Hi all, first of all I'm new to the forums site and secondly a new owner of Guinea Pigs. I need some help. I just bought my Piggie from Petco, last Tuesday. (Petco was the only choice I had) and I was wondering if I should take my pet into a vet for a check-up ASAP? My Guiniea Pig seems to be doing fine, but from all the negativity I've heard about Petco and Petsmart, would it be the smartest thing to do?
If a pet shop is your only choice I wouldn't get guinea pigs.
It'd be a good idea to take your piggy to the vet, but I wouldn't take them to the petco or petsmart ones. I dunno, where I'm from there is no Petco or Petsmart but haven't heard good things about them.
Alrighty. I definitly wont take her to the petco one. Hopefully I can find a vet that's open tomorrow and I'll take her.
if you live anywhere in the united states, there is a rescue or shelter where you can find a guinea pig near you. you may have to drive a bit, but it's better than support companies like petsmart and petco that abuse their animals and treat them like trash.
please do not take your pig to a petco/petsmart vet - even if it's an emergency - find a vet near you that is cavy-savy - ask specifically if the vet has experience working with exotics like guinea pigs. if it's not an emergency, even if you have to wait a few days for an appointment, find a good vet.
since guinea pigs are social animals, having one is not recommended - they really need to live with another pig, or more. when you go to get a friend for your pig - PLEASE consider adopting. let us know if you want a friend and we'll give you suggestions about where to find one.
thanks for coming on here - you'll get lots of really good and smart advice and help and support!!
I don't know if a vet check up is really in order, it would probably stress out the pig. Although after adopting both my pigs they went to the vet and got check ups anyways, because I thought one was pregnant, and it turns out the male has a hernia. What a mess. For peace of mind you could take the pig, but if it isn't showing symptoms of anything then I don't know. Mind you, you may not know what to look for.
Welcome to the forum and to the world of guinea pigs!
Many of us got our first gp's from the a petstore before we knew they were not the best. I have gotten gp's that came healthy and some that came with lice. Not knowing about quarintine I gave all my pigs lice. I was very lucky I did not buy a pregnant pig. So now you are here, the very best place you can be for the health and happiness for your new baby.
It will not hurt your piggie to go to the vet. You can make sure of the sex, make sure he/she does not have lice, mites. a URI. all things that are common from a petstore. It will also give you piece of mind knowing your little guy is healthy or not.
When the time comes and you want a friend for your pig. We will help you find one so you do not have to use a petstore again. We can help you now with cage info, food info or anyother questions you may have.
Again welcome. What is your piggies name? We also love pictures.
evilove (08-04-12)
Unlike others, I will not scold you for how you got your pig, because the bottom line is ,you are giving it a good home and that is all that really counts in the end. No shelters with pigs near me either. Went on craigslist and adopted my guys........Good luck
I think you will feel much better after you take your new pig to a vet. It never hurts, and may help, no?
I agree with suzi--let us help you find your next guinea pig! You will want to get your new little sweetie a companion.
Have you checked out the cage size standards yet on the front page of www.guineapigcages.com ? We can help you with making a wonderful cage.
I don't see any scolding here, SuperGilbert. Just someone maybe trying to stir up a little trouble?
We take our babies in to see the pediatrician for a well-baby visit. I too recommend doing the same for a new cavy........a well-piggy visit, no matter where you acquired it. That way you get everything checked, including teeth which are difficult to visualize unless you have the proper equipment. That way if your piggy should become ill, s/he is already established with the vet.Originally Posted by suzilovespiggie
A vet visit is a great time to learn to do routine maintenance on your cavy such as nail clipping, ear cleaning, and genital cleaning (if necessary).
i would recommed that you take your guinea pig for a vet visit to get a quick check up. I also bought my guinea pig from petsmart (recieved her as a present). and three weeks later she ended up having mites, luckily i caught it quickly and she was able to be treated for it and is now doing better. it doesnt hurt to have them checked up, so go ahead and take your piggy in :) i am also a new guinea owner and so far im loving it, and i hope you are as well :) i understand why people want to mention over and over that buying from pet stores is not a good idea and we all know why now. once a person is told once he/she should know better from now on so please guys enough with the scolding and just help a new guinea pig owner out.
Like the others, I would also recommend taking the guineas to the vet. Regardless of where it was obtained, it's a good idea to get them looked at just in case.
Thanks for all the helpful replies everyon! I will be taking her to the vet sometime this weekend or next week. And from all the replies I will stear clear of Petco and Petsmart!
It may also be an idea to read up on guinea pig health problems you are meant to check for when buying/adopting your piggy, including pet store pigs. Check the eyes for any yucky stuff or crust, skin for dandruff/mites, make sure the nose is dry, ears seem normal (not too dry and crusty although this can occur in some guinea pigs and there may be nothing wrong, like my Noah, just gets dry ears sometimes) and make sure there's no yucky stuff in the guinea pigs ears. Also make sure they're not missing patches of fur.
That's what I learnt about and did when I adopted Noah and I will be doing the same with Elmo in a couple of weeks. Sometimes pet store animals are okay when they're purchased (not all of them come full of diseases, lets be honest...) although as they are not given a lot of space in pet stores and treated 100% properly it is more likely that they will have some sort of illness than a piggy with the right space etc, so if you are concerned it is worth a vets check up, for your piece of mind. Check the paws as well! And remember, thin fur behind the ears is normal.
It's also worth considering getting another guinea pig. They are social animals that naturally live in herds therefore it's not really fair keeping one on their own. In rare cases, some like being solitary, but that is rare because it's not their instinct. And it's been proven that guinea pigs that live in pairs or groups live longer, healthier lives than those alone :)
Oh, check their teeth too :) Forgot that in my last post. A friend of mine didn't check her hamsters teeth when she bought it (not a guinea pig but the same rule applies, as their teeth are forever growing and there can be serious implications if they have issues with them) because she didn't see the need...turned out it had a misaligned jaw/teeth and she had to take it to the vets every 6 weeks to get it's teeth clipped. It wouldn't be able to clean or eat if she didn't o_o so it's a good idea to check these things every now and again :) Luckily Noah likes to show me his teeth if I keep him up too late at night (can't tell if it's tired yawning or annoyed yawning) so I don't have to try and force him to let me see!
@suzilovespiggie, that was such a nice reply! I am a new piggie owner, too. Thankfully, when I adopted mine from the shelter, I was given a coupon for a free vet visit, and during the adoption interview I was given the names of several vets who specialize in small animals. @Nickbarron7 , you are in the right place. These forums have been so helpful. My piggies have their appointment in a few days, and after reading through some of the topics here, I have a list of questions and things I want the vet to show me so I can properly care for my little guys. Things like: how to clean their ears, how to clip their nails, what to watch for with signs of infection, how to properly clean their grease glands and private parts (if you have a boy), etc. Even though I've read a lot, I feel more comfortable having an expert show me. Good luck with your new piggy![/SIZE]
@iamsnape , just some info about teeth.
One, there's not likely to be anything wrong with the front teeth unless there's something wrong with the back teeth. Injury or abscess on the front teeth is possible, but the most common cause of front teeth problems is something wrong with the molars.
Two, you can't check their teeth by looking at their mouths while they're yawning. The only way to check a pig's teeth is to look in the mouth with an instrument, or hold the mouth open with a separator so the back teeth can be visualized.
Third, a guinea pig's front teeth almost never need to be clipped, and when they do, it's usually because the molars are overgrown.
Fourth, it seems to me that very few vets know anything about guinea pig teeth, including some exotic vets.
Lol there foggycreekcavy, I will ask you that same question bc how you came to interpret that, I have no idea..............
I think it is a great idea to go to the vet with your piggie. It will set your mind at ease once your piggie gets a clean bill of health. Be sure to check with the vet about how to trim toenails yourself at home while you are there for the initial visit and have the vet verify the sex of your piggie. Good luck with your new addition to the family!
I agree with all of that, I'm just explaining that my friend didn't do a general health check in any way when purchasing her rodent and because of it she had to pay out a lot in vets bills so whilst the case may not be the same for guineas, it's always best to check things because if you don't there may be vet bill implications. At least by having a quick look over, even if you don't know a lot about guinea pig's teeth, you can look for anything that may be considered obvious, such as broken teeth, tooth decay, etc. Just my opinion anyway and something I try and look out for...not expert stuff but basic advice for stuff to check out, even if it does seem obvious :)
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