Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

new guinea pig owner !!

newguinea3

New Member
Cavy Gazer
Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Posts
2
Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Messages
2
hello ,
i just got 3 new guinea pigs today 2 boys and 1 girl
iam excited
i do have a question/concern .
how common are mites or for a guinea pig to have fungus?

how long do they need to adjust to a new home ?
should i leave them alone or jump right in and play with them?
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,262
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,262
The first thing you should do is separate the male from the females. Guinea pigs sows can get pregnant at a very early age, and it's not good for them at all. Pregnancy and labor are very hard on guinea pig sows and pups, and the death rate is high. They're also susceptible to a number of genetic diseases that are painful and/or require lifelong intensive care. Guinea pigs should never be casually bred, and in fact, many of us think they should never be bred at all. There are enough accidental pregnancies to keep the species going without ever deliberately breeding another pig.

If you bought the pigs from a pet store and got a cage there, it's too small. Pet store cages are barely adequate for one pig, much less two, still less three. See the Main tab at the top of this page for recommended cage sizes.

That said, I'd leave them pretty much alone for a few days. Talk to them softly, stand by the cage, but let them get settled in. They're incredibly skittish, and probably always will be, but they will get accustomed to you, especially if you bring yummy veggie treats.

Here's some reading material for a new guinea pig owner:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107827-What-NOT-to-do-for-your-guinea-pigs!
 

newguinea3

New Member
Cavy Gazer
Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Posts
2
Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Messages
2
the female is in her own cage.
i will be looking in to getting the males a larger cage when they have settled down.
my concern that i have is the female felt like she had almost flakes or somethning in her fur
thats why iam wondering how common it is for them to get mites or fungus.
i do have them in my living room and have 3 younger kids.
thank you for help
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,262
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,262
Flakes could be dandruff or fungus.

Mites are microscopic and can't be seen. All you'll notice is the pigs scratching. If they get really bad, they'll lose hair in the areas they scratch the most.

Fleas look like fleas. You can see the flea dirt and the fleas crawling/hopping around.

Lice are about the size of a small grain of rice, and you can see them crawling through the fur if you look carefully. The eggs they lay are called nits, and they're attached to the hair shafts. If you see a little yellowish translucent blob that's stuck to a hair and you have to pull on it to get it off, the pig has lice.

You can treat all of those yourself with ivermectin. See https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107827-What-NOT-to-do-for-your-guinea-pigs! for instructions. Treat them once a week for three weeks, four if they've got a bad infestation.

Don't wait too long on getting a larger cage for the males. They need more space than females, and you can wind up with shredded ears and bitten faces if they're too cooped up.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Top