Hello all, I’ve recently just adopted a baby girl from a pet store. Couldn’t help seeing her there. Now, the first day I brought her home she had a small amount of boogers and wet nose. It was white, I wiped it off with a wet rag easily. Haven’t seen any in 5 days, unless she groomed it herself. Can piggies get casual boogies? I haven’t heard any sneezing, breathing sounds very clear. I got her a multivitamin and some vitamin c for the stress of the move. I’ve already made her a vet app, but i couldn’t get in for another month. Advice? Is this normal or am I over thinking? She really does seem fine, aside from being a scared little girl still
Hi and welcome
Please take a deep breath. Being a new pet parent is scary and of course you want to get it right.
Guinea pigs coming from the comparatively sterile environment of the commercial supply breeder and then pet shop into a much more complex home environment can react with some sensitivity, especially to hay, bedding dust or any scented products in the room (air fresheners, scent sticks, human perfumes and highly scented skin products or smoke), which results in sneezes and the occasional booger if it dries on the nose. This usually settles after a few weeks.
Irritants to Avoid Around Guinea Pigs
Please be aware that URI is a bacterial infection and not the same as a human cold, so symptoms and the order of appearance are not the same. You haven't mentioned any of the typical symptoms that are characteristic for the onset of a URI.
Here is our information on URI:
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights
Please stop the vitamins. Multivitamins are harmful to guinea pigs as their vitamin needs differ from those of humans. The problem with supplementing with vitamin C especially in young guinea pigs for longer terms is that it can ironically lead to scurvy issues in later life because the body gets used to the higher than normal levels and can react with deficiency symptoms to any sudden drop even though the actual levels are still above normal. Scurvy in well kept guinea pigs on a good diet is rare; most cases we see are actually stemming from the kind over-dosing described above.
Where supplementing with extra vitamin C is helpful is during the recovery from a serious illness; in this case a 2-3 week booster will be much more effective if your piggy is not used to those artificially high levels.
Try not to be extra good; 'normal' good is actually better.
Keep in mind that vitamin C is practically in most foods that guinea pigs eat - pellets, veg, herbs and fresh growing grass (high vitamin C content and the reason why guinea pigs never make their own) and even a little in hay. It is also in pretty all support products for ill guinea pigs. Keep in mind that the actual amount is very small for such a small animal. None of our long term members' piggies has ever had to see the vet for scurvy despite not supplementing on vitamin C - and we've been going for 15 years.
Below is our detailed diet advice. If you feed double the amount of pellets (i.e. 2 tablespoons instead of one daily for the next month) and a sprig or two of cilantro/coriander to the daily diet, you cover any extra need already.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Here is the link to our comprehensive practical New Owners' information collection, which you may find very interesting and useful for bookmarking, browsing, reading and re-reading. It is one of the largest currently around. Our guides are aiming to provide the kind of practical and precise how-to details that new owners are looking for.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
PS: What would be great and the best ever gift AND long term health booster you can make your little girl is to find her a same sex companion in the coming weeks; our sexing guide and this forum can help you with making sure that both piggies are the same gender. Guinea pigs are a social species and not wired to be on their own - and you get to enjoy the lively and vocal interaction that makes guinea pigs so unique and endearing.
