Newly Adopted Has Sore Feet

[Pippa]

I adopted a lone 2-3 year old female guinea pig. After further further inspection I noticed the old owner had NOT cared for her proberly at all. Her nails were badly overgrown and were even curling out on her frount paws. Because of this, she was in obvious discomfort and her feet where very red and sore. Her rear paws also have ammonia burn on the bottom. I've clippered her nails and washed her feet. They're still seem sensitive. I've also noticed she doesn't drink much water or exercise much. She will walk a bit if she sees food but that's about it. Can anyone advise me on this? I'm taking her to the vet but is there anything i can do in the mean time?

 

[Bekki]

I would personally go to see a vet asap (see the vet locator tab on the forum for piggy savvy vets) for some pain relief and possibly a course of antibiotics to make sure they are not going to be infected and maybe iodine dip for cleaning them regularly, a piggy savvy vet will advise what is appropriate depending on the severity. Until the vets I would make sure all her bedding is kept super super clean and offer her a food/water source in a few places in her cage, if she cant walk due to pain she may not walk far enough to eat/drink :-) good luck sorting her out

There are creams for feet from gorgeous guineas if you are in the UK? (would be handy if you could add your location to your profile so members can advise you more easily on vets/rescues/other things). Not a substitute for a vet but they can be handy to keep on hand for piggy pedicures x

 

[Wiebke]

Good that you have booked her in with the vets! She's obviously lived in a very small cage that wasn't cleaned much, so it will take time for her to get used to more space and exercise; she may also not want to walk due to her bad feet.

Is she your only piggy? If yes, a same sex companion or a neutered boar would go a long way to get her to be more active, especially a younger piggy. Here in Britain, we have the possibility of dating single, fallen-out or bereaved guinea pigs at a good rescue under expert supervision, so a character compatible friend can be found at no risk to the owner. We have got a UK recommended good stnadard rescues locator on the top bar. There are rescues in the US, too, you can find local ones via petfinder, but we cannot make any guarantees at how good they are.

PS: With members from all around the world, we are grateful if you added your country, state (US/aus) or county/general area (UK) to your details, so we can give you the appropriate advice, links and recommendations straight away. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details/location. In the same section, you can also upload your avatar, the picture that appears with every post and on your profile.

 

[Pippa]

Thank you again for the advise!
I'll rearrange her cage so she'll get easier access to her water in the hopes she'll drink more before the vets.
She arrived in the same cage her previous owners kept her in. I've given it a good scrub and I'm keeping ontop of her bedding and making sure its soft for her feet but she keeps wiggling her feet under the sawdust! Should I change her bedding for a fleece blanket?
The cage is just under a meter in length, once she's recovered I have two piggys in a 120cm long cage that I hope will get on with her. I also have a seprate play pen.
Would you say her cage is too small for her? Once she's better should I home her in with the others if all goes well with introducing them or do I need to purchase a bigger cage?
Thanks

 

[Bekki]

A 120cm cage on its own is not large enough for three, dont worry about the 100cm cage for now its adequate for a lone pig especially in recovery. For housing for 3 is there anyway you could remove the end metal panels from the cages and join them together to make one large cage? That would be ok for 3 piggies alternatively a 4 or 5 x 2 C&C cage, a 150cm commercial cage or a 5ft or larger hutch would be needed or potentially your playpen might make a suitable cage depending on dimensions :-)

 

[Wiebke]

The minimum RSPCA recommendation for 2 guinea pigs is 2x4 ft (60x120cm) and for 3 guinea pigs is 2x5 ft (60x150cm); have a look through members cages in our housing section for inspiration!

Personally, I would think about something flexible in case the girls don't gel, which is a real possibility. In that case you want to rather have two cages or pens. You may find that C&C grids are much better for that purpose as you can extend horizontally as well as vertically. I have my upper C&C cages on top of a cheap Ikea table for light and easy access for the pen underneath.
PS: There is a very good guinea pig rescue in Glynneath, not too far from you where the very experienced rescue lady offers residential bonding with her rescue piggies; if anybody, she can find a suitable friend for Pippa.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-dating-service-wales.69053/
http://guinearescue.blogspot.co.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/groups/GlynneathGPR/

 

[Pippa]

The cages are two small for the three at once! Although my playpen for then is 145cm in diameter so may consider keeping them there if they get on. Thank you very much for your advise everyone, and I'll check out the rescue centre