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Post by melonhead on Jul 5, 2013 22:23:56 GMT
I have been looking for a small pet for a while, and I happened across an ad on CraigsList (under the furniture section) for a free guinea pig. I clicked (mainly wondering why on Earth it was listed as furniture) and saw an adorable fuzz ball in the smallest, emptiest, dirtiest cage ever.
I immediately felt sorry for this poor fellow, and I adopted him.
I have found a vet that treats guinea pigs, and he has an appointment for this weekend.
He has almost NO bedding. Just walking around on a plastic cage bottom. His nails look yellow and long, and his feet look red and sore. I am planning on preparing a fleece cage bottom for him, on top of an absorbent towel, and cutting his nails once I am sure I will not be bitten.
His food is called "Wild Harvest - Guinea Pig Advanced Nutrition Diet". Is this acceptable? Or should I toss it and switch him to hay pellets? They have never fed him any fruits or vegetables, so I will be slowly introducing him to those, any suggestions on what to feed him first?
A new cage will have to come after we move (in a week's time).
I am posting here to show photos, and to receive tips on what steps to take first in order to improve his life tremendously.
Here are photos of his tiny cage and his feet, as well as a good look at the cutie.
His name is Toby.
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Post by cavyqueen on Jul 5, 2013 23:41:21 GMT
poor thing
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Post by shewolfsilver on Jul 6, 2013 4:54:36 GMT
Awww the poor baby! I'm not familiar with that food but it is my understanding that the best food is the food that doesn't include all the junk like dried fruit/vegetables and colored bits but straight pellets. I feed mine straight Oxbow pellets for adult guinea pigs.
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Post by popcornpiggy on Jul 6, 2013 7:02:38 GMT
Oh he is gorgeous ! He is lucky to have found you  I'm new to piggy ownership so unable to advise but there are lot's on here who can help ! Hope he is feeling better soon |
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Post by wiggypiggys on Jul 6, 2013 15:17:13 GMT
It's sad that people have to leave animals in conditions such as this his feet must have been so horribly sore being on hard plastic with no breeding poor little thing. It is great that you have him checked into the Vets that is a great first step to make sure he is healthy, me personally I would just get rid of the food he is on and place him on something new and fresh. I know a lot of people don't like using the cereal mixes but I used it and just stayed on it *Wagg's guinea pig crunch* and I know there is more nutritional options but mine love it and do selective eat but have stopped after a while and I have no problems now. If you prefer pellets then go for pellets I'm sure your piggy will be happy either way not having to be in that dump anymore. With Veg I would start getting him into a feeding pattern for example I feed veg two times a day once in the morning and once in the evening some people feed once a day but a lot more of it; ideally they should have at least a cup of veg a day so maybe try him on half a cup of veg in the morning and evening and see how he does with his poop etc. If he seems fine then you can up the amount of veg you give. Where I feed 2 times a day I would feed a cup of veg to each pig in the morning and a cup in the evening, of course common sense is a must and if you feel it is so much/little then up and down the amount. I think you should try feeding him a mixture of different veggies to see what he prefers/how he reacts to them, Kayleigh is great on the forum and she has an amazing page of all the foods listed that are edible for Guineas I'll link it here I don't think she will mind this will give you a good idea of the variety of veggies they can eat. Kayleigh's Food List I have a good feeling Toby will be so much more happier with you let us know how he is getting on and I hope this helps |
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Post by melonhead on Jul 6, 2013 22:48:31 GMT
I have scoured his cage, cleaning it all over, and am sewing him a fleece cover for the ground. At the moment, the cage has an old t-shirt at the bottom.
I bought him a Pigloo, and he is obsessed. I don't think he's ever had anything like it before. But his cage is so small, he can only use it during floor time.
I also got him a fluffy bed, and he is just as obsessed.
His feet are still red, but there are no sores. Is it the beginning of bumblefoot? I am hoping to cute it naturally be increasing his vitamin C intake and keeping his flooring soft and squeaky clean, is this likely? Or will the vet probably give him medication for his feet?
Thanks for the well wishes, and the link to the Guinea safe food list! Off to the store I go!
My cats & puppy absolutely love him. They stare at him and sniff him through the cage, and one cat brushes up against the cage and purrs.
Here are some photos of Toby loving his cleaned (still FAR too small) cage:
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Post by shewolfsilver on Jul 7, 2013 4:59:12 GMT
That's great that there are no sores on his feet! He's very cute and he's lucky you took him in!
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Post by wiggypiggys on Jul 7, 2013 7:11:16 GMT
The cage looks 100000000x better trust me and he looks so much happier! also when you get the new cage he is going to be popcorning about non stop.
Bumblefoot would be easier to spot from symptoms like: Loss of hair on affected foot, Reluctance to move or inability to walk normally, Loss of appetite due to pain, Joint or tendon swelling, Amyloid deposition (protein deposits) in the kidneys, liver, hormonal glands, and pancreas. Some Guineas feet are just naturally a little red from time to time if they are on them a lot and with all the soft bedding you have lovingly given him I'm sure his little feet are better but always keep an eye out if anything changes on his feet etc. There are a few way to prevent bumblefoot by avoiding excessive pressure on the feet (So not letting them stand on hard plastic all day etc.) Nutritional imbalance, especially lack of sufficient vitamin C (So keep the vitamin C veggies in their diet ), Obesity, Overgrown nails, Injury, Wire floor caging, Poor sanitation, Humid environments.
All info can be found from here link It is great to get yourself familiar with the different health issues Guineas have, also Guinea Lynx may come in handy with tips and different ways to help treat your Guineas. Keep us updated on this little man!
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Post by Orlaith on Jul 9, 2013 21:09:21 GMT
Aw, Toby is so handsome. Such a pity that he was so mistreated, but he's lucky to have you! You've gotten great advice so far. I've had a pig with very sore feet before and she got medication to clear her feet up. There's a thread here with pictures so you can see how much they improve with treatment. If his feet are just red and with no sores then it could be that he was just starting to get urine scald and it should settle now that he has a nice clean cage. Keep an eye on them anyway, just in case. |
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Naomi
Senior Piggy
Posts: 223 
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Post by Naomi on Jul 11, 2013 22:50:52 GMT
I'm now a little worried I should add more bedding to my piggies cage. I have her in a 1x2metre enclosure with lino as a base, she has towel/fleece bedding at one end but I leave the lino clear at the other end for food and hay etc. The lino itself is on top of a thick blanket so its quite spongy and she only toilets on the bedding end so the lino stays dry. I check her feet during her regular health check and they seem fine but now I'm worried that lino with nothing on top of it might hurt her feet?  |
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Post by wiggypiggys on Jul 12, 2013 7:39:34 GMT
I don't think that should hurt her feet as you mentioned you do have an area of fleece she can go on, what we mean is he was on a hard plastic floor cage which when he urinates after the wood shavings have sucked up all they can the urine will just stay in the bottom of the cage and many bad things could have happened as well as he has no where soft or comfy to walk or lay.
I don't see a problem with lino myself and am actually planning to make our retirement piggies home out of lino for the floor run (With wood shavings on top) and little areas where they can go up to bed on soft bedding etc. I think as long as you make sure they have something "sensible" to walk on and bedding is clean there shouldn't be a problem.
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Naomi
Senior Piggy
Posts: 223
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Post by Naomi on Jul 12, 2013 10:30:49 GMT
Ok great. Thanks for replying, she's been on lino since I got her 8 months ago and been fine but had to check, I don't want to do anything that might harm her!
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Post by Orlaith on Jul 12, 2013 13:15:35 GMT
Yeah, her feet will be fine on that. She has soft stuff to walk on, and it's more wire-bottomed cages that you have to worry about.
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