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New Guinea Pigs.

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ginny1989

New Born Pup
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I bought 2 young (male) guinea pigs from pets-at-home for my daughter just over a week ago and I've got concerns over the health of both of them. I've never had guinea pigs before so have had to use the internet to find out things about them.

Both of them seemed perfectly fine on bringing them home, were a little skittish but I know thats normal for guinea pigs and after a couple of days have got much more used to their new surroundings and even started popcorning and coming to us for food. They also purr when we pet them.

Anyway, I noticed 2 days ago that one of them was scratching and biting himself an awful lot. I haven't noticed it before besides the odd scratch which I thought was pretty normal. Yesterday he didn't seem to scratch a lot but still enough to make me think he may have mites.

The other 1 is by far the more friendly of the 2 and I didn't have any concerns about him until yesterday when I noticed he was sneezing and wiping his nose alot. He also makes a sound which is just like a little puff of air but to me it's still a sneeze as he wipes his nose after he does it. This morning one of his eyes also seems to be closing, not quite all the way but is nowhere near as wide open as the other one and he's still sneezing. I'm worried he has an infection. It's strange because he's still lively, popcorning, eating and drinking plenty and still happy to be picked up and petted.

I'm not going to have time to take him to the vets until Friday. As I've said I never had guinea pigs when I was a child and have never cared for them before so am just hoping if he has got an infection he won't deteriorate much more until Friday.

Should I be more concerned and try to take him to the vets earlier? Also is there anything else that could be causing these problems?
 
piggies do go downhill quickly when ill so yes, i would see the vet as soon as possible when you have any concerns over their health. unfortunately this type of situation isn't uncommon with pets at home. there is a vet locator at the top of the home page for the best guinea pig vets - exotics or at the very least, cavvy savvy. i would say the right vet is by far one of the most important things with piggies so you get the best treatment from the start.

mites can come on after the stress of anything, so moving to a new home could cause it. sneezing and partly closed eyes could be the start of a respiratory infection (the sooner treatment is started the better with these) or it could be due to a lowered immune system from the stress of being in a new home and new surroundings.

good luck and let us know how you get on :)

eta: take both piggies when going to the vets aswell. separating them if they're bonded will cause more stress and it will be a good chance to get both little ones checked over :)
 
Hi and welcome!

Please have your boys seen by a good vet; the sooner they can be treated, the better. We have got a recommended piggy savvy vet locator on the top bar to make sure that they are in good hands straight away. You can reclaim the vet cost from the shop if the illness is occurring within 2-3 weeks after the sale (incubation period). You can also complain at your local council about trading standards if you wish to.

Sadly, ringworm and mange mites are pretty common in shop piggies, as are respiratory infections (URI); they all pounce when the immune system is lowered by stress or illness if the piggies have been exposed to the bug before in the shop. Younger guinea pigs don't have yet a fully developed immune system when they are going through some major upsets with the separation from their group and then the move to a home as unprepared pets.
Once you have got a diagnosis, we can help you further.
Please make sure that your little boys are protected from the extremes of climate like we have experienced in the last few days, especially if you have them in a hutch; they are not acclimatised for big temperature swings like that yet!



As we have got members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your county for local tips, or at least your country, so we can adapt any brand recommendations etc. to what is available to you and also take the local climate etc, into consideration. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location.
We have got lots of information for new owners at the top of our various Care sections, which you may find helpful in the coming days and weeks once you have sorted out the immediate problem.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/ringworm-hygiene-and-pictures.115402/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...vitamin-c-overview-with-product-links.115404/
http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html
 
Thanks for the responses, it's good to know I'll get any vet costs back as I was worrying it was going to cost me a fortune. Does anyone know how much it's likely to cost? I'm not asking for a concrete sum, just a ballpark from experience. Also how do I go about getting the vet costs back? Do I literally just take any receipt back to the pet shop and they have no option but to pay for it?

I'm really struggling to get them to the vets before Friday morning. I know it's better to take them as soon as I can but it's just not possible right now. I just want to be assured that I'm not likely to wake up and find him dead tomorrow or Wednesday morning because I've not been able to take them to the vets soon enough. Or is it unlikely that they'll deteriorate quite that quickly?

It's all a little frustrating, you don't expect to buy a pet, only to have to take it to a vets after just over a week. I've grown quite fond of the little fellas over the last 9 days or so and my daughter's obviously fallen for them in an instant. She'd be devastated if she lost one of them so soon.
 
ginny1989 said:
Thanks for the responses, it's good to know I'll get any vet costs back as I was worrying it was going to cost me a fortune. Does anyone know how much it's likely to cost? I'm not asking for a concrete sum, just a ballpark from experience. Also how do I go about getting the vet costs back? Do I literally just take any receipt back to the pet shop and they have no option but to pay for it?

I'm really struggling to get them to the vets before Friday morning. I know it's better to take them as soon as I can but it's just not possible right now. I just want to be assured that I'm not likely to wake up and find him dead tomorrow or Wednesday morning because I've not been able to take them to the vets soon enough. Or is it unlikely that they'll deteriorate quite that quickly?

It's all a little frustrating, you don't expect to buy a pet, only to have to take it to a vets after just over a week. I've grown quite fond of the little fellas over the last 9 days or so and my daughter's obviously fallen for them in an instant. She'd be devastated if she lost one of them so soon.
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Unfortunately, young guinea pigs can go downhill and die very quickly with a respiratory infection, so I am very sorry to say, but you cannot afford to wait until the end of the week. the fact that the URI has already progressed to the stage of making crusts means that it is well established. Have you got somebody else in your family or neighbourhood who could take them for you if necessary? the sooner they can be seen, the better. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/

Ask your vet to please print out the diagnosis and the medical care for you to take to p@h; ideally with the bill of sale. Costs can vary quite a lot depending on the clinic. You can ring up and ask for an estimate.

Please weigh your boys daily at the same time to check on their food intake. If necessary top them up with syringe feed and water. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. your care can make a difference. Here is our illustrated step-by-step guide. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-syringe-feeding-guide.115359/

You can place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage to help ease the breathing a bit, but they urgently need an antibiotic. Make sure that they are warm, but not hot and out of all drafts. Also ask the vet for bisolvon powder to help clear out the mucus in the airways that is causing the crusts. If the lungs are congested (pneumonia), a diuretic can help to drain them. You may have to ask for it.
 
ginny1989 said:
Thanks for the responses, it's good to know I'll get any vet costs back as I was worrying it was going to cost me a fortune. Does anyone know how much it's likely to cost? I'm not asking for a concrete sum, just a ballpark from experience. Also how do I go about getting the vet costs back? Do I literally just take any receipt back to the pet shop and they have no option but to pay for it?

I'm really struggling to get them to the vets before Friday morning. I know it's better to take them as soon as I can but it's just not possible right now. I just want to be assured that I'm not likely to wake up and find him dead tomorrow or Wednesday morning because I've not been able to take them to the vets soon enough. Or is it unlikely that they'll deteriorate quite that quickly?

It's all a little frustrating, you don't expect to buy a pet, only to have to take it to a vets after just over a week. I've grown quite fond of the little fellas over the last 9 days or so and my daughter's obviously fallen for them in an instant. She'd be devastated if she lost one of them so soon.
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it's hard for us to say really. it does depend on what the issue is. only a vet can tell you. i see you're in wigan. you're lucky to be only about 45mins away from ashleigh vets in whalley range manchester. we use them aswell (travel about the same distance) and you'll be in such great hands there. if you phone them then you can get an estimated cost aswell. i highly recommend aidan there.

i don't know how you claim the costs back through pets at home. i think they would likely try to persuade you to see their own vets but i would avoid this and tell them you want to see a vet qualified in exotics and you will contact them regarding payment of the treatment. i can see why people are tempted to go to their vets but being so close to ashleigh vets, you really won't get better, and any issues will be sorted properly from the start which is so so important.

with the symptoms you describe i would go sooner rather than later. they hide symptoms so well that even if they're not about to die, they could still be in some discomfort and that obviously isn't fair. it's unfortunate that this has happened. pets at home have alot to answer for but i won't get into that!

good luck :)
 
Why are pets at home's in house vets not advisably? Are they likely to miss the problem?
 
ginny1989 said:
Why are pets at home's in house vets not advisably? Are they likely to miss the problem?
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The p@h vets should be able to diagnose appropriately at least the URI, as it is very common (especially as your boys have picked it up either in the shop or on the way there), but they are general vets and you will get only basic "no frills" care, as that is their remit to be cheap, especially if the treatment is on the shop. The standard of guinea pig knowledge varies greatly and we have at times not at all been impressed; in a few cases we had to send new members to other vets for appropriate care.

It is ultimately your decision, but those of us who have had guinea pigs for a longer time value greatly any piggy savvy vet within reach, having lost piggies that could have been saved at some point or other. It is not an experience that you want others to blunder into blindly. Unfortunately, vet cost is a fact of life with pets - the price of guinea pigs is the smallest bit! Sadly, many new owners are not aware of this.
 
Fingers very firmly crossed! You are welcome to ask any questions you may have considering their treatment or care along the way. of course, we appreciate updates.
 
if manchester is quite far then this link might help you find a vet closer. https://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/find-a-vet/ you want to select an accredited practice and search through to find one that treats exotics aswell as small mammals. i have heard good things about holly house which might be closer to you. please let us know how you get on :)

although i think you'd be pushed to find better than aidan. massive aidan fan here :))
 
biscandmatt said:
it's hard for us to say really. it does depend on what the issue is. only a vet can tell you. i see you're in wigan. you're lucky to be only about 45mins away from ashleigh vets in whalley range manchester. we use them aswell (travel about the same distance) and you'll be in such great hands there. if you phone them then you can get an estimated cost aswell. i highly recommend aidan there.

i don't know how you claim the costs back through pets at home. i think they would likely try to persuade you to see their own vets but i would avoid this and tell them you want to see a vet qualified in exotics and you will contact them regarding payment of the treatment. i can see why people are tempted to go to their vets but being so close to ashleigh vets, you really won't get better, and any issues will be sorted properly from the start which is so so important.

with the symptoms you describe i would go sooner rather than later. they hide symptoms so well that even if they're not about to die, they could still be in some discomfort and that obviously isn't fair. it's unfortunate that this has happened. pets at home have alot to answer for but i won't get into that!

good luck :)
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Totally support the recommendation of Ashleigh. We travel an hour to go there with ours. Shiva is also excellent there. They are open late during the week too. Wishing you all the best.
 
Took them to the vets and they said the same as you guys. They've got URI. They gave us some medication for them. They didn't find any mites though and said them biting and scratching themselves are probably due to the stress of moving and to be honest they don't scratch anymore.

I don't know how long it takes for the medication to kick in though? Its been 4/5 days and they're still sneezing a lot, sounds to me like one of them is coughing as well! Unless it's a sneeze that just sounds like a cough.
 
How are getting on now with the piggies @ginny1989 ?
I'm slightly concerned that after 4-5 days of medication they did not show signs of improving....what medication did the vet prescribe? Was it batyril? I do hope they have now started to show signs of recovery.
We have some other cases at the moment with new/young pigs not responding well to the usual antibiotics so any information you can give on your piggies progress/meds would be very helpful for others who find themselves in a similar situation
Many thanks
 
Hi, sorry I've not been on before now. The guinea pigs are fine, no more signs of illness. They're brilliantly settled in now. My daughter is able to pick both of them up without struggle and pet them. They're currently in the kitchen due to space issues and whenever anyone goes in there they start wheeking and running around their cage, guessing they're thinking food is coming. They make me feel really guilty standing there making food why they're up at the cage wheeking away. :D Find them very amusing.

Was getting a little concerned as one of them kept looking like he was attacking the other but I know they're just trying to assert dominance. I swear sometimes he does it to get the other to chase him as he'll regularly go to the other and try to climb on him then sprint around the cage and come back to him and keeps doing it over and over again, the other one just stands there having none of it!

From reading online the real sign of how settled they are is the fact they're lieing down whilst sleeping and even closing their eyes even though they're on full view to everyone in the house. I guess they now trust that we're not trying to eat them.
 
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