HELP!

[kairoinegypt]

i've been wanting a new essential oil diffuser and i've read that the oils are harmful for the piggies, BUT i've used air fresheners and things like that in the same room as my guinea pig (me and her share a room) and she has never showed any symptoms of illness or even discomfort. i keep her cage on the floor of my bedroom and usually have a blanket on top of her cage (i take it off sometimes so she has more light). i was thinking of getting one of those diffusers that fan the oil so that the scent travels around the room and its never too strong but i want to know if that's okay. i plan on keeping it all the way on the other side of the room so that it's doesn't bother her too much. and again i've used spray air fresheners around her and her old mate and they've never showed symptoms of respiratory problems or discomfort in the slightest. my piggy is 100% healthy but i don't know if the oil diffuser that fans the scent would be too much. i thought it would be okay because it's not one of the diffusers that humidify the oils into the air with water and that actually makes the oil itself travel. i need opinions please help me and my pig!

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Short answer? Don't use them. Guinea pigs have extremely sensitive respiratory tracts and are susceptible to upper respiratory infections and other respiratory ailments. The more you can do to mitigate the artificial odours around them, the healthier they will be.

 

[bpatters]

No, they're not ok. And just because you haven't seen any ill effects yet doesn't mean that there aren't any. Some inhaled chemicals can affect the liver but take a year or so to do the damage. Others can harden the lungs over time.

Are you using the scents because of the cage smell? If so, you can address that with different bedding and more frequent cleaning.