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Need Help , Sick Guinea Pig?

wheeking_charlie

wheeking_charlie

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I’ve had this guinea pig for about 3 weeks. His name is Wiggles. He has been sleeping a little more the past few days and he sneezes and coughs pretty frequently. I’m not sure if it’s the hay or from eating too fast or if he’s just sick. My previous guinea pig just died from a UTI and I want to be able to catch this early if that’s what this is. I will attach a video of him breathing and also his nose.

He is in a pair with my other pig Charlie. Should I separate if he’s sick?
 

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Hi. I would say if you are at all worried then a vet visit is needed. It will either put your mind at rest or diagnose a problem early. So a win win situation. Is his weight stable? That’s also a good gauge if something is brewing.
 
weepweeps said:
Hi. I would say if you are at all worried then a vet visit is needed. It will either put your mind at rest or diagnose a problem early. So a win win situation. Is his weight stable? That’s also a good gauge if something is brewing.
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Thank you so much for the advice. I am taking him to be seen by a vet.
 
Please do have him seen by a vet. we always recommend new piggies are giving a vet check if they have come from anywhere other than a reputable rescue centre. I hope he is ok

Please do not separate them. If one is ill, then separately them now is pointless as the other has already been exposed to any bacteria anyway.
It also causes a lot of stress to them if they are separated and it can permanently ruin their bond meaning you would never get them to go back together again.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Please do have him seen by a vet. we always recommend new piggies are giving a vet check if they have come from anywhere other than a reputable rescue centre. I hope he is ok

Please do not separate them. If one is ill, then separately them now is pointless as the other has already been exposed to any bacteria anyway.
It also causes a lot of stress to them if they are separated and it can permanently ruin their bond meaning you would never get them to go back together again.
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Yeah, I separated them that day. I also realized I meant to type URI and not UTI. My sick piggy is at the vet and the other one is going to be treated shortly. Thank you so much for the help.
 
gowthefloe said:
Yeah, I separated them that day. I also realized I meant to type URI and not UTI. My sick piggy is at the vet and the other one is going to be treated shortly. Thank you so much for the help.
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I hope he is ok.

As you have separated them, you must make sure you reintroduce them properly.
You cannot just put them back in their normal cage together. You have to reintroduce them on neutral territory for several hours to check they will go back together. If all is well upon neutral reintroduction, after several hours in neutral territory, you then have to thoroughly clean out their normal cage and put them back into it together.
If the separation has caused any issue in their bond (which hopefully it hasn’t), then you will find out quite quickly. If an issue has occurred then they will need to stay in separate cages from then on.

The guide below explains how to reintroduce them properly.

Wiebke

Thread 'Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours'

1 Introduction
2 Pre-bonding
- Quarantine and sexing
- The need for a plan B
- The rule-breaker: Youngsters under 4 months (sub-teenage)
3 Setting up an introduction
- Getting to know each other
- ‘Buddy baths’ – why not
- Scent swapping - why not
- Setting up a neutral bonding area
- How to start the bonding
4 Acceptance phase: Do we like...
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