O where do I start !?

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MarthaAndMaud

MarthaAndMaud

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Do I need to let off steam? Hmm...maybe.
Am I confused....Yes of course!
Maybe i'm just crazy....for certain :D

I've rescued 3 guineas today that were advertised free on a website. I just don't know where to start. They are not even the same as the pictures displayed and are in terrible condition.
3 piggies, 1 being smooth coated and 2 crossed between....ummmm....well I just don't know. They have Elvis style quiffs, long hair spiky bits at the back and partings all over the place. They are certainly unique! One is less than a year old and was pregnant at 8-9 weeks old, which resulted in a C-section.


They live in a corrugated plastic hutch measuring 3ft x 1.5ft and they are big piggies. They squabble and get stuck trying to fit through the hole from the sleeping area to the play area.
They are all scratching and covered in scabby flakes of dandruff. On the bottom of one the flakes are a yellow colour which is obviously worrying.

They squeal for their little lives when I go to touch them. Not sure if it's because of their skin problems or if they've never been handled.

I'm sat here pondering if to move the largest more dominant one so that she's on her own and allow the other two to stay in the hutch they are currently in for a while, until they have all been treated for mites, lice and worms.

Once they have all been treated they can go back to living together, after i've purchased a hutch to hold all three together.

O where, o where do I start? Any ideas will be gratefully received.

Thank you for allowing me to think out loud.
Claire
 
Hiya Claire,

They sound like peruvians and they sound like they have mites and need to see a vet. Poor wee things. So 2 are ok together? If they aren't happy as a threesome then maybe do as you suggest.

It all depends on how they are, if they are happy together then maybe leave them but then the hutch may cause problems as it isn't big enough.

So first priority is getting them sorted with the mites/lice problem
Then sort out the housing (do you have c&c)

Good luck with them, sorry no real advice really just prioritse what you need to do.

Hugs,

Louise
x
 
Hi Louise

Thanks. I've bought them some Ivermec spot on so all three will be treated this evening. Then in 48 hours I plan to bath them in Lice n easy on the advice from Gorgeousguineas. After that they will have Lavander lotion applied twice a day and follow up Ivermec treatment.

Sorry but what is C&C ?
 
C&C is cubes and cloroplast. You can ge the cubes from Screwfix.com and can make the cage as big or as small as you need. You'd need it to be 5x2 for the three or 4x3 depending on space.

Have a look on cavycages.com they have some cages there. I have one and they really are great. :) I have used laminate floor for a base but you can use lino or get some cloroplast from a sign maker. :)
 
Thanks

I have two brand new 4ft hutches waiting for occupants as I was well aware that as soon as I advertised the fact that I would shelter unwanted guineas I would receive a few needing urgent care. However was hoping not to put such scabby guineas in them from the start and at the moment i'm not certain exactly what they are crawling with.

Decisions decisions hey! ;)
 
maybe if you post some pics up we can help out with what is wrong with them? Are you taking them to the vet? How could the original owners let them get in that state? :tickedoff:
 
I will treat them with Ivermec spot on first as don't want to put them through injections if I can help it. I'l bath them plenty and see what I'm left with in a weeks time. Hopefully nothing too serious as just got rid of a lice infestation in 2 others I rescued a couple of weeks ago.

I honestly believe that the previous owner has no idea on the fact that theay have skin infections. He paid out over £100 for one to have a c-section so I ask myself why would he not get them treated for mites. I think he just believes it's dandruff!

If I can get them to stay still I will try and take some pics to post. I picked them up earlier to check for wounds, claws etc and they ripped my gloves to shreds.
If you can guide me about their breed that would also be great please.

Many Thanks
Claire
 
Did you get the ivermectin from your vet? It is important to give them the correct doasge and the shop bought stuff is not as good.
They are probably squabbling because of the pain they are in plus the hutch is way too small. Is it possible to weigh them and note their weights? a) for correct dosage of ivermectin and b) to keep a note of how they are doing, i.e are they losing or gaining weight in the next few weeks. I think a visit to the vet may be a good idea and maybe some pain relief if they are in a bad way :-\
Wishing you the best of luck with them and keep us posted on their progress :)
 
Hiya

Having pondered the injection route after speaking with you this morning i took your advice and called GG.com. They basically repeated what you said and suggested lavender lotion twice daily after a lice n easy dose in 48 hours time. All guineas are having Ivermec spot on this evening. Then I can see what i'm left with.

Vikki, shall I move the dominant smooth white and beige one? She's so big that she blocks the gateway so the others don't get a chance at the food. I'm off to B&Q in a mo to buy hinges for the hutch that was given to me so I can make it roof opening and hopefully get all three of them in there tonight as at the moment there's an overspill and one hangs out of the hole between sleeping and playing compartments.

Will be back soon
Claire
 
awww bless them some people make me so mad :tickedoff: at least they've come to you :-*
it does sound like skin probs so you're doing the right stuff O0
and get a big hutch maybe they're squabbling because they were so cramped and therefor really having to touch each other a lot, not what you want with really sore skin :( see how they go and good luck O0
 
welcome to the forums from me and the girls in oz. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: i really can't believe some people sometimes :'( :'( :'( to let those little girls suffer like they have been. :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: am so glad they found you, sounds like you will love them, treat them and give them TLC. will you be keeping them or rehoming them? i think you are marvelous in what you do :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: i know i would be keeping all the piggies as i wouldn't have the heart to part with them :'( :'( :'(. hoping all goes well with your girls. please keep us posted. hugs and cuddles :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: girls send :-* :-* :-*
 
SunshineAndTwinkle said:
Have a look on cavycages.com they have some cages there. I have one and they really are great. :) I have used laminate floor for a base but you can use lino or get some cloroplast from a sign maker. :)
Click to expand...

I just had a look at the cavycages website - what a really good website! I'm needing a bigger cage for my 2 - they're in a nero3, which is just under the recommended size. I'm thinking the way to go is a c&c rather than paying out for a bigger cage. I assume they're a lot cheaper to make than buying a cage?
 
They are cheaper and you can make the size and shape to suit your room!
Shop around though as very occasionally they come up on ebay as grid shelving, thats how I got mine for 99p and its coloured :D
Screwfix do the grids and so does b & q, about £20 a box.
 
Fab! I've been struggling to come up with the money to buy a new cage but at least this way I could buy bits for it every now and then whilst building it - so it gives me a wee project to do at the same time. O0
 
Hi all.

Trying to load photos of the girls for you but I keep getting a message saying my upload file is full. Considering I haven't loaded any pictures yet i'm slightly confused. Can somebody please explain where I am going wrong or how to solve the full file problem?
Thank you
 
Are you uploading them to photobucket? ? You can make the pics a bit smaller on photobucket but not sure if thats the problem.
 
Thanks.
I have changed the size of the photo to meet the requirements as first time round the message came up telling me it was too big. This time it says my upload file is full.
 
are you using photobucket ?
are you clicking on the last code once youve uploaded them ?
if not then pm me and ill upload them for you O0
 
Not using photobucket. I use Irfanview to sort out the sizes of the pics. I can't Pm either i'm afraid as i'm still fairly new to the site and I don't have enough posting ratings to be able to send personal messages.

Not doing very well am I :'(
 
Ive had newbie people pm me before ? personally id use photobucket - it resizes them for you to any size O0
 
Hiya, just wanted to mention that bathing pigs with a serious mites issue might not be the best plan. I rescued a pig with bad mites, he had old scabs as well as ones he was regularly biting open. The pain from his skin made picking him up and holding him still hard enough so I left it a couple of weeks before bathing him. I suppose it all depends on whether the mites or the fungal infection is most serious. I treated my pig with spot on and when I looked up the dosage, the spot on stuff, I'm presuming Beaphar stuff, is actually an under-dose if the pig is over 1kg. You would need to use 3 pipettes and it gets very messy. Also it took 5 treatments of spot on, each a week after the last before I was sure the mites were gone. So glad these guys are getting the care they deserve. :)
 
Hi

Thanks for your message and kind words. I have checked them all over and there are no open sores just crusty bits which are flaky and dry. I phoned gorgeousguineas and Vikki before giving them anything and also the pet shop who was supplying the Beaphar spot on as I didn't want to put them in any further stress. I have ordered the lavendar lotion which they will get a dose of tomorrow and then I have decided not to bath them for a few more days, to allow ample time for the spot on to soak in.

They are off to the vets tonight as one of them is a nice pear shape and I need to make sure she's not expecting. Also i've had a good look at their mouths today and they aren't clean. So just want to make sure there's nothing else causing them problems.
 
here we are sorry was just getting my daughter up ;D

piggy4.jpg

piggy3.jpg

piggy2.jpg

pig1.jpg
 
As promised above are the 3 girls.

The black and tan one ( named Smudge) and the brown and tan one ( named Fudge ) are one year old sisters. The pink eyed one, with no name as yet is 2 years old.

Any suggestions for a name would be great please.

I have included a picture of the flaky skin but it doesn't show very well.

Many Thanks to Sian for posting the pics for me.
 
No problems, they are all gorgeous :smitten: can't comment on much else as all this is new to me :D
 
i hope all goes well at the vets. if you think one is expecting try not to pick her up too much until you know if she is or not :)
 
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