Urgant, Please Help. - New tiny and slugglish piggy.

[LittlePreciousP]

Okay, to start off i have a small 3 month old guinea pig. i got her from a petco, because where i live there is NO rescues for small pets. and i wanted my 10 month old to have a friend. if anyone needs more info on that topic just look at my old threads.

Back to what i need help with, i have this 3 month old female guinea pig and she honestly doesn't look at all like a 3 month old, shes so tiny and fragile. when i brought her home i was expecting a fight getting her out of her carrier but she didn't do anything. i don't know if she was just used to it or was just not fazed but it was insanely strange because my 10 month old put up a fight when i brought her home. Besides the point, the little one has just been very sluggish, she makes the "weeeek" noises and seems fine but when i went to hold her to get her weight she had crust in the crease of her eyes, but it only came from over night so i didn't know if it was like humans after they sleep or if shes sick. i didn't get the weight because I'm just too scared to get her out. again shes just so fragile and skinny and i don' know if she could be the runt or not. but it seems like it.

 

[Wiebke]

Okay, to start off i have a small 3 month old guinea pig. i got her from a petco, because where i live there is NO rescues for small pets. and i wanted my 10 month old to have a friend. if anyone needs more info on that topic just look at my old threads.

Back to what i need help with, i have this 3 month old female guinea pig and she honestly doesn't look at all like a 3 month old, shes so tiny and fragile. when i brought her home i was expecting a fight getting her out of her carrier but she didn't do anything. i don't know if she was just used to it or was just not fazed but it was insanely strange because my 10 month old put up a fight when i brought her home. Besides the point, the little one has just been very sluggish, she makes the "weeeek" noises and seems fine but when i went to hold her to get her weight she had crust in the crease of her eyes, but it only came from over night so i didn't know if it was like humans after they sleep or if shes sick. i didn't get the weight because I'm just too scared to get her out. again shes just so fragile and skinny and i don' know if she could be the runt or not. but it seems like it.

Hi!

Please have her vet checked to make sure that she is OK, not ill and a decent weight/heft for her size. Guinea pigs come in all sizes. Weigh her regularly to monitor her food intake. Without seeing and handling her ourselves, we can only guess on the basis of what you are relaying to us.
The crust is not a sign of a respiratory tract infection if it either transparent or white. The first is from washing out a small irritation from her eyes and the second is eye cleaning fluid. URI crusts are thick yellow or green, like you get from a bad cold, bronchitis or sinusitis.

Make sure that you have got hay, water and her other food close by where she sits and that cover the top of her cage with a sheet to give her a feeling of safety and protection. Use our piggy whispering tips to make friends with her and use the other tips in our settling in guides to avoid any predatory/hunting behaviours as much as possible.

Please take the time to read these guides here. At this stage it is very difficult whether she is ill or very frightened. Getting her a same sex friend is the biggest gift you can make her; guinea pigs are prey animals that live in groups and are not wired to live on their own.

What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips

Companionship

All these guides are part of our New Owners guide collection, which you may hopefully find both helpful and interesting.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

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