Okay... So this is going to be long, but please help. I'm utterly lost.
3 1/2 weeks - a month ago I purchased 2 Guinea pigs from Petco, along with an abundance of everything they need ect. The two pigs I purchased were cage mates in the store, and they cane in together. They are of similar color, which keaves me to believe there's potential that they came from the same litter. (However, I do not know this for a fact).They are both females named Nala & Nea. Nala being a larger (seemingly more dominant) guinea, and Nea being a smaller (seemingly more dependant) guinea.
During the first week, we brought them home and they behavior seemed fine and in alignment with all the resesrch we had done. Nala (the larger) seemed content and independent. While Nea the smaller seemed to almost follow Nala around. Get extremely close to her, and squeek quite a bit if Nala was taken out of the cage before her. At the end of that first week, while they were in thier play pen for out of cage time, I noticed the one smaller guinea (Nea) laying down almost looking like she was sleeping. After observing this for a short period of time l, I grabbed her and she didn't run. Mind you, Nea, the smaller guinea would ALWAYS run when picking her up. Which I assume was normal as she was so new to the enviornment. The fact that she didnt, I immediately knew something was wrong. Upon further examination she was lathargic and seemed to almost be shivering. When I purchased the guinea pair, I was told by Petco that if there was an issue we could bring her back to be examined by their vets. Knowing that information after seeing that concerning behavior we rushed her back to Petco.
Petco took her back (returned) her, but took our information so we could keep in contact and try to fascilitate getting her back when healthy.
They brought her to an exotic animal hospital (one with great reviews in our area). They seen her, put her on multiple medications and gave her back to Petco for care. The 'diagnosis', if you could call it one was that they thought she had a potential bite on her neck and might have had a reaction. However, they didnt seem sure. Keep in mind I was recieveing this information from Petco so its somewhat like a game of telephone as the vet will not speak to me directly. This appointment I just mentioned was 3 days after we dropped her off. (We were concerned with them waiting that long, however we were assured that was the soonest she could be seen).
Fast forward one week, to when we were told she had a follow up. We were told she was doing slightly better, eating and drinking somewhat normally, but still showing signs of needing to heal and that the mark on her neck was not healed. We were told she needed to finish her medicine in which there was about a week or so left. They told us they would continue to administer the medicine and when the bottle was gone, she would have a follow up and hopefully we could take her back.
Fast forward another week to today. (01/13/23). I called again they told me that she has another follow up in two weeks and they need to keep her until then. They reiterated that they think that the 'cause' was a bite to the neck. They said the vet wants to make sure her neck heals and she goes back to 100% normal and the injury does not become an absess. Now keep in mind, while this has all happened the guinea pigs have been apart for nearly three weeks to this point. During this time, Nala (the larger uninjured) guinea. Has continued to seem healthy, eating and drinking just fine. She acts 'normal', however we are not sure if she is 'bored', or 'lonely'. As we dont exactly know what bored or lonely looks like. She has plenty of toys, but doesn't really play with them. She has become much more comfortable with us, and does not run when we go to pick her up, or squeek in panic ect. She moves around her cage, but doesn't 'run around' very much. She sleeps out in the open occassionally now in which she didnt before. However, I dont know exactly how normal all of that behavior is as I dont have a guinea care history to compare it to. She definitely seems fine though.
Now, with all of this said. I have multiple concerns. Everything I have read mentions guineas should be kept in two. Well, my one guinea has been alone for roughly three weeks now. She wont have an opportunity to be reuinited with the other for at least another two weeks. Petco had told me on the last call of we get her back they recommend them being seperated. Which also concerns me because that would essentially mean theybwere aingle guineas.
I am also concerned because they still seem to think the cause was a bite. So now I wonder if Nala my larger healthy guinea is aggressive. And how that would react if they were reunited or if we got a different guinea for her to have a cage mate.
Can guinea's be kept singlely? I hear about loneliness and how that can actually be a cause of death! I dont really know what to do. If I got another guinea that isnt Nea, I am concerned that if Nala was already potentially aggressive with Nea, how she would act with a guinea she is kess familiar with that didnt come into the shop together.
Is keeping Nala by herself worrisome because of lonliness? Does anyone have experience with single pigs? I honestly have no idea what to do here. So any advice or context would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks,
3 1/2 weeks - a month ago I purchased 2 Guinea pigs from Petco, along with an abundance of everything they need ect. The two pigs I purchased were cage mates in the store, and they cane in together. They are of similar color, which keaves me to believe there's potential that they came from the same litter. (However, I do not know this for a fact).They are both females named Nala & Nea. Nala being a larger (seemingly more dominant) guinea, and Nea being a smaller (seemingly more dependant) guinea.
During the first week, we brought them home and they behavior seemed fine and in alignment with all the resesrch we had done. Nala (the larger) seemed content and independent. While Nea the smaller seemed to almost follow Nala around. Get extremely close to her, and squeek quite a bit if Nala was taken out of the cage before her. At the end of that first week, while they were in thier play pen for out of cage time, I noticed the one smaller guinea (Nea) laying down almost looking like she was sleeping. After observing this for a short period of time l, I grabbed her and she didn't run. Mind you, Nea, the smaller guinea would ALWAYS run when picking her up. Which I assume was normal as she was so new to the enviornment. The fact that she didnt, I immediately knew something was wrong. Upon further examination she was lathargic and seemed to almost be shivering. When I purchased the guinea pair, I was told by Petco that if there was an issue we could bring her back to be examined by their vets. Knowing that information after seeing that concerning behavior we rushed her back to Petco.
Petco took her back (returned) her, but took our information so we could keep in contact and try to fascilitate getting her back when healthy.
They brought her to an exotic animal hospital (one with great reviews in our area). They seen her, put her on multiple medications and gave her back to Petco for care. The 'diagnosis', if you could call it one was that they thought she had a potential bite on her neck and might have had a reaction. However, they didnt seem sure. Keep in mind I was recieveing this information from Petco so its somewhat like a game of telephone as the vet will not speak to me directly. This appointment I just mentioned was 3 days after we dropped her off. (We were concerned with them waiting that long, however we were assured that was the soonest she could be seen).
Fast forward one week, to when we were told she had a follow up. We were told she was doing slightly better, eating and drinking somewhat normally, but still showing signs of needing to heal and that the mark on her neck was not healed. We were told she needed to finish her medicine in which there was about a week or so left. They told us they would continue to administer the medicine and when the bottle was gone, she would have a follow up and hopefully we could take her back.
Fast forward another week to today. (01/13/23). I called again they told me that she has another follow up in two weeks and they need to keep her until then. They reiterated that they think that the 'cause' was a bite to the neck. They said the vet wants to make sure her neck heals and she goes back to 100% normal and the injury does not become an absess. Now keep in mind, while this has all happened the guinea pigs have been apart for nearly three weeks to this point. During this time, Nala (the larger uninjured) guinea. Has continued to seem healthy, eating and drinking just fine. She acts 'normal', however we are not sure if she is 'bored', or 'lonely'. As we dont exactly know what bored or lonely looks like. She has plenty of toys, but doesn't really play with them. She has become much more comfortable with us, and does not run when we go to pick her up, or squeek in panic ect. She moves around her cage, but doesn't 'run around' very much. She sleeps out in the open occassionally now in which she didnt before. However, I dont know exactly how normal all of that behavior is as I dont have a guinea care history to compare it to. She definitely seems fine though.
Now, with all of this said. I have multiple concerns. Everything I have read mentions guineas should be kept in two. Well, my one guinea has been alone for roughly three weeks now. She wont have an opportunity to be reuinited with the other for at least another two weeks. Petco had told me on the last call of we get her back they recommend them being seperated. Which also concerns me because that would essentially mean theybwere aingle guineas.
I am also concerned because they still seem to think the cause was a bite. So now I wonder if Nala my larger healthy guinea is aggressive. And how that would react if they were reunited or if we got a different guinea for her to have a cage mate.
Can guinea's be kept singlely? I hear about loneliness and how that can actually be a cause of death! I dont really know what to do. If I got another guinea that isnt Nea, I am concerned that if Nala was already potentially aggressive with Nea, how she would act with a guinea she is kess familiar with that didnt come into the shop together.
Is keeping Nala by herself worrisome because of lonliness? Does anyone have experience with single pigs? I honestly have no idea what to do here. So any advice or context would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks,
