Help, my new rescue piggy is traumatised!

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libthemermaid

I just got a guinea pig and I was wanting to ask for advice please, I need help! I have kept hamsters in the past, so guinea pigs are a new game for me.

My new piggy is 2 years old, I rescued him / her from a family home with a dog, cat, teenager, screaming baby and over-enthusiastic 6 year old, who threw him about. He had been living in a cat box with no water bowl with his friend until the family killed the other one with poisonous plants. So, he'd been on his own in a cat box for a home, I don't think he's ever even lived in a pen. He's an indoor piggy.

I have read lots of websites about piggy care and have done everything as well as I can.

He's getting used to life in a pen, with water, and without imminent danger, so he's getting a bit braver, after 5 days he's walking out in his indoor pen when we're around and he's learnt how to use his drinking bottle. He takes food out of our hands, although he still freezes and scuttles sometimes when we touch him. He's been out in the living room and on his second outing, he was much more adventurous, scampering all over the place singing quietly.

I'd love to get him a friend if it would help make him happier, but I don't know if it's a good idea for him / the new piggy while he's like this / if it's a good idea at all when he's already 2 years old. What do you think?

I'm sorry to spill this onto you, but your website is so amazing and I know you'd be able to give me good, experienced advice. I don't think it's really a matter for the vet just yet, first I want to get him used to a normal home.

He does also have a few physical problems. His back legs have little sore patches, I assume from just living in a tiny box with no exercise, he's a bit dirty and needs a wash and he has a little bald patch on his back, which again makes me hesitant about getting another piggy - I don't know if it could be contagious or is probably just from boredom / stress.

Any help would be sooo much appreciated. Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you, from an English new piggy fan living in NZ.
 
hi hun, and well done for taking this poor guy on.

from what you say, your not sure of the sex, so you need to find out, as this can make a difference with getting another,

Most people don't think its a good idea to put two males together, but two females are normally fine, as long as the second female is really young.

I would take him/her to the vets, just to get his hair loss sorted, because, if its mites, or a fungal infection, you will need meds for it.

you sound like, everything else you are doing must be right, as the little guys is taking food from you, and as you say venturing out more.

i'm sure someone, with more knowledge than me will be along soon, and yes this is a fab site for information, only a novice myself, and i;ve learnt so much!

and can we have pics please x>>
 
Well done for giving this piggy another chance at happiness.

Firstly you need to find out what you are dealing with in regards to the sex of the piggy because that will determine what other piggy you can put with this one. You don't want to end up with a litter of piggies by mistake.

The patch on the back....maybe mites, fungal or just boredom biting but a vet will help you with that and can give you treatment.

Shyness....well, that's what piggies are. Remember they are prey animals so they are going to be hesitant and scurry away if a "big hand" approaches. With tender loving care and some of the favourite treats the piggy will get used to you and the new environment.

Good luck!
 
Hi Lib

first pop your new friend to the vets just to check every thing is in order inside and out. Make sure they check the sores, his fur and teeth, his claws and his heart, tummy, etc.

If this piggy used to be neglected, it will take time for him to trust you but it will happen, you need to be calm, assertive and PATIENT.

Your new friend may find it easier to settle with a furry friend of his own. Remember that any un-neutered male-female pairing will mate and if your friend is 2 yrs old and female it is HIGHLY NOT advisable to have babies as it can kill the mother. The good news is that at 2, it should be fairly straight forward to tell. This link should help
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm, especially photos 15 and 18.
Pairings work best: female-female, adult male-baby male, female-neutered male. It is always best when the establiched pig 'picks' their new friend rather than you introducing a new random pig.

Plenty of members on here will know more details about these topics. Well done for taking on the little chappie/girlie and good luck. Please check the stickies for info on housing and bedding. The general rule of thumb is that
  • piggies are best with kept companions of their own kind
  • 2 pigs should be in a 4ftx2ft min cage (I think)
  • wood chips should be avoided for litter
  • hay, water and GUINEA PIG (NOT rabbit) pellets should be on offe at all times
  • some fresh
  • veg/fruit can be given every day (see lists in food section)
 
Hi Lib, welcome to the forum, and so far away in NZ too! :)

Gosh that poor creature, well done for giving this piggie an escape and his/her new home. The above is good advice, the first thing to do would be to get him/her to a guinea savvy vet if you have one in your area (don't be afraid to ring several and ask about guinea experience, many are not too knowledgable, so it's worth ringing around). If you click on this page, on the left hand margin there is a quick reference section of easy questions to run past your potential vet http://www.susieandpigs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/healthprobs.htm A vet visit will confirm the sex and get those patches sorted.

It sounds like he/she has come along in leaps and bounds already, especially considering the poor start to life with the previous family. Even pigs with a "normal" background can take a while to settle, it can take months for them to become even part way comfortable as they are instinctively prey animals and so it's in their make up to be timid pretty much all the time.

Finding a friend when he/she has been properly sexed and health checked will be a great thing for them. I don't know what the rescue scene is like in NZ, but there are quite a few here in the UK and some will let you take you piggie along to find their own friend.

There are some good websites in addition to the great collection of info available on this forum. Ones I always recommend for reference and info are:

www.susieandpigs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk general good info, pro boar
www.lbgpr.co.uk a uk rescue, contains fantastic reference info
www.cavyspirit.com US pro-rescue site
www.guineapigcages.com brilliant indoor cage info
www.gorgeousguineas.com UK site with specially created products for pigs, handy for identification issues and I believe they ship internationally

Please do keep us updated, we'd love to hear how you get on :) And don't be afraid to ask away on here, we have all needed to start somewhere and it sounds like you have been somewhat thrown in the deep end! We are lucky to have some very knowledgable and lovely members here who will help wherever they can.
 
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AWWW Well done you for rescuing that poor baby from such a horrible life. I'm so pleased they have a loving and caring new owner.

I also wanted to say considering the start they are trusting. I have 2 rescue guineas as fosters who are very unused to being handled and they wont eat anything out of my hand after 2 weeks. So yours is quite brave really.

I would do as everyone else says and then yes go for it with the friend depending obv on the sex of the guinea and whether or not they are contagious. Once you know the answer to that question you know they answer to how soon.

And yes - photos would be brilliant!
 
He's definitely a boy by the looks of it, and I think he might be quite well-equipped!

His sore back legs are clearing up heaps with him running round at night and he's even enjoying being stroked now! Hooray! We're pimping his pen this week, my fella is a joiner, and he's making him a custom-made house complete with a front door, so in the evenings he can go back in his pen for a drink and then come back out for carpet time! He still has a patch with not so much hair but it looks a bit better so I'm leaving it for a little longer to see how he goes before taking him to the vet.

Oh, and he's loving using a water bottle now!

Thank you so much for your your great advice, I will add photos when we get the extension finished - and I have some pics of Dude at home I'll post too in the meantime!

Libby :)
 
Hi Libby i'm across the pond in OZ :)
Well done for taking on this little precious bundle of fuzz :)
Sounds like little Dude is going to have a palace to live in! x)
Hope to see some pics real soon xxxxxxxxxxx
 
Scared Piggie

I adopted Honey and Eaton (look at skip-rat in gallery). Between them, they had all the same symptoms. You seem to be doing everything right so far, a friend may well help your piggie settle down as they need the comany of other pigs.
Sudocreme should help with the sores, bath in shallow water using either jhonsons flea, lice and mite treatment or selsun if flaky skin. The best thing you can do is to lie on the sofa with him on your chest so he can see your face stroking and talk quitely to reassure. (treats of favorate greens help as well. I guarentee that withing a short while you will build up a bond forever.
Eaton was an emaciated youngster but was friendly when I got him over three years ago with an array of health problems including diabeties, mites, two abcesses, and all the associated problems. Honey was traumatised, could not walk properly due to the foot- deep stinking saw dust she lived in and is still a little skittish. I had Eaton neutered and they have lived together for the past 18 months.
If you would like to contact me feel free and I will help all I can. [email protected], Good luck
 
Hi Lib!

Great for taking that poor boy on! I hope that you can post a picture of him at some point so we can meet him as well! It seems like you are doing alright!

You have got most good advice already. Please have a look in at our reference section; we have tried to create a collection of short, but informative threads that answer the most frequently asked questions on the forum.

Be careful when introducing new veg to a guinea pig that has never had any; it can cause diarrhea in some piggies; best do it slowly and never more than one new variety at a time. the mainstay of his diet should be plenty of hay, with 50g/1 cupful of mixed veg per day in one or more servings and guinea pig pellets. Guinea pigs cannot produce their own vitamin C; they need to get it through their food, preferably veg with a high vitamin C contant like parsley, (bell) peppers or broccoli, for instance.

With a boy on your hands, you'd do best to either let him choose a friend himself at a rescue/shelter, if you have one within reach, or try and find him a young baby boar to daddy and cuddle up with at first.
How to introduce guinea pigs: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562
Boar behaviour: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28949

I am sure that your boy will come round with time, once he starts to really believe that paradise on earth exists - and it is all for him!
 
aaw this is great that you are taking on looking after him. Its always nice to see things going on like this. i cant understand anyone that would mistreat an animal, if they are going to do that, why get an animal in the first place. They deserve to be put in a cat box to see how they like it.

I cant offer you much advice except to listen to the people on here because they know their stuff and I'm a new guinea pig owner and they have helped me lots. I got my pigs 3 weeks ago, had a few probs with them but they are getting a lot tamer now and are often out for a cuddle. Its nice getting to know these little creatures and offering them the care and love they deserve. I must admit i would of been at a loose end without the forum, so stick with it id say.. its a great support network :))
 
You've done a wonderful thing by rescuing the little fellow and by the sounds of it you have a good idea of what you're doing for a new piggy owner :) A good way to bond with your new little friend would be to have lots of laptime with him, have him get used to you holding him by having him on your lap while you're on the computer, reading a book, watching tv and etc.

Now, about the patch on his back and the sores, it does sound like it could be mange mites. A good idea would be to take him to a certified exotics vet, always an exotics vet and never a cat dog vet, always check to make sure the vet is qualified for treating guinea pigs. I know vet visits are expensive, but it's important that you have a vet check him for problems (like the bald spot) and examine him for anything else that might have been the fault of his previous owners. Another good thing about doing that would be that you could also ask the vet any questions you have about diet, weight and any other concerns while he is examing your piggy.

After you have gone to the vets and everything has been checked out and fixed then you can start thinking about getting him a companion. A good idea would be a little boy for him to father, getting a male the same size and age would lead to dominance issues. However that doesn't mean you wouldn't need to introduce them properly.

Good luck to you :)
 
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