When guinea pigs get sick or need attention – there are a number of items that can help if you have them on hand. Here are a few that I recommend:
Create a space where you can keep items that may help your guinea pig. This is a great carrier for smaller items. I would recommend that you place some smaller items in here so they are at the ready – such as cotton ear bud cleaners, wipes, tissues and smaller items as listed below.
I use two different sizes of nail clippers – a larger and a smaller pair. I like the ones that encircle the nail – but be sure to check on my tips and tricks for nail trimming so you never have an accident. You will find the page here:
Having a soft plastic comb for grooming is a useful tool. With the comb look for one with a fine edge and a wider edge. If children are going to groom the guinea pig – I would recommend a toothbrush as perfect for little hands and a little safer than a comb with its pointy teeth.
Scissors are needed to cut any areas of hair that need trimming – especially for long haired guinea pigs. Make sure that your scissors have the rounded ‘bumps’ at the pointy end of the scissors which will ensure that if your piggie moves suddenly that you don’t hurt them with the end of the scissors.
Vitamin C tablets that can be crushed and added to water or that the piggies can enjoy chewing are a wonderful way to boost vitamin C. It is good to have them when you feel their immune system may be a little down or they have been unwell but overall if you are giving them a good diet with fresh fruit and veg daily then their needs for Vit C will be met.
A guinea pig friendly shampoo should be on-hand for the times when you need to give your guinea pig a bath. There are many brands – but check they are suitable for guinea pigs and not just cats and dogs.
There are a number of different products that will medically treat the coat of a guinea pig – in this case Malaseb is the product that I have on hand and find useful for any fungal conditions that require treatment. This would only be used for fungal conditions and not as a regular wash product.
This is “Fine grade – Critical Care” made by Oxbow. This needs to be kept cooled and ideally in the fridge. This is a great product to have on hand in the event you need to supplement feed your guinea pig. If they are not well and you are helping them with food – it is ideal.
I have several treatment creams that are shown on the left. All of them are wonderful and I would recommend that you have at least one on hand. These creams can be useful for helping with little pink red feet, sore locations on the skin, scratches and abbrassions.
In the event your piggie has a cold or is not feeling well, your piggie will not be able to thermoregulate properly. This means that your piggie can get cold. So just like we need to be kept warm, having a warmth pad that you can easily make use of will help your piggie. This particular pad is a thermal stone and will keep warm for up to 8 hours – so really great for the night-time ensuring that piggie can move on or off this as they feel they need to.
Also having plastic gloves on hand in the event there is anything messy to deal with.
Lastly Revolution for Puppies and Kittens – is needed to kill mites. If you have this at the ready then at any time you can make use of it. Revolution is very easy to use and kills all parrasites within 24 hours. You could also choose to use Ivemectin but this is an oral dose that needs to be given based on weight. It also takes several days to take effect and you need to repeat the dose a number of times in the following 7 days.
