Bite Wound (Please HELP)

[Natia]

He just gave me a really painful bite while bathing (obviously he was not in the mood of a bath and I decided to clean his lips with just a wet hand after cleaning the rest). I have never been bitten by him for 5 years and did not expect this. Please advise how I should react, should I get any rabies shot? can he really transfer that disease or any other?

He was never vaccinated since in my country (Georgia, East Europe) even vets think guinea pigs are not supposed to be vaccinated or even taken to the vets, usually none of them specializes in rodents or exotic vets and people do not take good care of them. However I take a good care of him, he always has clean food, hay and wood shavings of a brand (not like I bring them from nature like some owners prefer). Also, I do not let him on the floor (because we walk on them with shoes so I have been considering hygienic reasons always).

These are photos of my bite. I am very allergic so if I decide to get a shot, I have to be first tested on that and take a consult from my allergy doctor, etc. It will be exhausting and I am just recovering from some serious flu with bronchitis. I would really not like to have any shots right now if it is not actually necessary.

Please advise should I get vaccinated and which one rabies, tetanus, anything else? I will be very grateful for every comment

[Phantomhorse]

Guinea pigs are not very common carriers for rabies. Disinfect the wound (Lanacane or something else) and then wash it out and bandage it. There is a very small chance you will get an infection and a house guinea pig will not give you rabies.

[Kimera]

You will certainly not get rabies from a guinea pig, but the nip may get infected. Nothing dangerous, you probably don't need any shots, but if there is redness, swelling, pain and pus, you will need to see a doctor and get an antibiotic. A mouth, even (or in particular) human one is full of bacteria, and any bite may get infected.

[JX4]

The only possible way you could get rabies from a guinea pig is if he was out in the wild and had contact with an animal that had rabies and then lived long enough (unlikely) to infect you. In other words, not very likely. I was bitten like that by a guinea pig that was not mine a long time ago, and I too panicked. I called our vet and asked him about it and he reassured me that I was not going to get rabies from a guinea pig.

If your guinea pig has been out in the wild and could have come into contact with a rabid animal, then you should go to a doctor and inquire about shots. But if your guinea pig has been kept indoors and you've had him for longer than a week or so, then I don't think you need to worry about it. You should, however, wash the wound and bandage it as per what others have said, because it can get infected.

[Quiet Wren]

I wouldn't worry about rabies. But you should find out if you are up to date on your tetanus vaccine. The normal recommendation is to have a tetanus vaccine every 10 years. Tetanus thrives in puncture wounds.

[CavyGirl04]

I wouldn't worry. I got bitten once hard enough to draw blood, and it healed with absolutely no complications. Some antibiotic ointment couldn't hurt but as long as you have your tetanus shot up to date and your guinea pig wasn't wild outside, there shouldn't be too much to worry about. If it seems infected (red, swollen, hot, painful) and doesn't get better, then you might consider seeing a doctor, but don't worry too much; guinea pigs don't normally carry too many diseases.
The only one that you might be at risk for specifically from a bite is Pasturella, which is still very rare in guinea pigs. It causes painful wound infections that are serious and fast-progressing, but if you don't see symptoms yet you probably won't. Other than that, there shouldn't be any diseases a bit would put you at increased risk of (at least, no common ones) so just treat it like you would any other wound - bandage, antibiotic ointment, etc.