Guinea Rescue #3 – Health

Knowing your Guinea pigs is above and beyond the most important aspect as a carer for these little creatures, spotting signs that something is not exactly normal with your cavy’s behaviour could mean the difference between their health deteriorating or saving them from a preventable ailment when the situation arises. From the previous two blogs in the Guinea Rescue series, I have been creating, you will be aware of what you need to manage in terms of piggy companions, relationships and also the importance of maintaining a healthy balanced diet. Now I wanted to spend some time explaining at a surface level, the medical issues that Guinea pigs can develop, both simple and more complicated and how you as a responsible loving carer can help them through and keep them comfortable while they recover.

Since I have brought my two boys’ home and began sharing some space with them, I have developed an eye and ear for their “natural” behaviours and also the signs that something is off with one or the other. Away from the stress that separating them brought after months of watching their sharing of space fall away into aggression, these two boys, Ghost and Hero, have come with their fair share of health issues. Some are inevitably down to the way I have cared for them in the early stages, and some are due to prior instances that affected them before I could bring them to their forever home. I will be honest, I will be blunt, and I will at times perhaps sound heated on the matter due to my personal feelings of how animal care can be neglected showing through. Please keep your pen or notepad handy as some of these lessons I learnt could literally save your Guinea pigs life.

Pokies

I wanted to start off with a rather simple issue that can become a serious issue if not handled swiftly or efficiently in your home, Guinea pigs love diving head first into piles or bags of fresh hay, burying their little hairy heads beneath the dried grass seems to excite them more than anything else in our morning routines. They can be careless with their own wellbeing at times, and nothing presents this fault in their thinking more so than the way they will keep their eyes open while ploughing into their haystack, eye pokes/pokies are essentially a nasty case of hay pieces stabbing into your Guinea pigs’ little eye and piercing the eye enough to stick in place. It is absolutely gut wrenching to see especially if you piggy behaves the same way that my Hero did, crying and looking for me to help. 

While they are fairly common, they are harmful if left unattended, Guinea pigs cannot pull anything out of their eyes, they rely on you their carer for that help. If left untreated these pokies can easily, and shockingly quickly, become infected potentially leading to loss of sight or the eye ball completely. It can be difficult to stomach, the act of pulling hay from a living beings’ eye, but here is what I experienced when it unfortunately produced Hero. The alpha of my two piggies is obsessed with burying himself in hay, so I was unsurprised when he waddled over to me one morning after his fresh hay was delivered and began crying with tiny sad whines. The hay poke was immediately visible, and I jumped into action, scooped up my little Hero and sat him on my lap facing me. Hero is usually a fidgety little boy when it comes to overseeing but this time he was clearly in pain and that made him docile, which once again broke my heart. I grabbed a clean pair of eyelash tweezers and ensured they had no dirt or dust on them before going anywhere near his eye, I held the little fella firmly in place and slowly, gently, pulled the piece from his eye bringing some goop along with it. Thankfully, this was a very minor instance of eye poking, and it was barely impaled into his little black eyes, I managed to secure it out with no need to whisk him away to a vet or distress him all too much. It was a clean mend and thankfully he still has full use of both eyes without issue. 

If you are dealing with a rather nasty deeper poke, then I would advise as gently as possible removing the hay with clean tools and purchasing a bottle of piggy safe cleaning fluid that can be found in almost all decent pet supply stores or the vets themselves. 

Mites and Ringworm

Here is once again one of the most distressing ailments that can invade a perfectly happy Guinea pigs’ life and render them miserable in short time if they are not helped out. Mites and ringworm are both horrendous parasites that latch onto Guinea pigs and reap terror on their fur, skin, eyes, nose and eventually can lead to death if not treated. Make no mistake about it, these are deadly conditions that will need veterinary intervention in most developed cases if you see signs that your Guinea pig has either. I have been lucky enough to deal with only one of these two nasty situations, but I will give as much information on treating both that I can. Hero and Ghost both arrived with mites, either picked up from the rescue centre or from their time before with the people that surrendered them, and since they we have been battling with the condition for both the piggies. Mites, mercifully, are the easier of the two to treat if caught early on in development. 

Ringworm is nastier and just going on a quick google images search will turn the lunch in your stomach, it is a parasite that is noticeable due to scabbing and balding around the nose, eyes and back of the piggie’s body. It can be treated by medication from the vets and also baths with anti-fungal shampoos some of which can be as simple as a good head and shoulders (you need the bottle containing zinc) to be most effect. Giving them a warm bath within a small container with the water no higher than the top of their legs with this antifungal shampoo can alleviate some of the pain while a trained professional is medicating them. If you see any signs of ringworm or suspect it might be cropping up around their face or body, please get them to a vet as soon as possible. 

Now onto the mites, Ghost had them worse, I believe due to the way his hair is structured on his body what with being a teddy/rex Guinea pig. It comes in stages with mites, you will notice clumps of hair that fall out of your pig with pieces of dead skin attached to the ends, constant itching, lack of restfulness when they are sleeping and eventually hair falling out in large patches. Thankfully are spotting the hair clumps while cleaning out Ghosts house one day, we made the call and check him into the vets for a check-up and as we suspected, the professional confirmed it was indeed mites. Our trusted vet explained that mites can be dormant in a pig for months at a time and are typically activated during times of great stress in their little lives (like moving into a new home), she also explained that mites will dig into the piggy skin causing irritation and pain when you attempt to bath them, I obviously had no idea how to begin treating them but after consulting with professional whom I trusted, I left with the tools and medication enough to help my boys.

With mites the solution is pretty simple if you catch them early, albeit time consuming, Ivermectin was prescribed by the vet, this is a small gel like substance that comes in small pipettes to be dropped or dabbed onto the base at the back of their ears and a solid line going vertically down the scalp near the neck. Gently separating their hair and creating a part was simple enough and pushing it back together after is recommended as the piggy will most likely not like being wet and having a strange smell on the top of their sniffing little heads. Avoid the eyes and inner eyes/mouth as the Guinea will more than likely experience some unwanted pain and side effects if ingested that way. While you are treating them (I would suggest once per week for three weeks). Now onto their houses, these can be lurking homes for the mites, and you will need to act to irradicate them before putting your pigs near their pens again. I use fleece liners for the bedding in their homes, it is easily washed and is better for their health, it was also significantly easier to manage when it comes to the mites. Simply swap out every blanket, toy, wood, hide for a new set every three days and deep clean all their bowls and bottles every three days also. 

Simple formula; Ivermectin (prescribed ideally) once a week for three weeks.

Full cages clean out and deep cleanse with animal safe products every three days.

Bloat

Bloating is another extremely sad thing to witness if you are unlucky enough to see it. You will see your little man or little lady plopped melted on the floor of their home, lethargic and looking extremely sad for themselves. Not eating, not pooping and reluctant to drink at all. Hero is unfortunate enough to suffer with bloating once every couple of months and despite getting the feedings down to the best we can, he will still occasionally suffer from a little bloating and discomfort every now and then. It is once again easily treatable if you can rule out anything more sinister with a quick phone call to the vets if you are overtly concerned, after dealing with Hero and his plump little stomach problems on a few occasions now, I can share what has worked for me to relieve some pressure from the Guinea pigs’ stomach.

Hero does not like being handled, that is his personality, and I am fine with that, as a believer in an animal right to body autonomy, if he doesn’t want to be pulled around, I simply won’t. Thankfully when this stubborn little fella is feeling poorly, he seeks out myself or Tanya in hopes of getting a helping hand, when experiencing bloating he does the same and while he will not come looking for us as walking becomes uncomfortable, he will stay calm while we handle him. What I have found to be working efficiently to help with his bloat started with a massage, hold your piggy on your lap facing away from you, perhaps watching the telly like we did (he liked Secret Lives of Pets) and gently but firmly rub your fingers or knuckles down the sides of their body applying slight pressure (but not enough to hurt them) to their bellies down to their hindquarters. What you are trying to do is get their gut moving and hopefully push out some gas that has built up, piggy farts thankfully do not smell all that bad. 

Next up we used a small syringe for feeding small pets and drip fed him some room temperature water. Hero took some and would push away the rest as he generally does not drink all that much to begin with, keeping your pig hydrated is extremely important and the water should help lubricate their stomachs all the more. If you are lucky enough to have a back massager or muscle relaxer to hand, anything that vibrates should work, maybe even a mobile phone on vibrate, place it under a blanket and position it under your piggy’s belly. The vibration will help once again get your cavies gut moving and hopefully shake loose the blockage and build up causing the mayhem.

Lastly, what I have found works more than all the above for their battle against bloat, get them walking. I am fortunate enough to have the space in my living room to construct a small run for them that connects temporarily to their homes and allows them a chance to run across the room without spoiling any carpets. Hero and Ghost absolutely love the ability to stretch their legs for a full-on spring across the room and after taking a long walk mixed with the occasionally snooze, Hero is usually beginning to slim down as the bloat and poops leave his little body. If bloating does persist for more than 24 hours, please contact a professional immediately. 

Nail Clippings

New owners beware, you WILL have to trim your Guinea pigs’ nails. It is NOT something you can ignore, and it is one hundred percent YOUR job to make sure your piggy has healthy feet and nails for the entirety of their lives with you. I might come off rather aggressive with this piece of information, which is because of my anger at the previous carers of Ghost and Hero who obviously neglected this aspect of Guinea pig well-being. Ghost arrived with severely overgrown and twisted nails on both his back and front feet. Regardless of someone’s personal situation, animal neglect is never something I can tolerate, they are in our care and rely on us for their safety and health. They did not choose us, we chose them.

Right, all that bluster and bile aside it is actually a rather easy thing to manage when it comes to Guinea pigs and if you are lucky, you might find yourself with a cavy that does not mind a nail trimming. For clippers you can purchase a human pair of metal nail clippers for cheap or purchase a pair of Guinea pig specific nail scissors (which I did not liking the way the human clippers sit on Ghosts feet). I will post a link to the Guinea pig nail scissors I purchased below alongside the Styptic powder for any unfortunate clips that lead to a spot of blood (it happens, do not hate yourself for it).

Practically speaking it can be down to the individual pig or your preference on how to trim their nails back, what I did to learn was watch a couple of popular Guinea pig YouTube channels that had instructional demonstrations so I could learn a couple of different techniques. Hero and Ghost thankfully both seem “okay” with the same method, Tanya will sit down and place a blanket on her lap, the Guinea pig will be held upright with his back to her stomach, so all four feet are exposed but his bum is still on the blanket. I will carefully one by one take very small pieces of nail off and steadily go back until the piggy gives me obvious signs of twitching away or yelping that I am getting too close to the quick (the quick is a vein that runs through their nail, this is what may bleed if you clip it). I have found that taking off small pieces confidently and not going for large pieces, my two nervous pigs remain calm for longer, it might take a bit more time, but they are much happier for it. Bonus tip, it does also help to have a small bag of snacks on hand for them when they get too scared (carrot pieces, celery or basil works very well). If you do accidentally make your pigs nail bleed, don’t panic, this happens and while it looks terrible, they do not actually feel the pain for all that long. Simply dab their nail with the Styptic powder and it will dry up and stop the bleeding shortly after, if it persists keep an eye on it and call the vets if you are particularly worried. 

When cutting their nails remember – Smaller pieces at a time off means you can keep them calmer for longer.

Pea Eye/Dust/Teeth Cleaning

For the last chunk of unprofessional advice based on my experience with my own two rescued Guinea pigs, I wanted to throw some basic issues out here for those who might have been searching for an answer online without luck. Pea Eye, a completely harmless condition that our Hero has in which his bottom eye lid droops down and appears watery at times, this is due to a collection of fatty deposits in the eyelid and is not something necessarily harmful to worry about. If you are indeed worried, as with all the conditions I have mentioned throughout this long piece, check with a trusted trained professional. Pea Eye can be addressed with surgical intervention but If they are not experiencing any pain, I would always suggest again that as an option. 

Dust, this is something that actually can be a huge problem for Guinea pigs. You will notice that your Guinea will sneeze occasionally in their hay pile, this is due to dust build up in their stack. If they ingest too much of this dust through breathing it in or otherwise, they can indeed get sick and develop upper respiratory infections that can be fatal if left to sit in their little lungs. What I have found to be helpful is purchasing “Dust-Free” hay from reputable retailers (I have linked the hay I purchase in the previous blog) and always cleaning out their food bowl to ensure no pellet dust has been left behind for them to vacuum up with their little digging snoots. 

Teeth Cleaning, another potentially dangerous issue that can be easily avoided, I am not talking about teeth clipping as that is thankfully not something I have had to deal with to this date *Touch wood*, I am speaking about the situation in which a pig will have something stuck between their teeth. It happens almost every week with one of our pigs, they will be overly excited and scoffing down hay before they bite into a thick piece the wrong way and find themselves with it stuck in their mouth causing them to stop and scratch at it with their little front paws in a sad futile effort. Simple enough, scoop up your piggy and gentle wiggle the piece around that is stuck, if you can open their mouth to get a better look please do, they should eventually help you by chomping down on the stuck piece when it begins to loosen. Keep an eye out for pieces stuck between their top or bottom teeth also, this is the equivalent to flossing for a human and if you leave a piece of hay or food between their teeth that they cannot shift, it can rot and become infected in their gums. Do your best with water and a small pick to remove any debris that should not be sticking around their pointy pearly whites.

Keep Them Alive

That was one hell of a long blog post, but I am happy to have the ability to pass on any findings that I have come across both online and in person with my two boys. Never take your Guinea pigs health lightly, these animals are incredibly crafty when it comes to hiding sickness and ailments so make sure you handle them at least once a week carefully to see if you spot something out of the ordinary. Take care of what you are seeing when you clean their cages/homes, spend the extra time to deep clean their food bowls and blankets and monitor their weight every week or so as this is the only sign of a problem they cannot hide. Your main purpose with this beautiful little species in your care is above all else to keep them alive.

Thank you for sticking around this long, if you have read to the end, you are an absolute trooper and I hope I have been able to help with someone who like me might not have known some of the basic things that are not taught to us when we dive into caring for these animals.