Newbie Pig Owner

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Lisa Han

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Hi everyone,
I'm a new pig owner. It started yesterday when I was on a trail walking in a park. Maybe a quarter way through the walk I spotted what I thought was a rabbit. It wasn't, it was a white male guinea pig sitting on the side of the trail partly hidden. Needless to say I spend the next 10 minutes trying to catch it. Which I finally did. And took it home so it would not get eaten or starve to death in the wild.

I've posted on several rescue group asking if anyone have lost a guinea pig but deep down I know someone got tired of him and tossed him out in the park to defend for himself.

Anyway, Now I'm am the proud owner of a new guinea pig maybe (still not have decided if I should turn it to animal rescue). But until then, I'm trying to learn as much as I can on what I need to take care of this fellow and address some of his conditions.

Here is his conditions:

1. He has hair missing and it's coming off a lot. Part of hair loss it probably might fault. Try to grap onto his hair a couple of times and it just came off his body. Still, he is losing a lot. Someone suggest he may have mange. I do have ivermectin for my dog but not sure about treating him with it.

2. He has this weird looking spot on his butt. Maybe clog grease glad. Going to try to clean it with Dawn Dish Washing soap. Will that work?

3. Some of his nail are curdled in. I have a small nail trimmer I use for my dogs which I think will work but any suggestion for trimming nails? I don't want to freak him out too much.

4. He is pretty nasty underneath. He is white on top but he is stained on bottom. Can I wash him with dog shampoo?

Hopefully I will be able to get this little fellow get back in shape even if I don't end up keeping him.

Thanks
 
Hi and welcome!

Great that you are determined to give this poor little boy a home! Guinea pigs are territorial and do not move far, so he has most certainly be dumped! Sadly, this is not at all rare, especially in the summer months. :mal:

He sounds very neglected; his stained undercarriage means that he had to live in his own muck. :(
Please have him seen by a good vet tomorrow to find out whether he has got mange mites or fungal or both; the hair coming away in swathes sounds rather like severe stress or fungal.

Mange mites and fungal require different treatments; by treating on spec you can make things easily worse! A bath can cause fitting with advanced mange mites, so please talk about that aspect with your vet before you give one. With severe mites, an interval course of ivermectin injections is the most effective. Your vet will also recommend a suitable product; your piggy may need an antifungal dip like imaverol or an antifungal shampoo instead. If he has fungal, I would also ask for a systemic oral fungal like itrafungol. Please do not use any dog shampoo or other skin products on guinea pigs. A vet nurse may also help you with the nail trimming.
We have got a piggy savvy UK vets locator on the top bar. Most UK vets will probably charge you less for checking out a newly rescued piggy.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/
http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
http://gorgeousguineas.com/indentification.html
http://gorgeousguineas.com/photogallery.html
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/importance-of-quarantine.108034/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/ringworm-hygiene-and-pictures.115402/

Could you also alert your local RSPCA (or Humane Society) of your find, in case he has a companion? Please do not let him go to a shelter with an euthanasia policy.

You may also want to be careful when introducing veg slowly, as at the worst, he's not had any and it could cause diarrhea. Make sure that he has plenty of hay (should make up to 80% of the daily food intake) and introduce one veg in a small quantity at a time until you are sure that he can cope. Please weigh him at least once weekly throughout his life, daily if his health is in question.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/getting-a-guinea-pig-items-youll-need-to-buy.112288/

It would be a great help for us if you added your country, state or (for the UK) your county/general area to your details, so we can tailor our advice to your part of the world (product names etc.). Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thanks!
 
Hi, and welcome

Hair loss maybe due to ringworm, lice, mites etc this is common and can be because of stress. Keep washing your hands and if you have children try not to let them pet the piggy keep the dog away from it too, because ringworm can be passed on to other pets and humans very easily, I brought poorly piggies (click on my name to read my post if you want to) they are undergoing a months course of treatment for ringworm, lice and mites so for this has cost me £186 to treat. You really need to get this piggy to a vet ASAP your best to take him to a small pet savvy vet so he's treated properly.
I think the best thing to do is give him alittle green veg, grass, hay if poss and water pop him in a suitable box away from your dog and contact a vet first thing in the morning, treating this piggy with non suitable things such as dog treatment or washing up liquid may really harm him if he washes his self Hun :(
Your have done a very kind thing by taking him in please find a suitable rescue centre through this site that is nearest to you if you don't want to keep him, or contact your RAPCA and ask if they can take him.
All the best and keep us posted.
 
PS: If you are in Britain, we may be able to help you get him into a good standard rescue if you do not want to keep him.
 
Thank you everyone for the info. In just a day and with some food in his stomach, he looks a lot better.
Called around and there isn't really a vet that specialize in small animal in my area.
However, a friend of mine called a small animal rescue and they said they will take him in and they will have him checked out by a vet. My friend said she will also take him there too.
I think it's probably for the best. Not equipped to keep a guinea pig like it should be kept and one of my dog is looking at it the wrong way.

It's sad that his previous owner decided to dump him at the park instead of spending a little bit of time finding a new him a new home or taking him to a rescue group.
 
That's a fair call to let an animal rescue take him. You did a very kind thing by catching him and providing care and food for him, even if you don't keep him.
 
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