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New Guinea Pig Owner and a Question

agstarre

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So I just adopted two guinea pigs from my local shelter earlier this week! I have an appointment with the vet on Monday and I am making a list of questions to ask them since I have never owned guinea pigs before. Due to their current restrictions, I won't be able to go inside during the examination. Does anyone have any specific questions they think I should ask my vet? Thanks!
 

bpatters

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No question suggestions, but here's some recommended reading for new pig owners: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners

Read as much as you can before you go, and make notes.

But the very first thing to do, tonight, is to turn them both over and compare their private parts to make sure they're the same sex. You're not as likely to have gotten a missexed pair from a shelter as from a pet store, but it does happen. If they don't look alike, separate them NOW -- they can reproduce at ridiculously early ages, like 3-4 weeks.
 

JaneDoe

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Welcome, agstarre!
 

Dukes

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how much is a vet visit? We just got our Dukes. He’s our only GP. However, yesterday when my daughter brushed his hair, she noticed some black dots or could be a diff shape. So now I’m a little worried since my daughter noticed it on her clothes too. Could it be mites? Or just dandruff ?
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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Will they brush out or just fall off when you pet him, or do you have to slide them off the hair shaft with your fingertips? If the latter, they're likely lice nits.

Mites are microscopic and can't be seen with the naked eye. Unless he's itching a lot and beginning to show a certain pattern in his fur from biting, it's likely not mites.

As far as vet costs go, prices can vary wildly in different states and even within the same city. You MUST find a cavy savvy vet who specializes in exotics, a small animal vet (dog and cat) won't cut it here. They know little about so-called "pocket pets" and can even be dangerous to them.
 

bpatters

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What [MENTION=35161]Guinea Pig Papa[/MENTION] said.

Can you take a well-lit, close-up picture of the dots? If they're lice, they're easily treated.

How old is he?
 
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