any guinea pig money saving tips?

tru

Oh no :sad:

Did the vet test for mites? They can't be seen with the naked eye, they need to do a skin scraping. If not, ring them tomorrow and ask for an emergency appointment. SEE HERE

Rummer

I never thought of that Anna, not sure that they would although I could call tomorrow and see if it would be beneficial. Been racking my brains to see if there is anything I am overlooking and the only thing I can think of is maybe changing their feed? At the moment they get dried feed that has the correct balance of vitamin C however it is a mix of foods and they may be better on pellets. Other than that they get fresh hay, guinea pig friendly fresh food and water everyday and in a safe warm and secure outdoor shed.

Blackpool_Saver

Sending many hugs, I understand ((hugs))

Rummer

Thank you for that Tru she said it did not look like a mite infection but no skin tests were done. I will ask tomorrow if they can be tested as it was two youngsters and an adult that died.

tru

Pellets are better than a mix because it prevents selective feeding, but it has nothing to do with them being ill. Don't blame yourself, it's not your fault

Edited to say - We posted at the same time, lol. If the mother has mites, she'll pass them on to the babies.

Is there a vet at the practice who specialises in small animals? If so, ask to see him/her. The vets at our practice are all fab, but if we have a piggy/rabbit/chicken problem, they always tell us to 'see Steve, he's the small animal expert'.

amy104

As a rule male pairing do tend to be a bit more tricky. That said I have bonded non related boars.

There are various reasons why piggies can fall out:

• Are they at the stroppy hormonal teen stage (anything between on average 3 months to 15 months)? If so, they may just be testing for dominance. This can go on for a while and will need monitoring, but usually settles down eventually.
• The heat of the summer can sometimes get to them, resulting in bad tempers and frustration as they are hot and uncomfortable, and may start squabbling with their cagemate.
• Other things that may set them off are being near females, change of environment, or illness. If you suspect an illness may be causing behavioural problems, as your vet to check them over.

You can try and prevent fall outs by:

• Maximising space - as much as you can spare
• Two of everything - ie food bowls, water botles, hidey holes
• Bathing - make sure you use the same shampoo for both!
• Moving any females as far away from the males as possible

Some pigs may never get along as sadly it may just be a case of that they don't like each other. If you contact a local rescue they'll be able to help you match your piggies up with a more suitable cagemate, just because they fight each other doesn't necessarily mean they'll fight all other piggies. By using a rescue you can try various different pigs so as not to end up with another pairing which doesn't work.

Goodluck.

louisdog

Hope your pig is ok.

I had two boars which were littermates and when they reached adulthood they started to scrap and I wondered what to do, but then one hot day Fred had a heart attack and died.

I had Ginger neutered and then got two wives and they lived next door for a week and then I cleaned the cage out and put them all together and they got on brilliantly so I think you could introduce a girl to your neutered boar.

Now I have two more wives for him and they all get along great!

I wouldn't ever risk two boars together again now.

HTH

pug_in_a_bed

Thanks for all your posts

Martin is lots better, eating sideways very cleverly:beer:

I've taken the difficult decision to give up little Berty. The local animal resuce have two girls coming in and have agreed to take him as a straight swap. So Martin is going to be two lady friends in a week or two so Im hoping it'll be happy ever after. As Bert is neutured, the rescue centre think it'll be easier to rehome him. I'm awful sad about it as I positively LOVE my guinea pigs but I think the next fight will kill one of them.

samanimals

I am so sorry to here about your guinea pigs bless them.I understand how you feel

UKTigerlily

Has the Vet carried out a Post Mortem on any of them? It might be worth it so you then know & can help the others? So sorry to hear of this x