaked recently for a short period of time. Not much anyway. There’s nothing wrong with Rumball. They’d been fine for a couple of months before now. I don’t need to rush them to the vets and I don’t need to give them away just because you say so. I don’t know why I bother coming to guinea pig forums, I never get any info without having a lecture about how I’m such a terrible owner. Gees.

 

[popcorn paradise]

I considered it the last time old folk on guinea pig forums were narking at me telling me to hand them over, I decided not to and I’m not changing my mind. They’re mine, a part of my family and a part of my life, I’m not giving them away just because of what other people think. & does anyone listen to a word I say? Fudge hasn’t squeaked in the last few days. He only squeaked recently for a short period of time. Not much anyway. There’s nothing wrong with Rumball. They’d been fine for a couple of months before now. I don’t need to rush them to the vets and I don’t need to give them away just because you say so. I don’t know why I bother coming to guinea pig forums, I never get any info without having a lecture about how I’m such a terrible owner. Gees.

If you had children, Would you not find the best care for your children if they needed it.

 

[ollie]

just because Fudge hasn’t squeaked in the last few days doesn't mean he's ok

i had a problem with charlie one of my boys & he squeaked while having a pee then was ok after a day but it came back he had a problem with his bladder (birth defect) nothing i could do for him if i hadn't taken him to the vets he would've been in pain for days before passing to the bridge

 

[Sue_P]

I've added you to my ignore list popcorn paradise.

 

[Sue_P]

In fact see you alltogether. I don’t need the headache.

 

[sophiew (EAGPR)]

If you come on here and ask for advice, advice is what you will get. Up to you if you then choose to repeatedly ignore it, everyone is trying their best to help you, and the piggies.

Sophie
x

 

[MommaPiggy]

I went to Asda last night and viewed the vegetable section, weird stuff in there, but it’s all so expensive, I’m gonna spend way more on their food than I do my own.

Seriously? I think your store is pretending to be Asda.
I'm an insane Asda shopper and I can get my boys a weeks worth of Veggies for £10 in there.

My veggy bill normally ranges from about £8 to £10. Asda is the cheapest place around.
Used to cost me £20 anywhere else.
Don't you have a local veggies market? Like Stokes or something?

My typical weekly veggies from Asda cost me so little that I generally sing about it:

I went overboard this week but still it's so insanely cheap, I can't get over it.

2 Large bags of bunched Parsley: £2.34
2 Large bags of bunches Basil: £2.34
1 bag of cut dill: £0.68
Extra special tenderstem Broccoli: £1.37
Baby Corn: £0.87
Smartprice Sliced carrots: £0.37
Smartprice Peppers (yellow and green bell peppers) £1.48
2 Whole Cucumbers: £1.96 (One of those is MINE, though.)

You should have a look around, you can get cheap veggies if you look hard enough.
Asda do expensive veg but they also do cheap stuff. They have cheap alternatives to everything. Mostly, at least.

They really need things like Parsley. It's so good for them. Plus it's like a world-wide guinea pig thing, they all just go nuts for it.

You ask for advice yet you burry your head in the sand when you're given the advice you want.
You neglect your pets illness and admit you don't even like them yet you won't give them the chance they need.

I personally find it disgusting.
You just have this whole "mememe, I'm not doing that" attitude. It kinda revs me up because yes, pets are for life but that doesn't mean they should be left and not given what they need to LIVE simply because you don't want to give them up.
Not wanting to hand them over is fine but at least give them the basic things they NEED.

That's all we ask. You wanted advice and it was given to you.
If all these other forums have said the same thing, didn't you stop to think, even for a second that maybe they're RIGHT?

It makes me so sad. Those poor piggies.

 

[Hels]

Closing this thread - its going nowhere.

Helen.