Quarantine for new piggies

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cavykind

I'm probably "praching" to th nlightn, but for thos nwr to guina pig ownrship :)

If you ar bringing a nw guina pig into your hom an you alray hav xisting guin[COLOR=Black]as, pl[COLOR=Black]as[COLOR=Black] r[COLOR=Black]m[COLOR=Black]mb[COLOR=Black]r how important it is to quarantin[COLOR=Black] th[COLOR=Black] n[COLOR=Black]w arrivals. This is always important, but p[COLOR=Black]rhaps [COLOR=Black]sp[COLOR=Black]cially so wh[COLOR=Black]n taking in from an "unknown" sourc[COLOR=Black].

If you ar[COLOR=Black] a[COLOR=Black]opting from a r[COLOR=Black]putabl[COLOR=Black] r[COLOR=Black]scu[COLOR=Black], guin[COLOR=Black]as shoul[COLOR=Black] alr[COLOR=Black]a[COLOR=Black]y (in my opinion) hav[COLOR=Black] b[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black]n tr[COLOR=Black]at[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black] with ivom[COLOR=Black]c, bath[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black] an[COLOR=Black] in som[COLOR=Black] cas[COLOR=Black]s worm[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black]. How[COLOR=Black]v[COLOR=Black]r if you choos[COLOR=Black] to buy from a p[COLOR=Black]t shop or r[COLOR=Black]scu[COLOR=Black] from say th[COLOR=Black] fr[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black] a[COLOR=Black]s, [COLOR=Black]o r[COLOR=Black]m[COLOR=Black]mb[COLOR=Black]r that you risk th[COLOR=Black] h[COLOR=Black]alth of your [COLOR=Black]xisting p[COLOR=Black]ts if you intro[COLOR=Black]uc[COLOR=Black] th[COLOR=Black]m without quarantin[COLOR=Black].

[color[COLOR=Black]r[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black]]Ev[COLOR=Black]n h[COLOR=Black]althy looking guin[COLOR=Black]a pigs may b[COLOR=Black] harbouring skin, r[COLOR=Black]spiratory or oth[COLOR=Black]r inf[COLOR=Black]ctions.

Diffr[COLOR=Black]nt p[COLOR=Black]opl[COLOR=Black] will hav[COLOR=Black] [COLOR=Black]iff[COLOR=Black]r[COLOR=Black]nt i[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black]as on how to [COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black]al with n[COLOR=Black]w arrivals.
I bath min[COLOR=Black] with ant-fungal an[COLOR=Black] parasitic shampoos, a[COLOR=Black]minist[COLOR=Black]r a cours[COLOR=Black] of Ivom[COLOR=Black]c (not at sam[COLOR=Black] tim[COLOR=Black]).
Do not intro[COLOR=Black]uc[COLOR=Black] to anoth[COLOR=Black]r pig for 3 cl[COLOR=Black]ar w[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black]ks, obviously long[COLOR=Black]r if probl[COLOR=Black]ms ar[COLOR=Black] appar[COLOR=Black]nt.
Always wash han[COLOR=Black]s thoroughly aft[COLOR=Black]r han[COLOR=Black]ling n[COLOR=Black]w arrivals.

Just som[COLOR=Black]thing to k[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black]p in min[COLOR=Black]. It's [COLOR=Black]asi[COLOR=Black]r to tak[COLOR=Black] a f[COLOR=Black]w pr[COLOR=Black]cautions than hav[COLOR=Black] to [COLOR=Black][COLOR=Black]al with an outbr[COLOR=Black]ak of ringworm or ch[COLOR=Black]st inf[COLOR=Black]ctions...Just my thoughts though :)


Barbara
 
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It's a good point Barbara, there is so much info and advice on this forum it all should become essential reading for those new to pigs :)
 
i see where you are coming from Barbara, but that spells one lonely Max the pig for tomorrow then.

Was planning on putting him straight with one of the girls that we are getting.

Now in a quandary what to do. I dont have the space to isolate them for 3 weeks, I wanted Max to have a friend NOW and wanted them both rehomed together ASAP. (As you know it is not possible to get Max a friend already checked from a rescue as I am not keeping him and there are few rescues who would allow someone to adopt a pig and then rehome themselves. The one I am involved with do not have any in)

I would always isolate rabbits, because of the risk of vert serious diseases such as Myxi, VHD and pastruella, but was assuming it would be ok with pigs.

Aaagggghhhhhh! :( And i've just got their 'honeymoon suite' ready.

I think its very good advice, but not something everyone adheres to - many pigs are brought in pet shops as companions for existing pets and not isolated.

I just read this on another site, which is a few pointers to check:
When you purchase your guinea pig, be sure it appears healthy. Its eyes should be bright and clean, never crusty or lacking luster. Check it’s nose, eyes, ears, and rear end to be sure it is free from any crusts, discharges, redness or inflammation. . The guinea pig should be alert and active, and plump. Its coat should be full and lustrous. Check its skin for flakes, and redness, and check carefully for parasites such as lice.
 
maxthepig said:
I think its very good advice, but not something everyone adheres to - many pigs are brought in pet shops as companions for existing pets and not isolated.

I just read this on another site, which is a few pointers to check:
When you purchase your guinea pig, be sure it appears healthy. Its eyes should be bright and clean, never crusty or lacking luster. Check it’s nose, eyes, ears, and rear end to be sure it is free from any crusts, discharges, redness or inflammation. . The guinea pig should be alert and active, and plump. Its coat should be full and lustrous. Check its skin for flakes, and redness, and check carefully for parasites such as lice.
Click to expand...

You are right it's not what everyone adheres to, as some people are not as knowledgeable as others when it comes to guinea pig care. I'd guess that the majority of guinea pigs bought from pet shops aren't quarantined before going in with their companions, but it doesn't make it right :-\I was in PAH having a nosey awhile ago and there was one guinea pig scratching like mad, couldn't get close enough to see if it was a likely parasitic or fungal (or both) infection. They took the poorly piggy out when I complained, but when I explained the rest would likely be infected, they just looked at me blankly ::)
Guinea pigs can carry skin mites and fungal infections while being totally asymptomatic, but that doesn't mean they can't pass them on to your other guinea pig...or in the case or "ringworm" to you and your family.

A good visual check is helpful, but not, in my opinion enough.
At the end of the day, we must all do what we think is in the best interests of our guinea pigs. It's important though for all of us, to be aware of the risks we expose our guineas to if we chose to introduce an animal, especially from an unknown source, to our existing pets without a quarantine period.

Barbara
 
I do believe a quarantine period is good, sensible and responsible though I admit I have not always done this myself as many of my pigs came from known sources and places where I was confident any ailment would have been spotted. However I now would be more strict... I do also believe however that in certain circumstances though quarentine is preferable it is not practical such as when introdcing a baby boar (as I did recently, I could not quarentine the baby from his companion or he would have been too old to intro so moved the pair of them into the living room as a next best option...) or where a piggy is depressed.
 
As other's have said I do believe in quarantine but there are some circumstances when it is not the right thing to do.

When I have adopted my piggies from rescue I do not quarantine them unless they have been in the rescue for a very short time. Also on the one occasion I bought a baby pig from a breeder I did not quarantine him as the whole point of having a breeder baby was to have a tiny baby to introduce to a lonely boar and if I had quarantined the baby would have been too old to intro.

When I have pigs come in for rehoming they are always quarantined for 3 weeks minimum. Foster pigs live in my spare room and my own pigs are downstairs. I change clothes, wash hands etc between caring for my own pigs and my foster pigs. I will introduce foster pigs to each other during the quarantine period if it is needed. For example I took the pigs from Wakefield last weekend and now I have split the babies I am left with a single sow. I picked up some other pigs yesterday and have introduced one of them to this sow as she was not doing well on her own at all. This means that although in theory Twiggy the Mummy pig is 1 week into her quarantine she will actually have to wait at least another 3 weeks before moving anyway as I have added the quarantine period for her new friend onto hers.

All my foster pigs are bathed, ivomeced and wormed before leaving me and I am very strict on not letting pigs go if I am at all concerned about any issues with them.
 
If i had quaranteened Eddie he would have been 9 weeks old by the time her met Zubin and they would have never have bonded! The same with Zubin when he was put with Rudi
 
Interesting to hear everyone elses thoughts on quarantine, thankfully we all (generally) think it important.
At the end of the day though, it's up to all of us how we deal with the issue and that I feel will be a reflection of experience :)

Barbara
 
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