Okay, so I'm in a really weird situation right now.
A few days ago, my relatives asked me to take care of a male gerbil because they would be out of state for a week. I was nervous (because I've never taken care of a small animal ever), but agreed to take on the job. When they gave me the "gerbil" on Wednesday... I quickly realized that that wasn't a gerbil -- it was a guinea pig! A female, too! She's this white ball of fluff... they moment I saw her, my heart melted. ♥
I was told that they found "him" a few weeks ago in the bushes by my uncle's job. That area is nowhere near any neighborhoods, and by a really busy street, so I'm surprised she was out there of all places. They don't really know her age, where she came from, and... according to my dad, they don't really want her, either. I did a lot of research on how to take care of GPs in the last two days, and I've realized that the cage they gave me is way too small, and I was also only given water and pellets for her (I went out and got some veggies and hay and toys for her to chew on yesterday to start off). If they don't want her, I'm considering keeping her.
But! The reason why I'm here is because I'm afraid she might have mites. I've noticed that she's been scratching herself more often, and that she has patches in her fur that seem kind of... I don't know, clumped? I'm completely new to this, so I'm not sure if the black patch on her face would be any indication either. This is a picture of her:
(broken link removed)
and (broken link removed)
Because of this (and since I'm not sure whether she's feral or someone's lost pet or, worse, if someone dumped her ), I've made an appointment with the vet and am waiting for them to call me back. Should I be worried, though? Does she seem okay in those pictures, or...?
Thank you! If I get to keep her, I'll be sure to give her a bigger home and give lots of love.
A few days ago, my relatives asked me to take care of a male gerbil because they would be out of state for a week. I was nervous (because I've never taken care of a small animal ever), but agreed to take on the job. When they gave me the "gerbil" on Wednesday... I quickly realized that that wasn't a gerbil -- it was a guinea pig! A female, too! She's this white ball of fluff... they moment I saw her, my heart melted. ♥
I was told that they found "him" a few weeks ago in the bushes by my uncle's job. That area is nowhere near any neighborhoods, and by a really busy street, so I'm surprised she was out there of all places. They don't really know her age, where she came from, and... according to my dad, they don't really want her, either. I did a lot of research on how to take care of GPs in the last two days, and I've realized that the cage they gave me is way too small, and I was also only given water and pellets for her (I went out and got some veggies and hay and toys for her to chew on yesterday to start off). If they don't want her, I'm considering keeping her.
But! The reason why I'm here is because I'm afraid she might have mites. I've noticed that she's been scratching herself more often, and that she has patches in her fur that seem kind of... I don't know, clumped? I'm completely new to this, so I'm not sure if the black patch on her face would be any indication either. This is a picture of her:
(broken link removed)
and (broken link removed)
Because of this (and since I'm not sure whether she's feral or someone's lost pet or, worse, if someone dumped her ), I've made an appointment with the vet and am waiting for them to call me back. Should I be worried, though? Does she seem okay in those pictures, or...?
Thank you! If I get to keep her, I'll be sure to give her a bigger home and give lots of love.