Advice and care for broken ribs
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Catie Cavy
- Supporter 2011-2020
I’m so, so sorry. Poor little Wallace. I was really hoping he could pull through. My best to his little buddy Terrance. You and your family have my deepest sympathy.
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Talishan
- You can quote me
Newpiggymom, do you plan on keeping Terrance and getting him another friend?
Whatever you decide, keep a close eye on Terrance. Guinea pigs are social animals and form close attachments to others. While Terrance is alone, be sure he is eating, drinking and behaving normally. They grieve and some can, depending on personality, go downhill very quickly.
Spend extra time with him. Talk to him and sing to him. Let him know he is not alone; pay extra attention to him and make sure he holds weight.
Whatever you decide, keep a close eye on Terrance. Guinea pigs are social animals and form close attachments to others. While Terrance is alone, be sure he is eating, drinking and behaving normally. They grieve and some can, depending on personality, go downhill very quickly.
Spend extra time with him. Talk to him and sing to him. Let him know he is not alone; pay extra attention to him and make sure he holds weight.
Thank you so much everyone for your kind words. Much appreciated. Feeling so horrible about the whole thing.
We're definitely keeping Terrance. Wouldn't abandon him now. He's still eating, drinking water, getting lots of attention. I do plan to get him a friend but I was going to wait until after Christmas when things are calmer and I make a bigger cage setup. And of course that everything in our home is safe so nothing ever happens like this again.
We're definitely keeping Terrance. Wouldn't abandon him now. He's still eating, drinking water, getting lots of attention. I do plan to get him a friend but I was going to wait until after Christmas when things are calmer and I make a bigger cage setup. And of course that everything in our home is safe so nothing ever happens like this again.
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Talishan
- You can quote me
Weigh Terrance regularly. Some pigs can act fine but grieve "inside". The first indication you'll often have of anything going amiss is weight loss. Guinea pigs are the reverse of humans; they lose weight easily and can have a hard time putting it back on.
https://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html
Some dogs have a high prey drive; many are better rodent-catchers than cats. While that's not their fault, here are some ideas for other-pet-proof cages:
https://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/g ... ofing.html
(I hope that looks better to you than it does on my phone. If you're just getting thumbnails try it on a desktop or laptop.)
Actually the entire site may be helpful to you in cage planning. You can make a bigger cage than you can buy for lots less money:
https://www.guineapigcages.com/
https://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html
Some dogs have a high prey drive; many are better rodent-catchers than cats. While that's not their fault, here are some ideas for other-pet-proof cages:
https://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/g ... ofing.html
(I hope that looks better to you than it does on my phone. If you're just getting thumbnails try it on a desktop or laptop.)
Actually the entire site may be helpful to you in cage planning. You can make a bigger cage than you can buy for lots less money:
https://www.guineapigcages.com/
I know you feel awful about what happened. There are ways to have dogs, cats, and guinea pigs coexist safely in the same house, but it does take oversight and care.
We have two beagles who are very rodent-driven. Our cage is a C&C with lid, and when the guinea pigs are out, we usually have the dogs either in their crates or outside in the backyard. Under no circumstances do they run free in the same room with the piggies. Our cat, on the other hand, can't stand our piggies and wants nothing whatsoever to do with them. If we are holding them and the cat jumps up onto our laps for a cuddle, she will get a look of disgust on her face and jump back down. Then punish us by turning her back to us, lol.
When we first got the piggies, the cat was very curious and sat and stared at them in the cage. The first time we had them out on the floor, however, she decided they were scary and ran away. She is not scared of them anymore, but doesn't want to be around them. Totally ignores them in the cage now, too.
We have two beagles who are very rodent-driven. Our cage is a C&C with lid, and when the guinea pigs are out, we usually have the dogs either in their crates or outside in the backyard. Under no circumstances do they run free in the same room with the piggies. Our cat, on the other hand, can't stand our piggies and wants nothing whatsoever to do with them. If we are holding them and the cat jumps up onto our laps for a cuddle, she will get a look of disgust on her face and jump back down. Then punish us by turning her back to us, lol.
When we first got the piggies, the cat was very curious and sat and stared at them in the cage. The first time we had them out on the floor, however, she decided they were scary and ran away. She is not scared of them anymore, but doesn't want to be around them. Totally ignores them in the cage now, too.
Never imagined my dog would do anything like this. She's 10 years old and has never hurt anyone. She's mothered small kittens before. She watches squirrels run by with no reaction. She's a very well behaved sweet dog. We did an introduction and let her meet and sniff the guinea pigs and she was fine. But she is after all, a dog! I feel like she was just trying to play with Wally but she's a big dog and it was too much. Very very sad.
The c & c cages look great but I also have two cats. I need it to have a top. One cat is completely uninterested and he takes one look at the guinea pig and turns and walks away. The other one is only a year old and he's very curious. He keeps sticking his paw through the bars, so I need to figure out how to put something to keep his paws out! I saw a clear plastic cage but I worry about air circulation?
The c & c cages look great but I also have two cats. I need it to have a top. One cat is completely uninterested and he takes one look at the guinea pig and turns and walks away. The other one is only a year old and he's very curious. He keeps sticking his paw through the bars, so I need to figure out how to put something to keep his paws out! I saw a clear plastic cage but I worry about air circulation?
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