Quarantine Bringing a new guinea pig home

[2NCpiggies]

I plan to get a new guinea pig next weekend. I read somewhere to quarantine them for 3 weeks. But what does that mean? Can their cages be beside of each other? Or different rooms all together? If there's any other tips, please feel free to let me know!

 

[CavyMama]

Ohh welcome! Where are you getting the new little one from? What kind of cage do you have?

Yes quarantine means that you have the new pig separate (as in, in a different room) for 21 days to make sure they have no underlying illnesses or mites that they could spread to your other pig(s).

 

[lissie]

Can their cages be beside of each other? Or different rooms all together?

No side by side cages. Some illness are airborne. They need to be in different room.
Here are some helpful info:
Guinea Pigs Social Life
https://www.guinealynx.info/quarantine.html

 

[PiggieJewel]

One of the experts here also just told me that a few people have noticed illness in a quarantined piggie after two weeks. Piggies can hide an illness, so it's best to wait a full three weeks before introducing. Also is good to keep a smock or something like that in the quarantine room so you can take it off before going to see the established piggie(s). Wash your hands and arms thoroughly, too. I have a piggie in quarantine, now, so the routine is still fresh with me. Good luck!

 

[sdpiggylvr]

If you don't already have at least one guinea pig, you should adopt a bonded pair or a trio. Both pigs will be happier, healthier, and better off if they live with another of their kind. Take it from me: I have two guinea pigs. One (Sophia) goes to my daughter's room in her own cage at night, and the other pig, Maggie, stays in the C&C cage. (It's a posessive thing that I don't get.) I can definitely tell that Maggie is a little more depressed/somber and less lively/active, which means that she enjoys living with Sophia and misses her. Think about it: if you lived alone, you'd be lonely too. Even if you had a dog or a cat or whatever, you'd still wish for another of your kind to live with.

Are you adopting or buying? I hope you are adopting - it's much more rewarding to adopt instead of buy. As it says on Cavyspirit.com, "Don't buy when shelter animals die." HERE, you can see the horrifying things that happen behind-the-scenes at petstores.

Quarantine, as said above, means to keep separate from. If you are adopting another guinea pig to be bonded to a current guinea pig, then you'll need to quarantine your new guinea pigs for about 3 or 4 weeks to make sure that neither has a spreadable virus/disease. Keep them in separate cages in separate rooms. Handle the current pig before the new pig and change clothes if you can for each pig's handling time. It will tell you HERE all about bonding and introducing.

Good luck!

 

[Jazlyn]

When I had one of my pigs in quarantine..he was in a totally separate room for about 3 weeks.

 

[bpatters]

sdpiggylvr, I don't understand why you're separating them at night? Seems to me like that would be stressful for them.

 

[animallover2424]

Sometimes you might want to quarentine for over 3 weeks just to make sure nothing is wrong with the piggie!

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Then why are you separating them? That seems a bit mean. Can't you explain that to your daughter?

Often pigs start to fight eventually if you keep doing that.

One (Sophia) goes to my daughter's room in her own cage at night, and the other pig, Maggie, stays in the C&C cage. (It's a posessive thing that I don't get.) I can definitely tell that Maggie is a little more depressed/somber and less lively/active, which means that she enjoys living with Sophia and misses her. Think about it: if you lived alone, you'd be lonely too. Even if you had a dog or a cat or whatever, you'd still wish for another of your kind to live with.