Sick New piggy and i need help

[phawange]

This is my 5th time typing this lol. So long story short i recently got a new piggy (july 11th) the pet store said he was inbetween 8-12 weeks of age. Its been 3 days he comes up to my fingers sniffs them nibbles alittle sometimes and eats out of my hands jut no petting or picking him up. Ive noticed some sniffiling or sneezing here recently i though maybe because of his hay or bedding but he started coughing ( while eating) and start drinking alot of water drinking it maybe every other 20 mins. Ive also noticed alot of scratching biting and head jumping. He often does that thing dogs do when their fur is wet you know like shaking and runs around alot. Do you thinks mites or an uri. Im planning to go to the vet here soon but id really like some insight PLEASE IM WORRIED. He also sometimes will randomly whine(?). He sleeps off and on. Ive picked him up twice and hes had soft whines and even went to sleep on my chest while if rubbbed the top of his head. Its just hes been coughing/sneezing/sniffiling(?) alot and hes been scratching and biting alot adn sometimes will jerlk. Hes off and on jumpy sometimes allowing me to help him drink. I justwant to know if hes ok like a heads up please help. ALSO ive noticed he is missing soem fur like it hasnt grown in all the way but i just assumed it was because of him possily being young. THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

 

[bpatters]

Sounds like mites to me.

Taken all together, I'd say that warrants a vet visit. It sounds like he has mites, which you could treat yourself. But the sniffling and sneezing indicates a possible respiratory infection, and the quicker you treat that, the more likely he is to recover. Find a good exotic vet -- dog and cat vets usually don't know anything about guinea pigs, and they can be downright dangerous.

Here's some recommended reading for new pig owners:

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!
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/105287-How-to-teach-a-guinea-pig-to-eat-vegetables

 

[phawange]

THANK YOU!!! im planning to go asap.

 

[phawange]

i just called the vet and scheduled one thank you so much

 

[phawange]

We have to wait till mondat is their anything I can do to help him do you think he'll last until then

 

[CavyTV]

I know it's too late already, but I want to tell you to please consider adoption next time. People who buy animals from pet stores or breeders are supporting animal cruelty. You can research about it if you'd like, there are many videos showing how pet stores like Petco and Petsmart treat their animals. Also, many guinea pigs from pet stores are often sick. The most common symptoms I've seen when I've walked into a pet store and went to see the guinea pigs are the ones you are describing: constant itching and sneezing/sniffling. Petstore pigs really seem to always have one or the other: a respiratory infection or some case of parasites. And all the pet store employees do is keep them in the back. They don't bother giving them any medicine.

Shelters/rescues, on the other hand, don't even let people go home with sick animals. They pay for the vet bills with money they get from people who adopt the animals and they help the sick.

"Jerking" and "head jumping" sounds like popcorning to me. If he's jumping in the air and making little squeaks while doing it, he's popcorning and it means he's happy and excited. Just like humans, guinea pigs will occasionally cough or sneeze. If he's doing it frequently, he may have a respiratory infection and needs to be seem by an exotics vet. The "shaking like a dog" thing is normal I think. My boys mostly do it after they've had a bath, but they sometimes do it when they are dry too. Running around and "whining" sounds like normal piggie behavior to me.

Make sure to do some research on guinea pigs. See the main page of this site for cage size standards. He needs hay 24/7 and fresh veggies everyday. He needs to be living with 1 or more guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are social animals and they are happiest and tamer in pairs or groups. They feel safer in numbers. You should get him either a male pig or a spayed female. Your options are shelters, rescues, friends and family, craigslist, petfinder.com, guineapigfinder.com, and many more. Here's everything you need to know on how to bond them successfully: https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html

Here's some more info on why guinea pigs shouldn't live by themselves: https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/2982433.html

Good luck

 

[phawange]

Yea I talked to the animal welfare and he suggested I do an olive oil treatment to help with mites and I immediately noticed a change and founded 3 dead mites within an 1 hour I get my pets from pet stores for the simple fact of getting them out of that environment (like you said they can be quitested cruel) I rather do it that way so i know that aleast one pet will now have a home that will take care of them he has ALOT of hay and I figured it was popcorning we still made a vet appointment but he's doing better and is even allowing petting he also didn't whine as much when we held him and went fast asleep thank��

 

[phawange]

An olive oil treatment is rubing in a coat of olive oil in their fur it immediately suffocates mites and kills off any eggs they might have ladied I andndlso switched his bedding to a towel since he had a coat of olive oil on him and he seems to like it more and is much lively thanks for the help and support

 

[bpatters]

If you found three dead bugs in their fur, you weren't finding mites. Mites are microscopic, burrow into the skin, and can't be seen without a microscope. You're probably seeing lice, and olive oil will do nothing for the lice eggs. You'll have to repeat the treatment at least three times, a week apart, to have any hope of getting rid of them.

 

[phawange]

Idk either way he stop scratching as much and is more energetic and plays around a lot he's eating and is more willing to be pet than before he also doesn't seem to be as whinny when we pick him up he is still going to the vet but until Monday I'll do the olive oil treatment since it seems to be working for the most part thanks

 

[CavyTV]

A lot of people feel bad for the animals and that's why they continue to buy from pet stores but it still isn't right. By buying your guinea pigs, you may be "saving" them, but you are putting countless of other guinea pigs in the same situation. The only way to stop the cruelty is to stop buying the animals completely, no matter how bad you feel. That's actually the reason I don't even step foot into pet stores anymore because I know the first thing I'll wanna go and see are the guinea pigs.

 

[phawange]

I forgot about this lol. Well we went to the vet he does have a mild case of a uri but the vet looked at his fur (without any equipment just with his hands and eyes) saw no mites and said he was doing well other than the uri.

 

[CavyTV]

Like @bpatters said, mites are microscopic. They can't be seen by the naked human eye. Is your vet an exotics vet? It doesn't seem like he knows what he's doing.

 

[CavyTV]

Like @bpatters said mites are microscopic. They can't be seen by the naked human eye. Is your vet an exotics vet? It doesn't seem like he knows what he's doing.