1 Double-checking the gender upon arrival
- Sexing
- Pregnancies and surprise babies
2 When to quarantine new companions?
3 Vet visits
- Health check/registration upon arrival
- Reclaiming vet cost for newly bought ill guinea pigs
4 Common illnesses in new guinea pigs
- Ringworm
- Respiratory infection (URI)
5 List of guinea pig specific parasites
- Mange/selnic mites (trixacarus caviae
- Hay mites (chirodiscoides caviae)
- Lice
1 Always double-check the gender upon arrival
Sexing
Mis-sexing especially babies is sadly still very common. Please always check the gender of any new guinea pigs yourself upon arrival and do not just rely on staff or breeders, or even guessing vets!
If you struggle with sexing, please open a thread in this section or the pregnancy section, which is only visible to registered members. Please note that we will still ask you to check how the inside of the slit looks, as that is the only way you'll ever get 100% clarity. Our aim is to empower as many owners as possible to learn to sex their guinea pigs correctly so they won't have to rely on people who should know but sadly still all too often get it wrong.
Be aware that we cannot see any more than you from fuzzy and badly lit pictures.
Our illustrated sexing link for guinea pigs of all ages, including babies and neutered boars:
Pregnancies and surprise babies
Mis-sexing and not separating any male pups at 3 weeks of age when they become sexually active can lead to pregnancies. Even if you have been sold two sows, one or both of them can be pregnant if the impregnation has happened at the commercial supply breeders, the transport to the various shop branches or in the shop itself.
If you suspect a pregnancy, please open a support thread in our pregnancy section, which is only visible to registered members after they have signed up to our strictly enforced no breeding forum policy.
PS: The earliest sows can give birth is ca. 14-16 weeks of age. They won't show before they are ca. 11-14 weeks old.
Our practical suprise babies care collection
2 When to quarantine new companions?
Quarantining tips
If you have already got guinea pigs and your new arrival has not undergone a mandatory quarantine in a good standard rescue, quarantining is strongly recommended. Please keep any newbies in a dfferent room well away from your own piggies for 2-3 weeks to prevent transmission.
Always clean, feed, handle and groom your own healthy guinea pigs before the new arrivals and use good hand washing and a different t-shirt/pullover for handling.
When to skip a quarantine
- If you bring home youngsters under 16 weeks, please waive a quarantine as their need for companionship overrides any other concerns. You will need to treat all piggies in contact if there is an infectious illness/parasite infestation.
- Quarantine also does not apply for acutely pining freshly bereaved piggies of yours (not eating/drinking and staring at the wall), again because the need for instant company is paramount.
- If you get guinea pigs from a home where you know for sure (and not just because you have een told) that they have been well cared for and haven't been exposed to neglect/sub-standard care, a quarantine is also usually not necessary.
If you have any doubts whatsoever, please have them vet checked and err on the side of caution!
Importance Of Quarantine
Please note that guinea pigs are group animals that should not be kept as singles.
Companionship
3 Vet visits
Health check/registration upon arrival
We recommend to have all new guinea pigs vet checked. You cannot reclaim the cost of a routine health check at the vets.
A vet check is always necessary if you acquire second-hand guinea pigs from free-ads, privately or from rescues/shelters without a mandatory quarantine.
Be aware that many infectious issues like ringworm/fungal or mites take 10-14 days between in infection and outbreak. In the case of ringworm, this can happen even later if ringworm spores are carried in on the coat, but have not come into contact with the skin.
Please be aware that vet cost are going to make the largest budget post in any pet's life and that you need to take out either exotics pet insurance (not available in many countries) or you need to save up on a weekly or monthly basis as an integral part of their normal living cost.
Emergencies can happen at any time during their lives. Guinea pigs can go downhill very quickly; you do not have the time to argue with your family for days! Serious illness and operations can quickly climb into the hundreds of pounds/dollars.
The right to be free of pain and to not suffer unnecessarily is one of the basic rights for any domestic animals.
Recommended UK vets: Recommended Guinea Pig Vets
Recommended exotics vets in some other countries: Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List
Reclaiming any vet cost for newly bought ill pet shop guinea pigs
If there are health problems during the weeks after a shop sale, you can reclaim any vet cost from the shop as exposure and infection must have happened at the shop.
UK chain shops generally acknowledge any vet bills that are presented together with the sales receipt and dated within the first 2-3 weeks while US chain shops do so within the first month. Please take a picture or video with the date on a piece of paper clearly visible to prove our claim.
You can also reclaim any arising vet cost from a mis-sexed pair or buying an already pregnant sow, as well as claim support (cage, feeding) for any unplanned babies as part of your customer rights for having been sold faulty ware.
Please refuse to sell your guinea pigs back to the shop with the option of buying them again after any successful treatment! This means that you lose any legal rights to your guinea pigs, including the right to raise a complaint if your guinea pig dies from ineffective cheap treatment since you have no control or no say.
- Sexing
- Pregnancies and surprise babies
2 When to quarantine new companions?
3 Vet visits
- Health check/registration upon arrival
- Reclaiming vet cost for newly bought ill guinea pigs
4 Common illnesses in new guinea pigs
- Ringworm
- Respiratory infection (URI)
5 List of guinea pig specific parasites
- Mange/selnic mites (trixacarus caviae
- Hay mites (chirodiscoides caviae)
- Lice
1 Always double-check the gender upon arrival
Sexing
Mis-sexing especially babies is sadly still very common. Please always check the gender of any new guinea pigs yourself upon arrival and do not just rely on staff or breeders, or even guessing vets!
If you struggle with sexing, please open a thread in this section or the pregnancy section, which is only visible to registered members. Please note that we will still ask you to check how the inside of the slit looks, as that is the only way you'll ever get 100% clarity. Our aim is to empower as many owners as possible to learn to sex their guinea pigs correctly so they won't have to rely on people who should know but sadly still all too often get it wrong.
Be aware that we cannot see any more than you from fuzzy and badly lit pictures.
Our illustrated sexing link for guinea pigs of all ages, including babies and neutered boars:
Pregnancies and surprise babies
Mis-sexing and not separating any male pups at 3 weeks of age when they become sexually active can lead to pregnancies. Even if you have been sold two sows, one or both of them can be pregnant if the impregnation has happened at the commercial supply breeders, the transport to the various shop branches or in the shop itself.
If you suspect a pregnancy, please open a support thread in our pregnancy section, which is only visible to registered members after they have signed up to our strictly enforced no breeding forum policy.
PS: The earliest sows can give birth is ca. 14-16 weeks of age. They won't show before they are ca. 11-14 weeks old.
Our practical suprise babies care collection
2 When to quarantine new companions?
Quarantining tips
If you have already got guinea pigs and your new arrival has not undergone a mandatory quarantine in a good standard rescue, quarantining is strongly recommended. Please keep any newbies in a dfferent room well away from your own piggies for 2-3 weeks to prevent transmission.
Always clean, feed, handle and groom your own healthy guinea pigs before the new arrivals and use good hand washing and a different t-shirt/pullover for handling.
When to skip a quarantine
- If you bring home youngsters under 16 weeks, please waive a quarantine as their need for companionship overrides any other concerns. You will need to treat all piggies in contact if there is an infectious illness/parasite infestation.
- Quarantine also does not apply for acutely pining freshly bereaved piggies of yours (not eating/drinking and staring at the wall), again because the need for instant company is paramount.
- If you get guinea pigs from a home where you know for sure (and not just because you have een told) that they have been well cared for and haven't been exposed to neglect/sub-standard care, a quarantine is also usually not necessary.
If you have any doubts whatsoever, please have them vet checked and err on the side of caution!
Importance Of Quarantine
Please note that guinea pigs are group animals that should not be kept as singles.
Companionship
3 Vet visits
Health check/registration upon arrival
We recommend to have all new guinea pigs vet checked. You cannot reclaim the cost of a routine health check at the vets.
A vet check is always necessary if you acquire second-hand guinea pigs from free-ads, privately or from rescues/shelters without a mandatory quarantine.
Be aware that many infectious issues like ringworm/fungal or mites take 10-14 days between in infection and outbreak. In the case of ringworm, this can happen even later if ringworm spores are carried in on the coat, but have not come into contact with the skin.
Please be aware that vet cost are going to make the largest budget post in any pet's life and that you need to take out either exotics pet insurance (not available in many countries) or you need to save up on a weekly or monthly basis as an integral part of their normal living cost.
Emergencies can happen at any time during their lives. Guinea pigs can go downhill very quickly; you do not have the time to argue with your family for days! Serious illness and operations can quickly climb into the hundreds of pounds/dollars.
The right to be free of pain and to not suffer unnecessarily is one of the basic rights for any domestic animals.
Recommended UK vets: Recommended Guinea Pig Vets
Recommended exotics vets in some other countries: Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List
Reclaiming any vet cost for newly bought ill pet shop guinea pigs
If there are health problems during the weeks after a shop sale, you can reclaim any vet cost from the shop as exposure and infection must have happened at the shop.
UK chain shops generally acknowledge any vet bills that are presented together with the sales receipt and dated within the first 2-3 weeks while US chain shops do so within the first month. Please take a picture or video with the date on a piece of paper clearly visible to prove our claim.
You can also reclaim any arising vet cost from a mis-sexed pair or buying an already pregnant sow, as well as claim support (cage, feeding) for any unplanned babies as part of your customer rights for having been sold faulty ware.
Please refuse to sell your guinea pigs back to the shop with the option of buying them again after any successful treatment! This means that you lose any legal rights to your guinea pigs, including the right to raise a complaint if your guinea pig dies from ineffective cheap treatment since you have no control or no say.
