Guinea pig quarantine

[Jbrodsky73]

I'm wondering if I take a new guinea pig to the vet to get checked out would I still have to quarantine her before I introduce her to my other guinea pig?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'm wondering if I take a new guinea pig to the vet to get checked out would I still have to quarantine her before I introduce her to my other guinea pig?

Yes I would still quarantine.
Quarantine is also for things which can’t yet be seen - A vet won’t be able to diagnose something which isn’t yet showing symptoms but may still be present.

Unless the new piggy is a young baby, their social needs come first, so you would have to skip quarantine

 

[Hath]

Hi. Generally, I would. Some common issues have incubation period, for example ringworm take around 10 days (in my experience) to show up so you could potentially introduce that to your existing piggie and it's pain to get rid off. Especially with the stress of moving/introduction it's perfect time for something like that to pop up...
But I guess it depends where you're getting the piggie from. If it's a neglect/unwanted pet I would do 14 days. If it's rescue and they did their quarantine already then I would be more lenient on the length. And if they're babies, two weeks is a long time and can cause issues with bonding...
So there are exceptions, but generally it's cheaper to quarantine them so you don't end up with multiple vet bills.

 

[Wiebke]

I'm wondering if I take a new guinea pig to the vet to get checked out would I still have to quarantine her before I introduce her to my other guinea pig?

Hi and welcome

It is great that you are looking for a friend for your single piggy!

Some issues like ringworm take 10-14 days between infection and outbreak. That is the reason why a 2-3 weeks quarantine is recommended for guinea pigs over 4 months.

With younger guinea pigs that are desperate to belong to a group/a guardian during their formative weeks between weaning and teenage, it is down to your own decision whether you want to take the risk to treat all guinea pigs with contact with the newbie for contagious issues that turn up or whether you'd rather wait that the new arrival is not coming with any hidden luggage.

I don't know which country you are in, but here in the UK we have got good welfare standard rescues that allow your piggy to come and meet potential mates, so your piggy can choose who they are happy with. Our recommended rescues have all got a mandatory quarantine/vet care, a mandatory pregnancy watch for any weaned sows that come intro rescue and reliable sexing - in short the piggies can live with each other straight away.
With sows you can look at both another sow or a neutered boar over 6 weeks past their operation.

 

[Jbrodsky73]

Hi and welcome

It is great that you are looking for a friend for your single piggy!

Some issues like ringworm take 10-14 days between infection and outbreak. That is the reason why a 2-3 weeks quarantine is recommended for guinea pigs over 4 months.

With younger guinea pigs that are desperate to belong to a group/a guardian during their formative weeks between weaning and teenage, it is down to your own decision whether you want to take the risk to treat all guinea pigs with contact with the newbie for contagious issues that turn up or whether you'd rather wait that the new arrival is not coming with any hidden luggage.

I don't know which country you are in, but here in the UK we have got good welfare standard rescues that allow your piggy to come and meet potential mates, so your piggy can choose who they are happy with. Our recommended rescues have all got a mandatory quarantine/vet care, a mandatory pregnancy watch for any weaned sows that come intro rescue and reliable sexing - in short the piggies can live with each other straight away.
With sows you can look at both another sow or a neutered boar over 6 weeks past their operation.

I live in the US and there are rescues here that do that but none that are anywhere near me, my only option atm would be to get one at a pet store. So I'll quarantine it for 3 weeks than. Thx for the response.

 

[Wiebke]

All the best!

PS: Since we are dealing with members and enquiries from literally all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country and/or state to location in your account details (accessed via clicking on your username on the top bar). This makes it appear with every post you make so we can tailor any advice straight away with just a quick glance to the left to what is relevant and available where you are (rescue/vet access, differing medical and other brand names and practices, climate etc.)