Help me Decide if I should get her

[RainKindle]

"Adoptables Discussion- for discussing pigs you'd like to adopt"

I've had my single female guinea pig for just over 2 weeks now. I was lucky enough to know about this forum before I got her due to my involvement with a rabbit society. Therefore, I started out on the right foot with Maple, and I am learning more about how to continue to provide the best life for her. One of those things is to not have a single solitary guinea.

I've been keeping an eye out for a neutered boar or another female to rescue in my area. I've recently found one and I liked her. (But it really is more up to Maple than me.)

I just have a couple concerns that I was hoping for some input on.

Maple is in her puberty stage, and the other female guinea pig is 3 years old. (This isn't a question, it is just something I've been mulling over, I plan on doing introductions properly.)

The other guinea pig was not taken care of by very knowledgeable people, and when they took her to a vet, it looks like the vet wasn't cavy savvy.
I reviewed this guinea pig profile at the humane society. (Her name is currently "rainbow" so I guess I'll just say that for now.)
On her profile it says that she must have parsley to keep up her vitamin C. (This gave me red flags as I know that parsley is not the best choice due to high calcium and a choice like green pepper would be better.)

It said on her sheet that she had bleeding from the anal area in the past and that it was due to lack of vitamin C. However, that isn't a sign listed on guinea lynx for vitamin C deficiency.
http://www.guinealynx.info/scurvy.html
Diarrhea and hemorrhage are listed at guinea lynx, so is that what happened to her in the past? The humane society doesn't know.
Would "rainbow" be affected in the long term from this?
Or could there be some other underlying thing I should be aware of?

I looked rainbow over. I double checked that she was a she. I looked for any signs of mites, (hair loss) and looked at her feet pads and nails, and looked at her skin and looked for lumps. I did not identify anything unhealthy although I am new to this. I did not however look at her teeth and I wish I did, but I was kinda scared to do it in front of the volunteer because my guinea hates it and I figured rainbow was stressed enough at the moment from being down the hall from loud barking dogs.

Like I said, Maple has only been with me just over 2 weeks and has not had her full quarantine.

A concern I have is that where I live does not have any separated rooms. If I were to take rainbow home, she would be quarantined to the best of my ability, but it would be not in separate rooms. I already have separate lab coats that I'd be wearing and separate items to care for the guineas separately, but they would be across the basement from each other. I'm a bad estimator of distance, but they would be separated by 30 feet.

(If you know of anyone in my area who would be willing to do a 3 week quarantine for me, please let me know!)

I need to know if this setup would be a satisfactory quarantine. Otherwise Maple will be friendless for the next 2 years as it will be unlikely that I will get a place with separated rooms until then. And of the two guinea pig rescues in my state, one is retired and the other is "re-organizing" and will not be able to help me for now. (I already was in contact with them so that they knew I was looking for a guinea pig pal for Maple...and I asked them for vet references.)

Here is the link to rainbow:
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/dis...petid=11760406
And since they didn't have a picture of her...I took one!
Sorry, the picture just doesn't do rainbow justice. I literally took it upside down while she was sitting in my shirt. It is attached.

Any friendly input would be appreciated. I am looking for advice and ideas.

[jmjohnson89]

What you are doing, as far as separation/quarantine, is just fine. I have 43 guinea pigs of my own and quarantine's of the new one's can even be a few feet away. Most of quarantining is due to the fact that you don't want any upper respitory infections to start. Same with ear mites. You sound like you did a WONDERFUL job of checking her over. Kudos to you for that!! Now, about the bleeding in the past.....what I suggest is you take her to an exotic vet just for a "wellness examination". Bleeding from the anal area could mean so many things. Let the vet know her history as much as you can and don't forget to take the dangerous medications list from guinealynx with you. You sound like such a wonderful piggy mommy. Congratulations and keep my posted. Would love to see pictures of them!

[RainKindle]

jm, thank you for the encouragement. How you keep up with 43, I couldn't imagine. I'm thinking about calling up the humane society to see if they had a vet of any type look her over. Otherwise I am looking into guinea pig vets tomorrow when minutes are free on the weekends. I plan on calling one after another to ask the questions outlined on guinea lynx. The recommended vets on guinea lynx are very far for me, but I will drive if I have to. I also got a recommendation on the vet that treated the guineas at Jack Pine Guinea Pig Rescue (the rescue is now retired.) That vet wasn't on guinea lynx so I know there are other vets that could be good that are closer to me. I just plan on going through the process tomorrow for Maple anyways.
For now, if nobody else has any concerns or input on rainbow, I'm thinking about getting her on Friday a week from today. That way I have a whole week to think about it and discuss with those close to me. If someone adopts her within that time, I'm sure to feel jealous, but I think I need a week to get supplies and prepare the other side of the room.
(I'm also a live at home senior college student, and I have to prepare the parental unit...somehow...I've been building mom up to it...but it really hasn't gone so well so far, so wish me luck...because she wont be happy that she doesn't have a choice in the matter. *I'm laughing as I say this in a positive attitude*)

[banjosnotbombs]

Originally Posted by jmjohnson89

What you are doing, as far as separation/quarantine, is just fine. I have 43 guinea pigs of my own and quarantine's of the new one's can even be a few feet away.

Quarantine needs to be further than "a few feet away". I imagine on the opposite side of your home, if thats all you can manage, would have to do.
IMO, it would be best to wait until Maple is done her quarantine before adopting.

That humane society sounds really suspicious to me though. They're giving incorrect information. Scurvy can lead to other health issues, but bleeding from her anal area is really bad, and could even maybe be bladder stones. Which, if they're feeding her lots of parsley for vitamin c, bladder stones sound more likely(parsley is high in calcium).
Also, you probably shouldn't go to the recommended vet by the humane society, especially if they're giving out incorrect information, which is likely from their vet.

I ran a search on GuineaPigHome.com for you, and there's Twin Cities Guinea Pig Rescue, in Minnesota. Here's their petfinder site. http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/tcgpr.html
Guinea pig rescues wont adopt guinea pigs out unless they 100% healthy. It might be a better option for you.

Oh, and I just have to say, I think Maple is the cutest name!

[khptown]

My only suggestion is to get a healthy guinea pig. You would not want to risk exposing Maple to an ill guinea pig then you could possibly loose both. Also, having a sick animal can be VERY expensive. Money is always an issue when deciding to get another pet.

[MissGinger]

That piggy need's to get out of there Now before She die's & she needs to get to a good vet.
Even if you don't keep get Please help her get healthy, I can't see how people are saying to just leave her there.

[RainKindle]

Originally Posted by banjosnotbombs

.
IMO, it would be best to wait until Maple is done her quarantine before adopting.

That humane society sounds really suspicious to me though. They're giving incorrect information.

Also, you probably shouldn't go to the recommended vet by the humane society, especially if they're giving out incorrect information, which is likely from their vet.

Thursday is Maple's last official quarantine day, which was another reason I was thinking Friday for rainbow. (forgot to share, opps)
Also, technically, the private party I got Maple from...I had visited Maple several times over the almost 4 weeks they had her. So I've actually known Maple longer than I've had her. She's been healthy throughout, but she will have her own vet soon to double check for me.

The incorrect information sounds like it is coming from the previous owners for rainbow. It didn't sound like rainbow still had blood near anal area...but I just thought of a zillion more questions I should be asking the humane society. So thank you! Humane Societies aren't guinea pig rescues.

The vet recommendation came from Twin Cities Guinea Pig Rescue. I'm sorry that I didn't clarify.
Also, yes they have two young male piggies up on petfinder, but before they did and when I contacted them and they told me that they were re-organizing, they said that those boys were all that they had, and this is what Allysse who responded to my email said:

"Yes, we're still here but doing a lot of behind the scenes re-organizing so that's why there's nothing on petfinder. We currently only have two male pairs for adoption. Part of the re-organizing also means that we won't have guinea pigs on a regular basis, so unless there is a really special case that comes our way, we won't have any more guinea pigs in the program."

I didn't ask if she meant forever, or just while re-organizing they wouldn't have any more guineas in the program. I hope it isn't forever, because if I still live in MN after my sweetheart and I graduate from college and get jobs, I'd like to foster...I'm still just learning now.

Thank you for the compliment on Maple's name! She was actually re-named after I got her from that private party I mentioned. She used to be "Spook" which is cute but not as approachable as Maple. Also, I gave mom the option of 3 names to choose from. (Penny, Maple, and Chloe.) I put the other two names in there because I knew she would choose Maple over them. I know it was sneaky, but I knew that if I offered to let her choose, she would be more comfortable with a "rat" in her house. Now, with much effort, mom calls the "rat"..."princess Maple." (Because of how attentive I am to the "rat.") As bad as it sounds, mom is just trying to get under my skin for bringing Maple home, and mom is really just joking. (And mom has been spoiling Maple with a new carrier and pigloo.)
I had just gotten those things myself...so when mom wasn't around I drove into town to return the ones I got, haha!
I got side-tracked, but if I get "rainbow," she will likely be renamed.

You have given me a lot to think about, and I have another set of questions I plan on asking the humane society now. Thank you for your input!

[RainKindle]

khp and Ginger,
It didn't sound/seem like rainbow was ill/still ill. I decided to call up the humane society to double check anyways.
After interrogating the poor girl who answered, I got many of my questions answered.
I asked if bleeding was still occurring, and that is not the case right now. I asked if the society knew when rainbow had this issue, and unfortunately it was not specified how recent that was. Any further attempts about asking to inquire with the vet that was seen were blocked since the society has to protect the previous owners. Dead end, but rainbow appears healthy now.

I asked what veggies were being fed at the humane society, and I was sorta happy with their response. (They aren't feeding parsley commonly if at all, but the variation of veggies seemed limited to me.) They have an approved list of what they can give, so I am semi happy about that.

The girl I talked to at the desk gave some great information about 2-3 exotic vets. She said that often times the first exam is free. So in my screening process of vets, I have another question to ask!

So new dilemma. Should I wait until Friday for the specified reasons above, or should I pick up rainbow earlier to try to get her into a vet sooner?

[banjosnotbombs]

That's great, and no problem. If you have any more questions, we're here to help.
My dad has a funny way like that with my guinea pigs. He calls them fat, lazy and all sorts of names. It's just his way, I catch him throughout the day sneaking in their room and being sweet to them. Hehe

Edit: Oops, I didn't realize you asked another question.
If she has any further health issues, the humane society should be providing her with vet care. My decision would really be based on whether they could adopt her out to someone else, while you're waiting until Friday.

[Percy's Mom]

Originally Posted by jmjohnson89

and quarantine's of the new one's can even be a few feet away.

Absolutely not. If you have not had any problems when you're quarantining only a few feet away, you have been very lucky. Quarantine should be in a seperate room, not only to allow the new pig to settle in and lessen any stressors, but to avoid air borne diseases.

Even if Maple's quarantine is not yet over, you could still adopt Rainbow. She will need a seperate 3 week quarantine before you introduce them anyway. It does sound like you did a good cursory health check at the humane society and Rainbow would be a lucky little girl to come live with you.

[RainKindle]

I went through the process of weeding through some vets for Maple, and possibly rainbow this morning.
I spoke with an amazing exotic vet Dr. that passed all the questions listed on guinea lynx and additional questions that I had with flying colors.
And she recommended an exotic vet that she worked with over herself!
I was very impressed.
I'd be very comfortable seeing her over the several vets I weeded out today. She sees many guineas herself.
The exotic vet she recommended possibly works with the retired Jack Pine Rescue's existing guineas that are still around.
I'm interviewing that Dr. on Wednesday.
I'm sure that vet will pass my questionnaire with flying colors as well, but I just want to have a vet lined up for rainbow before I get her.
In order to have that free first exam, it has to be within 7 days of adoption from the humane society. Since Monday is a holiday, and this particular vet is only in 2 days a week. It is likely that I wont bring home rainbow until Thursday at this point just for that reason.
Should this vet pass with flying colors when I interview her, but I can't get in with an appointment...I feel comfortable seeing the first Dr. that recommended her.

[RainKindle]

Just an update,
Maple has reached her 3 week quarantine. Also, I decided on that vet that was recommended by her co-worker (a mutual exotic vet.)
It seems that rainbow has been adopted out. Which is good because that means people are actively looking at the humane society for guineas. But I wonder if waiting for the vet to be lined up and the quarantine to be complete was the wrong decision. I would have accomplished those things with the addition of another guinea or not by today.

So anyways, I've been keeping an eye out for other female guineas or neutered boars, and I talked with a possible family off of craigslist.
However, after I had exchanged a few emails, I asked for a picture of the guinea's privates to make sure she was a she, and asked several detailed questions. Now they haven't contacted me for 48 hours.
It makes me nervous because they don't have a picture of her in a normal photo to send, and maybe they decided to give the guinea to someone who didn't ask so many questions or something.
So I am still looking for a friend for Maple. I just feel Maple isn't as vocal as she would be with another guinea. She also doesn't run laps in her huge cage or during floor time either. I was hoping a friend would help her out in that area. *sigh*
If patience is a virtue...then virtues are agonizing!