We Are Doing Something Wrong But Don't Know How To Fix It.... :[

[NewbiePiggie234]

My friend and I have never owned guinea pigs before,r but we have owned many other kinds of animals, such as gerbils, dogs, rabbits and snakes. We just got our 6 month old male Abby on Friday 1/15, ( we learned he and his brother had been purchased two days before then returned alone the day before we bought him)but when we brought him home we noticed he was sneezing a lot and had a crusty nose. We let him chill for the night then Saturday brought him back to the store to be evaluated (Pets Mart) He was returned to us on Sunday, the man said he had worked with them for 6 years and knew URIs well and did not see any issues. We brought him some Sunday afternoon. We took him out a little on Sunday, then left him alone until Monday night when he destroyed his cage (flipped everything over and poo'd everywhere) he is still sneezing, though now it seems more like huffing when we are around. I cleaned his cage and left him alone until now. He was previously very easy to pick up and loved to cuddle, but now he flips out if you go near any parts of his body, he will roll on his side and kick, knock at you with his head, and overall spin in circles. We are going to leave him alone to adjust for the next few days, but we do not know how to for a healthy and trusting loving relationship with him. I feel we are failing him, and I really want to make this all better.

 

[peacelovesandie]

Hi there, welcome to the forum!
I really feel your frustration and helplessness.... I think a lot of new piggy owners feel that they are somehow failing and doing everything wrong. You sound like a very caring owner!

Is it possible that he's had a bit of a traumatic start to life? Being in a pet shop, possibly not loved and cared for as much as needed, transported around a lot? If so, he may just need a bit longer to settle and to build trust with you. Please persevere.... there are plenty of topics on the forums that have great advice for this sort of thing. Sorry I don't have time to link to them at the moment.... please do check them out!

As for the sneezing and crusty nose, can you get him to an actual vet? If there is something wrong, the pet store man is unlikely to want to admit it because he just wants the piggies sold hassle free.

Someone will probably post next about putting your location on your profile, because there might be a vets local to you that can be recommended

 

[Freela]

My first concern is the runny nose/huffing. Regardless of what the pet store employee says, it sound to me that he has a respiratory tract infection. Pet stores often downplay this kind of thing because first of all, whatever they say, they are not very knowledgeable about animal illness, and secondly, their priority is to sell stock (i.e. animals) whether they are sick or well. So my first priority would be seeing an actual vet because my guess would be that he needs an antibiotic, and may have some other issues as well (the flipping out while being touched makes me wonder about mites, which are very painful when the skin is touched.) Respiratory issues can worsen in a hurry for guinea pigs, so I would have a proper assessment as soon as possible with a vet who knows guinea pigs.

Guinea pigs are prey animals and take time to get to know... they have two modes when frightened, freeze or flee. Sometimes what looks like a docile pig who loves being held in the early days is actually a pig who is simply 'frozen' to cope with stress. Running is simply the other side of the coin, and it can take guinea pigs time not to run away from being picked up (and some pigs, even if they like being held, still do not like the feeling of being 'caught' by their person.) But flipping around is not something I've personally seen and makes me wonder about mites or another health issue, so I would check that first before chalking it up to behavior.

So my advice would be to get him assessed, get him well, and the bond will build in time. Wrecking the cage and pooping everywhere is kind of par for the course for guinea pigs... they do poop everywhere and mine regularly demolish the cage, flip things over, knock things over, etc.

 

[zombieprincess]

He needs to see a vet, pet store employees are not qualified to make a decision on their health and are only going to palm you off with what you want to hear.

I would also be concerned that with the way he reacts when touched he has either lice, mite or a fungal infection all are common from pets store guineas, especially fungal. If left untreated they can be seriously painful and debilitating.

He is also likely to settle and calm quicker with a companion.

The cage trashing and pooping is normal though haha.

 

[helen105281]

I agree he needs checking by an actual vet, once he is on meds hopefully he will be a lot happier and you can start to build your bond with him. If the vet does rule out a URI you may need to look at what he is bedded on? what are you using at the moment?

Please note that if the vet gives a course of antibiotics he will need probiotics too which are usually given at least an hour after the antibiotic dose. This will help protect his gut.

 

[tallulahmay]

Sorry about your piggie, hope you find out what is wrong , I listen with interest as I have a boar who acts like that sometimes , he hasn't got a skin problem , I tried to put him in a c and c rather than his cage and he freaked out , I was worried he was going to jump right out so I put him back in his original cage and he was fine, sounds like distress doesn't it.

 

[tallulahmay]

Sorry about your piggie, hope you find out what is wrong , I listen with interest as I have a boar who acts like that sometimes , he hasn't got a skin problem , I tried to put him in a c and c rather than his cage and he freaked out , I was worried he was going to jump right out so I put him back in his original cage and he was fine, sounds like distress doesn't it.

 

[Wiebke]

My friend and I have never owned guinea pigs before,r but we have owned many other kinds of animals, such as gerbils, dogs, rabbits and snakes. We just got our 6 month old male Abby on Friday 1/15, ( we learned he and his brother had been purchased two days before then returned alone the day before we bought him)but when we brought him home we noticed he was sneezing a lot and had a crusty nose. We let him chill for the night then Saturday brought him back to the store to be evaluated (Pets Mart) He was returned to us on Sunday, the man said he had worked with them for 6 years and knew URIs well and did not see any issues. We brought him some Sunday afternoon. We took him out a little on Sunday, then left him alone until Monday night when he destroyed his cage (flipped everything over and poo'd everywhere) he is still sneezing, though now it seems more like huffing when we are around. I cleaned his cage and left him alone until now. He was previously very easy to pick up and loved to cuddle, but now he flips out if you go near any parts of his body, he will roll on his side and kick, knock at you with his head, and overall spin in circles. We are going to leave him alone to adjust for the next few days, but we do not know how to for a healthy and trusting loving relationship with him. I feel we are failing him, and I really want to make this all better.

You are a caring owner. Please keep an eye on the sneezing and see a proper vet; you can reclaim any fees that result from an infection he came with/picked up at the store from the store if present the bill with a receipt of purchase and if necessary insist on seeign the manager.
Shop staff have been fobbing off plenty of unsuspecting new forum members and they are not qualified to diagnose illnesses in the first place.
Here is a list of recommended US and Canadian vets, courtesy of Guinea Lynx: Veterinarians - The GLX-Files

It is actually very likely that your boy has gone from playing frozen to being his normal self, which is a step up, as he is actually starting to trust you. Only it is going to be a bit more of a ride than you imagined!
You may find the tips in these threads here helpful in making friends and understanding what is going on; they are listed at the top of our information bundle of the most useful and asked after threads from new owners.
Did you get both him and his brother or only him? That is not clear from your post.
" Starter Kit" Of Information Threads For New Owners

As we have got members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country and/or state/province to your details, so we can always tailor any advice to what is available and practicable where you are instead of keeping things general. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thank you!