Resucued a guinea pig-strong stomachs only!

[Sheena]

So, the other day after my friends bridal shower, we swung by her dad's house to drop some stuff off. On his porch was this little black guinea pig in a big, nasty, rusty dog crate. I asked him where it came from and he told me someone he knows dropped it off there because they didnt want it. He didn't want it either, and was just going to let it go outside by the beagle pens because he figured they would just eat him!!!! Immediately I was mad. I said I would take him, and I picked him up to get a better look at him. I was appalled by what I saw...

I picked him up and immediately saw his toenails. The were so overgrown that they were curling under and turning to the side. Must have been painful to walk, I can only imagine.

Then, I got a wiff of him. He smelled terribly of feces. I turned him over and looked at his bum and almost puked. His anus was as big around as a quarter to a fifty-cent piece. FULL of feces. He was really, extremely impacted and noticibly bloated. So I am assuming his whole body was painful.
I took him home, and my friend and I got to work on him right away. We had to actually soak him in the tun in warm water to loosen some of the feces because it was rock hard and just packed in there. After soaking him, we actually had to dig it out of his anus. Poor thing was in so much pain, so I put some orajel on him to relieve some of the pain. He never bit us once while we were trying to help him. We had to soak him in the tub a second time, and after working on him again, finally broke all of it loose.
I gave him a break for a little bit to settle down, and then bathed him and cut his nails. I threw away the dog cage, and kept him in a cat carrier until I got him a new guinea pig cage the next day. However, when I went to put him in the cat carrier, I was going to give him some food (Which by the way, was crappy, junk-filled), and noticed BUGS crawling all over it. UGH!!!! This is the food he came with, and that woman had been giving him. So I gave him some lettuce and carrot. I then went to fill up his water bottle, and as soon as I picked it up couldn't even believe my eyes. The water and the bottle was completely GREEN!!! There were chunks of algae floating in the water bottle, and the water was actually comingout green. It was disgusting. So I scrubbed it good, and got him a new water bottle the next day.

I am so mad that this woman let him get in this horrible of condition. Now he has a new cage, clean bedding, new water bottle, good food, fresh veggies, something to chew on, and freshly cut toenails....not to mention he can now go to the bathroom. He is the sweetest little thing ever. I am glad I saw him there and took him home with me. Poor thing would have died!
I have never had a guinea pig before, so if anyone has advice, or things to do or not to do, please feel free to mention! I know he is feeling a lot better though-running all over his cage, and coming up for scratches. That woman should be put in jail though! Some people really do not deserve pets! :hair:

 

[Marie5656]

I would suggest www.guinealynx.com for some really great info..expecially about medical issues. There are also discussion forums in the site as well. I am a former cavy owner, but it has been many years. Lots of fruits and veggies....AND a vitamin C suppliment too. Their bodies do not keep Vitamin C, so they really need it. I seem to remember that you can get the chewable Vit C for your new rescue. Good luck.

 

[Sheena]

Yep, I got him some vitamin C treats that taste like orange. He loves them! Have been giving him lettuce and carrots. Tried giving him cucumbers and green peppers, but he wouldnt eat them. Figured that was just a preference. I will check out the site. Thanks so much!

 

[Marie5656]

From what you have described, I would bet he has not had a lot of veggies. You may want to introduce them slowly, to see his preferences. My Scooter loved grapes...I would give him half a grape (seedless) at a time. Carrots were a favorite veggie. Scooter also liked oats..just like our chins. And do not forget the timothy!!
PM me with questions if you want, or put thm here. But I think the site I mentioned will be of great help.
They may suggest Critical Care, depending on his health.

 

[menagerie]

I turned him over and looked at his bum and almost puked. His anus was as big around as a quarter to a fifty-cent piece. FULL of feces. He was really, extremely impacted and noticibly bloated.

Anal impaction is common in boars. You will have to keep an eye on it and it will probably need to be cleared on a regular basis.

I also recommend Guinea Lynx for all thing guinea pig.

 

[~SG~]

awwww Do you have any pics of the sweetheart? I bet he loves you!! What are you going to name him?
Mine loved romaine lettuce and seedless grapes

 

[CTChin]

Anal impaction is common in boars. You will have to keep an eye on it and it will probably need to be cleared on a regular basis.

What she said. Poor guy..thank you for rescuing him.

P.S. Mine also love red and green pepper and romaine and any dark green leaf lettuce.

 

[Sheena]

Yeah, forgot to mention that...also got him on timothy hay. Yeah I totally doubt he was on any fresh fruit or veggies. Oh, he absolutely loves carrots. lol. I also gave him some fresh, untreated, uncut grass the other day and he tore it up. I kind of figured I would have to deal with the impactions more than once and am definitely going to keep an eye on that. Good idea to introduce everything slowly. The first day I got him was later at night and the only food I had for him was the crap with bugs in it, so I gave him lettuce and a baby carrot to hold him over until the next day. But now he has everything. How slowly should I introduce the fresh veggies? I have been giving him a little bit of lettuce and two baby carrots per day for the past couple of days along with his pellets, hay, and his vitamin c supplement. It is crazy to see how different he acts now. He is so much more lively all of a sudden, and seems very happy. The day I got him he was very skittish and not feeling good. But now, after fixing the impaction, and the bath, the nail trim and good food, he is like a totally different animal. Will come up to the cage to be scratched, and runs around his cage like a wild man. lol

 

[Sheena]

Oh, sorry, I forgot to say I named him Rodney, like the guinea pig from Dr. Doolittle. lol. I don;t have any pics of him yet, and dont have internet at my house (Am at my mom's), sorry. He is all black with longer fur though.

Quick question...are they supposed to have little bald spots behind their ears???

 

[Mikayla]

Have you took him to the vet? I don't know much but I would just because I'm a little bit of a wimp

 

[eroomlorac]

Oh, sorry, I forgot to say I named him Rodney, like the guinea pig from Dr. Doolittle. lol. I don;t have any pics of him yet, and dont have internet at my house (Am at my mom's), sorry. He is all black with longer fur though.

Quick question...are they supposed to have little bald spots behind their ears???

Yes, they have bald spots behind their ears. That's where I like to rub them with my thumb and index finger on either side. Have fun with him. I have a couple of guinea pigs and I absolutely adore them. I call them "The Singing Piggies" like they are some sort of rock group. They squeak, whistle, chortle and in general have a ton of personality. Thank you for taking him away from the **** he was living in.

 

[Laurie]

thank you for taking him in Sheena!

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Sounds like he has himself a great home and a much better life now! You're doing great with everything so far but just watch how many carrots you are feeding because they are high in sugar. And what kind of lettuce are you feeding? Romaine is the best because the regular (iceberg) lettuce has too much water and little to no nutrition in it. It can also cause diarrhea when given in large amounts. Also watch how many oranges and other citrus you give, as they can give piggies, canker sores, much like humans get.
That link you were given is a great site and there are many others as well. I have 3 guineas right now, all rescued and all but one was in bad shape when I got them. The bald spots are normal..that has something to do with the way they hear but I can not remember exactly what, right off the top of my head.
Rodney sounds like he may be an Abyssinian Guinea Pig, if he has the longer hair. I have 3 of them myself. 2 boars and a sow, Kratos, Phobos and Persephone..aka..Goldie.

Anyway, Good luck with Rodney and take a look at that site when you can! Enjoy your new furry friend!

 

[addictedtochins]

Wow, Thank you for rescuing him.

 

[sheltiefan]

God bless you for taken him in and showing him love. My little guiena pig LOVES and I mean LOVES kiwi she goes nuts when we give it to her. Also make sure you dont use iceburg lettuce. Its toxic to them

 

[mishellyshel]

I also rescued a piggie this year, although Lily wasnt that bad. She did come to me at a mere 620 grams and my little fattie currently weighs 1250! she was in a tiny cage, with no water or hay and the food that was in there was so old. She had never had any veggies either. I started with the basics; romaine, carrots & celery. than i added a small piece of green pepper and cucumber. and those are all still her favorites! she is not a huge fan of apple or red pepper. as for fruits, she likes strawberries, bluberries, grapes, cantelope. i always give her a little piece of whatever veggie or fruit i buy. i also give her some fresh herbs. she loves cilantro. likes basil.
i will have to try a kiwi.

One thing that Lily eats so much of is Timothy Hay. she probably eats more in one day than all 9 of my boys do! she LOVES hay. loves it!

i often visit: http://caviesgalore.com
it is a forum very similar to this one and i have also used the guinea lynx one.
rodney is a cute name. you should weigh him and monitor his growth. thank you for saving him..........guess it was meant to be.

 

[Sheena]

Is iceburg lettuce really toxic? I would have never guessed. I mean, I figured the darker lettuce was better for them because it makes sense that the lighter in color it is, the more water it has in it, and the less nutrients, but I wouldn't think it could be toxic??
I am happy I rescued him and couldn't have left there without the little guy. I already loved him. I am going to check out that site tonight for more info on him because I am trying my best but know absolutely nothing about them. Would like to be educated so I can take the best care of him that I can.
No, I haven't taken him to the vet. Really can't afford it, and he seems to be doing fine now. I am going to keep an eye on him and his health though. I think he will be ok. Just have to watch for impactions. He has no signs of an upper respiratory infection or anything, or conjunctivitis in his eyes or anything. Seems pretty healthy in general.

 

[caiti]

Wow, I am super glad you bumped into that piggy. That's crazy what kind of condition he was in.

I had a guinea pig when I was young, so unfortunately I don't really remember any relevant medical info, or knew it at the time (that hasn't been said already). I would make her a mash every morning of mixed veggies and she started to squeak so loud every time someone opened the fridge in the mornings, it was wicked cute. I will never forget that squeak. And I was introduced to the act of popcorning through her!!

I don't know/remember about the iceberg lettuce though. We never bought it in my house as it was so it wasn't an issue.

Piggies are fun, you'll love him.

Oh yea, like it was said, those bald spots behind the ears are prime scritchy spots. I pet Chloe (chin) like that and she loves it too.

 

[menagerie]

Also make sure you dont use iceburg lettuce. Its toxic to them

Is iceburg lettuce really toxic?

No, it is not toxic. However, it really has very little nutritional value. Visit Guinea Lynx, there is an extensive list of veggies that are good for piggies.

From GuineaLynx

Iceberg lettuce is best not offered guinea pigs; it is low in nutrients and according to some people, could cause loose stools if given in excess

 

[mercynursie]

My piggy guys absolutely adored fresh parsley.One fellow would go wild over a piece of fresh tomato(popcorned like crazy with it in his teeth before he would eat it).If you give him a bit of tomato make sure you tell anyone else that might be watching after him.My husband woke me up in the middle of the night(he couldn't sleep and was playing on computer)shoving Wookie in face scared to death cause he thought he was bleeding from his mouth.HeHeHe.