Nice weekend to everybody..

Some useful pointers for all GP lovers..

GP hygiene
-----------

1. Bathe GP once a week. Mild shampoo for kittens like Bunny is cost saving and good.
Avoid night bath. Noon bath is advisable. Either put them at a warmer place to dry or blow with dryer.
NOt advisable to keep them damp for too long.

2. For male GP, check their testicles DAILY and remove hairs or dirts stucked to prevent infection and swelling.

3. Put newspaper at tray bottom and wrap the newpapers once every other day.

4. Use greyhound comb to groom their hair and apply baby powder without boric acid, at least once every other day. You
will have lovely, sweet smelling darling.

5. Annually, once a year, purchase 10 mg/ml (concentrated) Ivermectin from vet at the right dosage, drop only one drop
at the bare skin part near the ear. Once every 2 weeks for 3 months.
Overdose is deadly. This is for fur mite prevention, cleansing and treatment. Mange mite, a seldom case, is another story.

Prchase from:
Klinik Haiwan Subang Jaya
No. 19, Jalan SS15/4E, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.
Dr. Sivabalan.
03-56332459

6. If they have lice, white kutu, treat with Advantage, never Frontline. Advantage is sold in Pet Family, Tmn Megah, PJ.

GP diet
--------

1. Overfeeding with vege is the common mistakes that leads to deadly diarrhoe. Always maintain the following rule.

Standard:
For a 4 inch diameter bowl with 1.5 inch height, fill 3/4 of that bowl with chopped vege and chopped fruit per guinea.

This amount will be just right.

2. Get a bottle of tablets Flavettes Vit C, 250 mg. Split one tablet into 4 parts. One guinea will require around 50 mg.
Crush that quarter part and sprinkle it on food daily. Guinea cannot manufacture Vit C, they need supplement.

3. You can mix guava, apple, celeries, carrots, other greens like sawi, spianch...etc daily. Shred and chop them fine.

4. Important, give them endless supply of good quality timothy hay.

5. To prevent girdiasis, refill bottle with water that is boiled at least every other day.

6. Once a year, deworm your guinea with Metronidazole (Flagyl). Can get from Klinik Haiwan Subang Jaya.

GP diarrhoea home treatment
-----------------------

1. Symptoms: Watery and messy stool, guinea stays at a corner.

Attenttion needed immediately!

First, go to pharmacy and shop, buy these:
1. Immodium - medicine to harden stool.
2. Ors - Oral rehydration salt
3. 3 ml or 5 ml syringe without needle
4. Vitagen or Yakult

2. Add a little oral rehydration salt into water and syringe feed the patient every 2 hours to prevent dehydration.

3. Give Immodium once a day. Just a little bit will do.

4. Once a day, syringe feed good bacteria Yakult, Vitagen. Not too much though.

5. On the second day, it's important to force feed the guinea to prevent his system from shutting down.
Crush his daily guinea pig pellets and leafy hay to fine particles. Use your hand to shove it into his mouth and let
him slowly munch and swallow. Feed him 2-3 times a day..


It requires tremendous patience, care, time, effort to pull the sick guinea through. It will recover within 3 days the
most.
Please follow a good guideline when giving vege to prevent such trying moments as diarrhoe.



GP Injury
----------

1. Most common injury/infection is Bumblefoot infection. More info on Bumblefoot:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblefoot_%28infection%29

Bumblefoot happens with those GP kept in wire cages and mattings with holes.

Check their foot pad every week to see such symptoms. Apply yellow solution to the infected area.

If it occurs very very frequently, then you should consider changing to other matting.

2. Red/swellig eyes.

Purchase antibiotic drops for eyes that is meant for us, from our clinic and drop one drop per eye daily.

This post has been edited by silverwineus: May 11 2008, 05:04 PM

Bathing a GP once a week is fine though consider regular. But it's fine being in a tropical climate, a GP will not catch cold or pneumonia that easily if they are dry properly.
The frequency of bath depends on the condition of individual GP too. Some are easily soiled, some may not.

Bathing will moisturize and cool their skin, while blow drying at a close distance burn their skin. Blow drying should be done with caution and during desperate rainy days.
Best is let them air dry under a shade near sunglight (not direct), or placing heat lamps.

Using wrong shampoo can cause dryness to their skin, right shampoo is also another factor.

Bathing "more than once a week" tend to wash away their oil substance of their natural coating.

Some may want a bit of greasy look on their GP may apply just 1 drop of natural essence aroma therapy oil on their coating.

Another option is to sponge bathe them, they are not thoroughly wet.

The other method is just washing the part that is dirty and leave the rest dry, which usually is their bottom. Just apply soap and wash the bottom and towel it. I do that once a week aside from their weekly bath.

Now there's also a method called powder bath.

silver

This post has been edited by silverwineus: May 11 2008, 06:52 PM

OMG, now you are not alone, the more i see yours, the more i want them too! But there isnt' any room left for them in my house, hehe..

Great piggies, Juz.

I will let them out after i come home from work, which is evening. Or morning and evening during weekends.

Never put a guinea pig outside under a sun, esp noon. Even they may be enclosed in a hutch or small house provided.

They are extremely prone to 'heat stroke'.

A guinea that has heat stroke will have the appearance of a stiff body, paws and feet. And if not rescued immediately, it will die.

Below is a picture of a heat-stroke piggie under rescue.

>>click here<<

---

Added on May 14, 2008, 7:24 pmIf the area where you live has cats and predators roaming, will require monitoring. But i'm a bit fortunate as my area has no cats, further my fencing is extremely high.

This post has been edited by silverwineus: May 14 2008, 07:25 PM

Should be fine. It's within your own discretion. Guinea pig love to be near sunny area, large and airy space . They will display a jolly attribute with their companions.
It's ok, just make sure the balcony is piggie proof from fall, and bring them in when the weather is sizzling.

It's good you have such nice place for your guinea. But the floor will be dirtied and needs cleaning. You can lay layer of newspaper if you like. If you have better idea, i'd like to learn too..

This post has been edited by silverwineus: May 14 2008, 07:50 PM

A pix speaks better than words. Here is just an example. Remember to install a ceiling fan for you and your guinea comfort. Place a table so you can teh tarik and watch your guinea running around... hehe. Their pee and poo are fertilizer..no worry.

If the sulight is partial, does not scorch the half or entire cage, a little bit is good for animals, natural Vit D.

Build a wash basin specially for your guinea too!

Corner house may have predators cats breaking in, possible build it more private with high wall fencing. Just 2sens.



This post has been edited by silverwineus: May 15 2008, 02:54 PM

This post has been edited by silverwineus: May 15 2008, 02:53 PM

Oh Oh, Mozz...white tiny static thing could be lice...Oh Oh..

This post has been edited by silverwineus: May 15 2008, 02:56 PM

MooZz, Lice will be very widespread, all over, if confirmed, get Advantage quickly yeah? The last time i bought from Pet Family, Tmn Megah..

Apply one drop near the ear, where skin is exposed, and don't bathe it for 2 to 3 weeks.. If the condition still persists, apply again only after a month, k?

Guinea don't have dandruff..

This post has been edited by silverwineus: May 15 2008, 03:02 PM

If you are un sure, it's good to let some guinea expert check that out.

You can get vet advice, consultation will not be expensive, but be careful not to take wrong advice which they sometimes do, eg spray Frontline..etc

Pet Family, Tmn Megah, Petaling Jaya..

This post has been edited by silverwineus: May 15 2008, 03:05 PM

Advantage will be guaranteed safe ..

vakoo..

Yes, the ingredients of rabbit pellets look somewhat similar to the guinea pigs.

But one very important thing that we always overlook is the anylysis on the content of protein, different vitamins, fibre content, fat, phophorus, salt and so on .. are different.

Rabbits have different requirements of these elements than guinea pigs. If constantly feeding them whatever pellets that are not meant for them, their health will suffer in the long run.

You can tell them that they have made a mistake, and i think if they are reasonable and you still do not exceed their exchange period, they will allow you to change another one, normally this is commercially right.

This is mistake at their part and not yours.

This post has been edited by silverwineus: Jun 17 2008, 06:45 PM

AIYOYO...SO CUTE...