Quarantine - why you should do it
I just thought I would throw my two cents in on the quarantine topic. I just purchased a 5 week old pig from a reputable breeder. Thankfully I put her in quarantine, because 2 weeks in to it I found small white nits on her hair and lice on her belly. Since she is isolated I only have 1 pig to treat and not 9!
Reputable breeders are an oxymoron.
We suggest you adopt from a rescue or shelter next time.
Topical ivermectin or advantage works fine.
We suggest you adopt from a rescue or shelter next time.
Topical ivermectin or advantage works fine.
Thats for the advice. I do understand that everyone on this forum is down on purebreds, but please do not be so judgemental. for the person who told me to adopt from a shelter- I have 4 pigs adopted from a local shelter, 3 rescued from a show, one rescued from a bad home and I have a revolving door set up with a local place that retires their older pigs to my house.
When I went to visit my parents during Christmas, I let a breeder babysit my guinea pigs. She put them in a tiny cage with her own pigs. They came back underweight, with parasites, and with wounds everywhere after being chased around for two weeks by the more dominant piggies. When I called to ask how they were doing she told me they were "doing just fine". She never mentioned she had put them with other piggies. I'm just happy they didn't end up pregnant.
I do understand that everyone on this forum is down on purebreds, but please do not be so judgemental.
zootech, I probably should have been more clear. People on these frums aren't down on breeders because of the purebred issue (which doesn't really affect guinea pigs since there's no temperament or breed traits other than appearances.) The beef is more with actual breeding practices.
Pregnancy is always a risk for female guinea pigs. Accidental pregnancy is one thing, but deliberately endangering female pigs is another. It does not help that for whatever reason, many breeders do not follow basic care standards, increasing the risk for health problems. As you learned, even a reputable breeder can have a parasite infestation in an infant herd. Other breeders sell stock to pet stores or cull for showing. Many breeders are ignorant of proper guinea pig care, and it does not help that they contribute to the overpopulation problem.
On the rare occasion there is a breeder who wants the best for their piggies and does take good care of them, but rescues tend to have run ins with more bad than the good. Maybe if breeders caused less problems for rescues, some people would be more open to them. But to many people, breeding deliberately is in itself an unconscionable risk to the sow.
So, it's not anti-purebred prejudice. It's more about breeding practices and how they contribute to the sick guinea pig overpopulation problem--while other guinea pigs languish in the shelter and are put down for being unwanted. And until breeders follow care standards to prevent disease transmission, it is always wise to quarentine!
zootech, I probably should have been more clear. People on these frums aren't down on breeders because of the purebred issue (which doesn't really affect guinea pigs since there's no temperament or breed traits other than appearances.) The beef is more with actual breeding practices.
Pregnancy is always a risk for female guinea pigs. Accidental pregnancy is one thing, but deliberately endangering female pigs is another. It does not help that for whatever reason, many breeders do not follow basic care standards, increasing the risk for health problems. As you learned, even a reputable breeder can have a parasite infestation in an infant herd. Other breeders sell stock to pet stores or cull for showing. Many breeders are ignorant of proper guinea pig care, and it does not help that they contribute to the overpopulation problem.
On the rare occasion there is a breeder who wants the best for their piggies and does take good care of them, but rescues tend to have run ins with more bad than the good. Maybe if breeders caused less problems for rescues, some people would be more open to them. But to many people, breeding deliberately is in itself an unconscionable risk to the sow.
So, it's not anti-purebred prejudice. It's more about breeding practices and how they contribute to the sick guinea pig overpopulation problem--while other guinea pigs languish in the shelter and are put down for being unwanted. And until breeders follow care standards to prevent disease transmission, it is always wise to quarentine!
She's nuts. She even got mad at me because I told her onions were bad for piggies. Apparently, she feeds it occasionally to her pigs and they "have not died from it yet!!" Not that she bothers to actually figure out what was wrong when her guineas dies...I'm sorry you had such a lousy experience, Kaylee. This person sounds particularly clueless.