Guinea Pig Health: What You Need to Know

Even if you take great care of your pet cavies, they can still become ill. Cavies can be fragile animals, so it is very important to recognize and get treatment for your sick guinea pig as early as possible. A successful recovery may depend on getting your pet early treatment. This article is intended as a guinea pig health reference source, providing you with information that will hopefully assist you in recognizing the signs and/or symptoms of an illness or disease that your cavy is suffering from. If you recognize symptoms of illness or disease then get your pet to a small animal veterinary clinic as soon as possible for diagnosis and treatment.

Commonly Seen Health Problems in Cavies

Cavies can be afflicted by a variety of infections, and by parasites, which can cause problems with their eyes, ears, and their digestive system. You should develop a daily routine whereby you give your pet cavy a daily “examination” to check for signs of illness. This doesn’t have to done in addition to a regular daily play or cuddle ritual; in fact it can be a part of the ritual and really just involves careful observation. The important thing to remember is that this is something that needs to be completed nearly every day, due to the fact that guinea pigs, should they become sick, can decline fairly quickly and without prompt treatment they could die from their illnesses. Here are some commonly seen health problems:

  • Respiratory Problems: Cavies are highly susceptible to respiratory problems. If you hear your cavy sneezing, wheezing, or just having difficulty breathing, you need to pay attention to these symptoms as they may be caused by bacterial infection and your pet could develop pneumonia, the most frequent cause of death in cavies.
  • Skin and Hair Problems: Watch out for these signs of skin problems: dry itchy skin, loss of fur, and oozing sores. There can be a number of different causes for these symptoms which can include allergies, skin parasites, stress, and disease. don’t try to diagnose and treat these yourself, your veterinarian will need to diagnose the exact cause and prescribe a treatment.
  • Digestive Problems: Intestinal bacterial infections, not eating a proper diet, experiencing stress, or living in a dirty cage can all be causes of your cavy having diarrhea. If your guinea pig has diarrhea, or is constipated, he should be treated promptly, otherwise it could very quickly result in dehydration, and possibly death.
  • Eye Problems: Eye problems are usually caused by injury, infection, or an irritating object in the eye. Check to see if your pet’s eyes appear dull, have a discharge, or if he keeps them closed. If that’s the case then you must immediately put him in a darkened room as the problem could possibly be painful and make their eyes hypersensitive to light.
  • Ear Problems: Ear problems can be brought on by an infection, parasites, or injury. The signs that your cavy may be suffering from ear problems include scratching, shaking their heads, tilting the head to one side, and loss of balance.
  • Dental Problems: Your cavies teeth continue to grow throughout their lives. Chewing on coarse hay, hard food pellets, and perhaps small twigs or sticks will help keep the teeth trimmed. If you notice that your cavy’s teeth are not growing in proper alignment you need to seek treatment from your vet. If not dealt with this is very painful leading to your cavy’s refusal to eat, and might actually bring about starvation and death.
  • Heatstroke: Cavies can overheat very easily if exposed to high temperatures. It will quickly become weak, unresponsive, and eventually comatose. Without having immediate treatment it will eventually die.
  • Dehydration: This can be caused by your cavy not drinking enough water, prolonged exposure to a hot environment, or from diarrhea caused by illness.

Preventative Care is Best For Guinea Pig Health

Good guinea pig health starts by you providing your cavy with preventative health care. You’ll be able to avoid numerous common guinea pig illnesses, which will be a lot easier, and much less expensive, that treating illnesses. Guinea pigs are robust little creatures and with planned preventative health care they will enjoy a longer and healthy life.

Here are some basic levels of care that you can provide your cavy to keep him healthy:

  • If possible have two cavies – they love companionship and it really is best for them
  • Provide healthy, nutritious food, supplement with vitamin C, and give them plenty of clean, fresh water
  • Make sure they have lots of room in their cage or hutch to run around, play, and get their exercise.
  • Make sure they have “hideaway” in their cage where they can be alone if they need to
  • Make sure their cage or hutch closes securely, is clean, dry, and away from cold drafts
  • Make sure that their cage location is not subject to extreme heat or humidity
  • Keep them in a quiet environment, but not isolated away from the family – they like your company
  • Give them fun toys, and specifically chew toys, to keep their teeth healthy and trimmed
  • Cavies are highly social animals; give them lots of your attention.

Summary

Guinea pigs are generally hardy little animals. Even if you take great care of them they may still get sick occasionally. A daily routine that includes handling your pet cavy so that you can give it an “examination” is a good idea. Don’t ignore signs of an illness in your pet – seek veterinary care right away for a better chance of a quick recovery. Your pet cavy needs you – take good care of him!



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