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Relatively unhandled piggies and vets.....slightly urgent!

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Teejay

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Hi there, my two piggies are off to the vets tonight with what I think may be a URI.....fingers crossed it's not.....but (apart from the piggies being poorly) my main worry is the examination by the vet.

I've only had the boys since Xmas, and, although they are very happy to interact confidently with me, take food from my hand, come to me for a stroke, and will climb all over me given half the chance, I've not really handled them much.

For example, I don't pick them up, I pick them up in a pigloo, which I've found is much less stressful! I also don't really sit and cuddle them on my lap.....they just refuse to sit still and scoot off at the first opportunity.

So, I'm feeling a bit nervous about handling them at the vets!

I've thought of the following tricks......
1. take the pigloo I use to catch them in
2. take a handful of readigrass in the hope that they'll sit still with it!
3. take a fleece, so they have somewhere to hide away in and I have something to restrain them with!

Does anyone have any more suggestions?

Tracey
 
When i took Artie to the vets with an URI he was only seven weeks old and was very nervous being handled so i took his cage mate Harvey with him and a cuddley blanket to the vets, i put the cuddle blanket on the table so it was comforting and the vet was very quick and even put artie back in his box for me while we discussed treatments :)
 
You will find guinea pigs much easier to catch from a small carrier than from a cage or hutch. Take a blanket or towel in the bottom of the carrier, and take his pal along too for the ride, he will feel more comfortable with his friend. Don't worry, the vets are used to wriggly animals, I don't think any enjoy going. Hope all goes well for him. xx
 
I was quite worried about Frazzle when I took him the other day, as he never sits still and I normally pick him up with a tube. But he was an angel for the vet! She got him out easy and, although he tried to make one run for it, she caught him and he sat still for the rest of it, let her have a poke around etc. Hopefully yours will be the same :))
 
Hi everyone, thanks for the reassurance :)) and for the good wishes for Pudding & Squeak.

Both piggies need to be seen anyway (both have the same symptoms), so they're both going, which should (hopefully) keep them as calm as possible.

I think taking the pigloo with me will be very useful, they both gallop into it when I put it on the floor cos they associate it with floor time and with nice veggies! They seem settled and secure in the pigloo.

Fingers crossed it all goes well. :...

Thanks again, Tracey
 
Well, the boys were very good. I popped their favourite fleecy tunnel into the pet carrier with them, and when we came to get them out for their examination, they'd both wedged themselves into it, side by side! LOL! We had to extract them gently from the tunnel before the vet could see them!

Anyway, Squeak was being Squeak (that piggie has such a big personality) and wriggled like an eel for the vet, squeaking his head off - he was not impressed! Pudding was more easy to handle, he seems to go into 'freeze' mode when he's a bit worried, bless him.

They both have a URI, and are now on Baytril (2 doses so far), and, I have to say they're sneezing much less already!

Squeak is a pain to dose, he will not keep still! Pud is easier to dose, no problem at all!

Tracey
 
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