• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

confused

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 145032
  • Start date Start date
D

Deleted member 145032

I’ve had my guinea pig for over a month now and I noticed she was scratching after week from being with us.
I went to the vet and they gave me treatment which I did put onto her skin and it seemed to work for a few days and after that she started being really sensitive to touch and she was itching a lot, and squeaking loudly while itching.
Three weeks ago I went to another vet which had better reviews and they were specialise with guinea pigs and they gave her a check up and said everything looks great (her teeth, weight...) and her fur but the skin was red and gave her a injection because they said she had mites and she went for two more appointments so in total she had three injections ( every Wednesday), and after the first injection she already seemed so much happier, didn’t scratch much and popcorned a lot! :)
she had her last injection on Wednesday and she would always let me touch her when she’s in the cage however today she got really sensitive again a lot more sensitive than she was ever and she doesn’t let me touch her and she just jumps around, and away from me
I don’t know if this is anything to do with that but she just runs away and almost jumps when i try touching her.
what could i do? is there a reason for this?
 
It may be she doesn’t want to be touched and is comfortable enough to let you know. How is she doing in terms of scratching etc? And do you know what injections she was given? How far apart were they spaced out?
 
Siikibam said:
It may be she doesn’t want to be touched and is comfortable enough to let you know. How is she doing in terms of scratching etc? And do you know what injections she was given? How far apart were they spaced out?
Click to expand...
she was given the injection 3 times in total, and she got them every week on wednesdays.
she barely ever scratches anymore, and if she does it’s very little scratches, and nothing as bad or long as it was before.
 
Guinea pigs have much thicker skin than other pets, so more skin to push a needle through which can cause them discomfort or pain (briefly) when being injected. They will remember this. So chances are that your piggy now associates being touched with the scratch of a needle and jumps in anticipation of this and runs away. With gentle handling she should get over this. I would reward her with healthy treats (such as bits of her favourite veggies) whenever you handle her so that she can 're-learn to associate being touched as a positive experience.
 
Pound Shilling & Pig said:
Guinea pigs have much thicker skin than other pets, so more skin to push a needle through which can cause them discomfort or pain (briefly) when being injected. They will remember this. So chances are that your piggy now associates being touched with the scratch of a needle and jumps in anticipation of this and runs away. With gentle handling she should get over this. I would reward her with healthy treats (such as bits of her favourite veggies) whenever you handle her so that she can 're-learn to associate being touched as a positive experience.
Click to expand...
ah ok. do you also have any advise on how to pick her up...
she used to let me strike her, and i will do the thing you said to help her feel comfortable again. however it was always quite a challenge to pick her up.
whenever i try to pick her up she always jumps over my arm, i’ve also tried picking her up in her hide house, and it usually takes a long time to pick her up cause she always runs around and away .
 
Try herding her into a box or something similar and picking it up instead of her.
 
Bon Bon :) said:
ah ok. do you also have any advise on how to pick her up...
she used to let me strike her, and i will do the thing you said to help her feel comfortable again. however it was always quite a challenge to pick her up.
whenever i try to pick her up she always jumps over my arm, i’ve also tried picking her up in her hide house, and it usually takes a long time to pick her up cause she always runs around and away .
Click to expand...
when trying to pick her up always scoop her from underneath and then steady her with a hand above, never grab her from above as that is like being grabbed by the talons of a raptor. Try cornering her with two hands and if she jumps over don't snatch to catch her just let her go and start again, you don't want her to feel like is being chased. Using a tunnel is often the best way, once she is in quickly put a hand over each end at the same time then carefully lift it and slide her out slowly.
 
Also remember when you are putting her back down she is likely to leap away as soon as she sees her house. They can suddenly wriggle and jump without warning and she can easily injure herself. Some poor people have posted for advice on piggies who have tried to jump to safety and have dropped 4 or 5 feet to the ground. These piggies usually have a sad end. Piggies don't land well on those little legs but in their panic they don't understand that they have to be careful. It is up to us to make sure they are safe as we pick them up and carefully return them to their home. Gentle handling, talking in a soft voice, don't try to stroke like a cat or dog with your whole hand but gentle stroking of cheek or under chin with one finger.

If she has a guinea-pig friend to live with it is much better for her well-being and will often make them more confident as they are such social creatures. A lone guinea-pig can get very down or very worried because they are wired to live in groups - they look around and think "where are all the other guinea-pigs?" and worry that there might be predators around that have eaten them! It can make them nervous. If they have a friend they think "She's OK, so I'm OK!"

Well done on getting her itching sorted!
 
Pound Shilling & Pig said:
when trying to pick her up always scoop her from underneath and then steady her with a hand above, never grab her from above as that is like being grabbed by the talons of a raptor. Try cornering her with two hands and if she jumps over don't snatch to catch her just let her go and start again, you don't want her to feel like is being chased. Using a tunnel is often the best way, once she is in quickly put a hand over each end at the same time then carefully lift it and slide her out slowly.
Click to expand...
yes ive tried all of those things. will she always run? or does she still need time to get used to me ...
i’ve had her for around 2months
 
They are prey animals and picking them up cuts too close to their instincts. She may never stop running away so you just have to find a way to get her out the cage. Several people on here use boxes or even carriers. They’ve done it so long that their piggies know what to do when they proffer the transporting device.

Are you planning to get her a friend? I think you may have mentioned something before but I’m afraid I can’t remember. Or does she already have one
 
Siikibam said:
They are prey animals and picking them up cuts too close to their instincts. She may never stop running away so you just have to find a way to get her out the cage. Several people on here use boxes or even carriers. They’ve done it so long that their piggies know what to do when they proffer the transporting device.

Are you planning to get her a friend? I think you may have mentioned something before but I’m afraid I can’t remember. Or does she already have one
Click to expand...
the lady that i bought her from said that she was aggressive towards other pigs.
even though she is a single piggy she still has a huge cage, and i hand feed her daily, and ive recently been trying to take her out more often.
 
I’m afraid that it’s not enough to give her a huge cage, take her out daily or hand feed. She needs a companion who speaks the same language. It’s likely she just hasn’t found a compatible piggy to live with.
 
Why not have a think about 'dating' at a rescue if you have one close by. There is a list of recommended ones at the top, but there are others too. They offer to take your piggy in and try them with various possible matches to see if any suit. Sometimes they are delighted to play 'mum' to a baby or they find love with a neutered boar. They make sure the bond is good before you take them back home again. This is a more reliable route than choosing a new pig from a pet shop - a bit of a gamble with a feisty girl! Covid has limited this for a while but things are starting to open up again. It is something to consider 💕

PS Some 'rescues' have poor practices - they are basically just people who sell guinea-pigs on (although they probably love the piggies as much as anyone else) but you have to watch out for bad things like if they split a bonded pair to make a sale - which must be very sad for those piggies concerned, even if one finds a new home. The forum carefully considers things like that before a rescue is 'recommended'.

Tempt your girlie with little veggie treats and she will associate you with the food she loves and choose to come over to you. Maybe she doesn't want to be picked up but that doesn't mean she doesn't want to be friends!
Flora the Explorer.webp Flora is 2 and arrived here in January (note - we only have piggie pets and no small children!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top