Hard lump under chin, soft poop as well?

Gracemackenz · Post » Thu Sep 01, 2016 8:48 pm

Sorry! I didn't mean this Saturday. I'll be quarantining her for a week or two. I'm thinking of moving her to the same room as the other 4, because she's been in a small store bought cage for two years :( from what I've seen, she's already perked up from a much bigger cage.

bpatters · Post » Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:05 pm

If you put her in the same room with the others, she's not being quarantined. Quarantine means separation -- another room if at all possible. Otherwise, you may be taking ALL your pigs to the vet if she has an illness or parasites.

On the other hand, if you got her from a reputable rescue and she's already been quarantined, then you can skip the whole thing.

Gracemackenz · Post » Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:59 pm

I got her from a friend who didn't want her anymore, so I've been over quite a few times in the past few weeks and she seems totally fine. I'm going to quarantine her for at least a few days because I've been visiting her so often, but I'm just going to make sure she's totally fine

bpatters · Post » Thu Sep 01, 2016 10:13 pm

If she came from a private home and was well taken care of, you can skip quarantine.

Gracemackenz · Post » Thu Sep 01, 2016 10:26 pm

Cage wise, it was very tiny, so I won't consider that a part of well taken care of. Other than that, she's been provided with veggies, pellets, water, vitamin c tabs, etc. I will introduce them Saturday, but I really just want to make sure she's healthy and happy before I do so.

Talishan · Post » Fri Sep 02, 2016 9:41 am

Bless you and thank you for taking her and caring for her well.

If you're up for it financially -- get her a quick well check at the vet. **Have the vet confirm that she is in fact female**. The vet will ruffle gently through her fur to spot any obvious problems/parasites, and listen to her heart and lungs to make sure she doesn't have a URI. If she hasn't had hay, have the vet do a quick check of her teeth with an otoscope.

A well visit shouldn't cost much. If the vet says she's good, you can begin the introduction process right away.

Gracemackenz · Post » Mon Sep 05, 2016 11:08 am

Shammy is all good to go! She's all healthy, so I'm going to introduce her to nickel and penny today!

Post » Mon Sep 05, 2016 1:06 pm

I hope it goes well! Don't recall if links to introductions have been posted but www.guinealynx.info/.html has links to some great articles.

Gracemackenz · Post » Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:23 pm

I introduced them for 3 or 4 hours today and all went well, but I had to go somewhere at the last minute and had to put them back. Shammy seemed so much happier though since she has never had a cage mate. She was popcorning and running laps during the time. I will probably introduce them next week as well, just because this week has been so busy.

bpatters · Post » Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:28 pm

Don't put them together and then separate them. You'll only stress them out and make the process much more difficult for them.

Do it at a time when you've got hours to spend, if necessary. Introduce them, clean the cage, and then leave them alone to work things out.

Talishan · Post » Tue Sep 06, 2016 5:03 pm

Ditto bpatters. Introductions don't work if done gradually with guinea pigs, like they do with some species.

That said, if they were okay for 3-4 hours, it's likely to go well when you introduce them for good.

http://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html

Gracemackenz · Post » Sun Sep 11, 2016 11:21 am

This might be a dumb question, but how do you know when introductions are done?