Guinea Pig Health

Please note: We (Neville’s Nest) cannot suggest, nor diagnose, what might be wrong with a guinea pig. Therefore, any treatment, even if it is an over-the-counter (OTC) product, must be advised by a qualified veterinarian. A diagnosis is an act of veterinary surgery, only. If you choose to self-diagnose and trial treat – this is outside the power of Neville’s Nest.

I think there’s something wrong with my piggie.

If you have concerns, you should always ask your vet’s advice. If it isn’t an emergency, you’re welcome to message us, we may have some ideas, and will refer you to your vet if necessary.

Why don’t you recommend woodshavings?

We don’t recommend wood shavings for piggies. They aren’t suitable for their breathing, and there’s a chemical reaction with the urine which can cause changes in their liver, there’s lots of info about bedding in our other articles. We use VetBed with fleece pouches and tunnels, and it’s so much less messy and it means no more bedding to buy either! We sweep or hoover the poo once a day, wash the VetBed and pouches once a week and change the puppy pads under, easy!

I see white spots on my piggies bedding, what is it?

You might see white spots on your piggies’ bedding; this is because piggies can’t process excess calcium so will excrete it in their urine. In spite of this, we don’t recommend following a low-calcium diet to prevent this. If your piggie suffers from regular urine infections, it is the time to consider reducing high calcium vegetables, the same applies if your vet thinks that they may have bladder stones/sludge.

An example of a poorly piggie

• Hunched
• Unkempt fur
• Squinting eyes, can be sunken which is usually a sign they are very poorly
• Discharge from eyes/nose (usually a sign of a URI)
• Noisy breathing (usually a sign of a URI)
• Quiet
• Not eating as much
• Lost weight - keep an eye on their weight regularly as this can be one of the first signs of illness
• Sat in a corner, facing the edge of the cage
• Straining and high pitch wheeking when toileting (usually a sign of a UTI)
• Blood/pink on puppy pads (usually a sign of a UTI)
• Cloudy eye but generally well in themself (usually a sign of hay poke)
• Patches of dry skin or baldness (usually a sign of mites or ringworm)

You know your guinea pig best so any obvious changes to their behaviour/routine see your vet. Please note that if they stop eating then it is an emergency and will need to be seen urgently at the vets.