Found abandoned guinea pigs

[ChicoAndAmigo]

What a thrilling day for us...long story short, was contacted by someone who found 2 boys in a fried chicken box. It's 90 degrees outside. One very large brown boy, and a smaller boy with what may be a cataract. I think he's a senior. Very overgrown nails. The local rescue is full and I'm not giving these guys to a shelter, so here I am with 2 more boys in an old 2x4ft cage. Considering my unsavory experience with the shelter I got my first boys from, I don't want to put these guys thru that. I'm not really sure what to do, they're off the street and safe. They're not dead. They could use a vet visit, especially the little guy - he has a cataract or something in his left eye. He walks in circles sometimes and his head tilts to the left. They are extremely scared and won't come out from their houses. I have to put the food near them because they fear coming out to eat. They seem to get along just fine. The brown one is extremely skittish and runs at the sight of hands. The little guy does better and lets me pick him up like he's been handled more. I'm just not ready for more guinea pigs, but here they are.

[Soecara]

I would start by treating for scurvy, if they were ditched in a box chances are good they are also vitamin C deficient. Treatment is simple and won't hurt even if they don't have scurvy. https://www.guinealynx.info/scurvy.html

Best of luck with these boys, I would love to see some photos of them.

[bpatters]

Thanks for taking them in! Good luck with them.

[ItsaZoo]

So good of you to take them in and give them a chance. Yes, I would start with vitamin C since they're probably malnourished and maybe dehydrated as well. Good luck with them!

[ChicoAndAmigo]

The smaller one with the cloudy eye/cataract feels very warm. He's been hiding pretty much the entire time so maybe its excess heat from his little plastic house...but I've never felt a pig this warm. I work at a vet but they're not exactly small pet experts.

[ChicoAndAmigo]

The smaller one with the cloudy eye/cataract feels very warm. He's been hiding pretty much the entire time so maybe its excess heat from his little plastic house...but I've never felt a pig this warm. I work at a vet but they're not exactly small pet experts.

I'm not sure how to edit my post. Little pig is also shaking. Granted I was holding him and he was shaking badly. One of my existing boys hates being picked up and shook at the vet, but not the way this guy was.

[peanny77]

I'm not sure how to edit my post. Little pig is also shaking. Granted I was holding him and he was shaking badly. One of my existing boys hates being picked up and shook at the vet, but not the way this guy was.

You can edit posts within 10 mins after posting only

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Thank you so much for taking these little guys in. They quite obviously needed you very much. I do hope you're in time to help them, I'm very concerned about the little guy. Maybe I'll just refer to them as George and Lennie for now, from Of Mice and Men.

It sounds like Lennie is doing ok, other than the nail part but George is concerning me greatly. Feeling very warm like that could mean an infection of some sort, running a fever. He could also be shaking like that because he's chilled from a fever as well as being terrified.

Please keep us updated. I really want to know how these two make out. Hearing about abandoned pigs really makes my blood boil, there's absolutely no reason for it and they are so defenseless when left like that.

[Guinea Pig Papa]

I should add that the head tilt may or may not be from whatever is wrong with his eye. If he has an ear infection, that can also cause the head tilt and walking in circles. It would also explain the heat from infection and why he's so warm.

[ChicoAndAmigo]

We went to my work at a vet today and they were seen. Big brown boy is okay. Little black and white guy with the cataract has an ear infection, and mites. Treating for everything. Their weight is good. They are not used to being handled at all and the little one nibbled my coworkers, but I think it may partly be because maybe he can't see as well. They are eating okay and not being quite as shy.

[Guinea Pig Papa]

We went to my work at a vet today and they were seen. Big brown boy is okay. Little black and white guy with the cataract has an ear infection, and mites. Treating for everything. Their weight is good. They are not used to being handled at all and the little one nibbled my coworkers, but I think it may partly be because maybe he can't see as well. They are eating okay and not being quite as shy.

Thank you for updating us on their condition. What was the prognosis for the little guy, did the vet seem to think he's going to be ok? And it's definitely a cataract?

[ChicoAndAmigo]

Yeah my vet thinks for sure it's a cataract. Neither of them have eye discharge or anything and the (other) eyes look fine. I have a pic I will try to post. We will see if the head tilt clears up with the ear infection. We do suspect it is an older (senior) pig also. Overall I think they will be fine.

[ChicoAndAmigo]

Attachment 87347

Here is his eye

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Yeah, sure looks like a cataract to me as well. I'm very happy to hear that they will both be fine. I was so angry to hear that they had just been dumped and it's been bothering me all day.

Bless you for taking them in. You are their champion and I am extremely grateful they found their way to you.

[ItsaZoo]

So glad you were able to get them to the vet and help them out. Please keep us posted, I hope the little guy starts feeling better.

[ChicoAndAmigo]

Yeah, sure looks like a cataract to me as well. I'm very happy to hear that they will both be fine. I was so angry to hear that they had just been dumped and it's been bothering me all day.

Bless you for taking them in. You are their champion and I am extremely grateful they found their way to you.

It's really ironic because the girl who found them lives really close to me. She had called my work for help and my coworker texted me the girl's info so we met up. I think what gets me the most is the people who dumped them had poked air holes in the fried chicken box they were tossed out in.

Both boys did really well at the vet aside from the small guy (Little Bear) nibbling my coworkers. I don't think he means to hurt anyone, maybe he can't see too well because of the cataract so he tests what is in front of him. Bruin, the big guy, is extremely skittish and probably was never handled correctly.

They are so scared still. They are in an old 2x4 pet store cage. The left side has a platform (used for cover) and 2 houses. They will not move from here to explore or eat. I put all food near their houses or try to give it to them. Little Bear accepts food. Bruin runs. So they're really using about half the cage as they are too scared to do anything else. It's sad compared to my other animal shelter pigs who come running to me for food.

I noticed they haven't touched the water bottle so I moved it closer to them and put down a bowl of water. They do get veggies so they get some water from them. I'm not sure if they even know how to use a bottle.

[Guinea Pig Papa]

You already know it's going to take time to get them to come around, and maybe even more so with this pair because they've been poorly treated.

I wouldn't worry too much about the nibbling, just yet. The only things guinea pigs have to explore with is their mouth, just in case everything is food. My little man Simon is a champion "taster". I'll pick him up against my chest and pet him, and as soon as my thumb gets near his mouth he latches onto it and won't let go, kind of like a puppy. He doesn't do it to hurt, or warn, he just thinks its fun.

Perhaps try covering one end of their cage with a towel, that may help them come out and explore a little more if they have some cover, higher up.

[ChicoAndAmigo]

Attachment 87352

Here they are if I didn't share a pic. That is where they hang out. There's two houses but the big brown one Bruin likes to rearrange them.

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Oh, Bruin looks so much like my boy Sly..........

Again, thank you for taking them in.

[ChicoAndAmigo]

Update, still doing okay. One of them wheeked this morning when I woke up. I usually feed them right after. Hopefully this means they are warming up. I love how they all have their own unique voice. I got confused because I didn't recognize the wheek as from my existing pair.

They are eating better, but water consumption is low. I had a bowl and a bottle but neither went down much and the bowl got dirty. I left only the bottle and they barely drank from it. I replaced it with a bowl since I switched them over to the same washable pee pads my other boys use (so no bedding in water). Hoping the presence of water will encourage them. I know they know how to use the bottle, and the bottle isn't jammed or anything.

I noticed dark urine stains also...first when we went to the vet, the pee pad (under their fleece bedding) was stained brown. In their cage, there's spots of brown in the bedding. I've never seen this on my existing boys,even when they came from the shelter and one had scurvy. Granted these guys aren't drinking much and had been left in 90 degree weather for unknown time, and their past is unknown, who knows what could be affecting them. I intend to take them to the vet if it gets worse, but right now the only symptoms of something wrong is lack of drinking and brown urine.