I'm looking to buy a Guinea Pig again because my last one just died, I need advice, please read!?

Question

I had my Guinea Pig for exacactally 2 months, she just recently passed away because she was sickly, probably from birth. That's what the vet told me. The poor thing just passed away on the examination table. My main concern now is buying another Guinea Pig, I'm so scared that I might get one that's already sick, Guinea's as I know can hide their sickness very well, I need to know how to choose the right Guinea Pig for me. I unfortunately have a tendency of comparing my new pet with my passed one, and I don't want to make that mistake. How do I know if it's underweight for it's age? how can I know the age if even the petstore doesn't? you don't have to answer all the questions, just the ones you know, I would really appreciate any advice I can get, thank you.

Answer 1

If it's from a shelter, they usually have a vet inspect them so they're usually fine.

But this is what I do, first look at and into the eyes. They should be clear and free from any crust. Next check on their fur, especially the longer hair breed. Their fur should be mites free, clean (not too much scratching) and no bald patches except the two behind the ears if you didn't already knows :), that will show that they are well taken care of. GPs kept in a dirty or worst, wet cage indicate that they haven't been well taken care of in the shop and could easily be carry some disease, so it's best to avoid them. And lastly the GP should be lively and moving about in the cage, a healthy GP tends to be curious.

Then there one trait I personally look for :) Initially when you approach the cage they would scuttle, that's normal. But when you stay long enough without any sudden movements and you're holding some treats like a stripe of carrots or hay, they should show sign of curiosity and some might even grab it from you. I would usually get GP that show this trait. The reason is that, I realized that some GP are more jumpy then other, especially farm bred GP since they get very little exposure to human within the initial weeks of their lives so they're terrified of human and being handled. I had one such GP and it took a long time to get her use to handling, it was alittle upsetting actually, so I decide I would start off at a better footing the next time i get another. But that just me :)

Answer 2

Yes I agree, the easiest way to avoid this problem is to get your Guinea Pig from a more reliable source - in particular a private breeder who will know their own animals and will often be there to advise you and help you throughout your Guinea Pigs life. They'll often give you a family tree for your Guinea pig and know the complete family history.
Another option is adoption as many good piggies end up in need of help every year - it might be worthwhile contacting your local shelter and going down to have a look.
Guinea pigs really are social animals and they do do really well in pairs or little groups - as the previous poster said looking after two is not much more difficult than looking after one.
If you do go to a pet store before you actually handle the pigs what you need to do is spend a little bit of time just observing them. Any unusual behaviour (not moving around or seeming extremely lethargic, limping, holding the head on one side) means that the guinea pig probably has something wrong with it. When you do hold them look at the actual body - look for cataracts/milkiness in the eyes, discharge from the eyes themselves, discharge from the nose, stiff or swollen joints, baldness/patchiness on the skin, any unusual discharge from the vent/private area. If you see any of these things avoid purchasing them! An underweight guinea pig will feel thin - run your hand down the spine - if you can feel the spine/hips easily then the guinea pig is underweight. Age can be quite a difficult one without seeing the Guinea pig, basically the smaller they are the younger they are! Guinea pigs of around 6 weeks of age are usually around 8 or so inches in length.

Answer 3

First of all, weighing is good for watching trends in an individual animals (as weight loss is usually the first sign of illness), but the jury's still out on what counts as overweight and underweight at different ages for guinea pigs. So, don't go for the weight or guessing the age...you won't have solid, scientific data backing you up.

With that said, avoid pet stores. The people in their sections may have picked up an idea or two, but you don't need to be an animal expert to get the job, and you can't violate the store's policies even if you are one. Guinea pigs, if you've noticed, are stuffed into aquarium-like boxes with air holes near the top (i.e., poor ventilation), sometimes with wire-bottom cages (which are bad for this thin little legs and unpadded feet) that have usually accumulated dropping builds ups for days (how this is good for them is anyone's guess). Finally, in the best of conditions, they're splitting food (which I've never seen to include vegetables) and water between 5 different pigs, assuming that each will get an equal share.

Do you think they treat them for mange mites? Or fungi? Watch them for upper respiratory infections? Do you think they quarantine the ones coming in to watch for a sickness before dumping it in the cage with the others? Nope. There's no chance for recovery. The conditions are just begging for sickness, and without proper quarantines, a single sickness anywhere down the line is perpetuated by spreading for old pigs to new pigs.

Now, I'm not going to say that every guinea pig in every store is sick, but why take a chance when you don't have to?

Find a reputable shelter in your area. Ask them how they treat their pigs, and where they get them. An awesome site for this is:
http://www.petfinder.com/

Also, research excellent guinea pig care online. Know the signs and symptoms, and know how to react when problems occur. The best, with little dispute is:
http://www.guinealynx.info/index.html

Answer 4

I personally would avoid pet shops at all costs, try and get your new guinea pig from a charity. Often charities will know the history, age, parents etc of any animals in their care. The guinea will probably be neutered/spayed and have a full health check before being rehomed. Sadly some pet shops are only out to make money, and as far as they are concerned once the animal is out of their doors it is no longer their responsibility. They do not always sex their animals properly, thus you may end up with a pregnant piggie and their animals are not always given the best of care.

Answer 5

This is a very tough question. It is really hard to tell if they are healthy. I look at they eyes (they are the window to the soul). If eyes are bright and clear, usually that is a sign of good health. Make sure the one you choose is moving around a lot. Some of the ones that lay around are not healthy. I had a guinea pig that live to be 12 years old. People would call me a liar until they saw her, she was as big as a cat. Just make sure that you clean it's cage every day and always have fresh water and food available for it. I used to give a couple of pieces of lettuce every day (not a lot) just enough for her to enjoy it not over stuff herself. They are really great pets, but most vets know nothing about them. I would keep calling vets until you find one that specializes in small animals like that and keep their phone number handy for future use.

Answer 6

Clean it out :) Newspaper isn't a good idea, though. It gets wet and stays wet after a day or so and is just generally useless. If you're using towels you'll want to put fleece on top of them, then the fleece layer stays dry and the towels are underneath and absorb everything. Then the guinea pigs aren't lying in wet all day :) Or switch to some other bedding if you prefer. If you're concerned about wet patches then put extra towels or other absorbent materials in the places they frequently urinate, often near food bowls, water bottles, where they sleep and in corners.

Answer 7

I think you should adopt two rescue guinea pigs. They need your help really. Two guinea pigs aren't any more difficult than looking after one guinea pig and they're so much happier on their own.
My guinea pig died yesterday, she was a rescue guinea pig and she had such a happy life - compared to what hell she must've been through before.
I really think you should find a local rescue centre, it's the best thing to do and if you don't want to have more guinea pigs which isn't the best idea, there are more guinea pigs in the world that need help.
I offer you my sympathy, it's terrible when they die.

Lorna

Answer 8

The "What's Normal? What's Not?" listing at http://www.guinealynx.com/normal.html may be just what you're looking for.

Please make adoption your first choice. There are soooooo many guinea pigs in shelters and rescues just waiting for someone to give them a great home and a lot of love. Guinea Lynx has a list of rescues on their site, and you can also find adoptables at http://www.petfinder.com.

Rescues, in particular, know their animals very well: health, food preferences, personality quirks, tolerance for noise and commotion, comfort with other animals (namely, cats and dogs), and so much more.

If you're wondering where rescue pigs come from: http://www.petspress.net/articles/2007/march2007/rescueguinea.html

Answer 9

i would try to get one that is young but can survive on its own with out the mom