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PARALYSIS
There is a relatively common
condition that can occur in guinea pigs for which we have never found
satisfactory explanation. It is a paralysis, which happens overnight in the
hindquarters of a guinea pig. It is very distressing to see the animal pulling
itself around with its front legs but it will be noted that it pulls with great
vigour, still has a very healthy appetite and there is no indication in any
other way that there is anything wrong, pulse and respiration being normal.
The cure is heavy doses of
liquid calcium, 0.5 night and morning on the first day, slipping back to 0.5
daily until the animal is back on its feet, which usually takes two to three
days. Note this only works in these circumstance, and not if the guinea pig is
paralysed as the result of being dropped or has a gone down over the course of
a few days, with other symptoms such as alterations in heart rate and
respiration. These cases always need more investigation and treatment by a
guinea pig competent vet.
Calcium is not only
important for good health in bones and teeth, it is also vital for the nerve
impulses into the muscles, which make them contract. Why this only seems to
affect the rear end of the animal is a complete mystery. If this problem is
caused by a lack of calcium, which it seems to be, considering the cure which
always works, it is either because for some reason the gut flora are not
absorbing the calcium and by flooding the gut with it, enough is taken in or it
is not getting enough calcium in its diet. The latter is most unlikely for it
should get more than enough via its dry feed and in all the cases I have come
across there has been absolutely no change in the diet.
This is yet one more
proven cure that is dismissed out of hand by most in the veterinary profession.
By proven I mean by those who have had more practical experience of keeping
these animals than any professional vet. The problem is the same old one of
only so-called scientifically set-up tests being considered acceptable, not
lifelong practical experience of treating these animals by years and years of
hands-on experience.
PERUVIAN
I tend to refer to my
Peruvians as my ‘magnificent ones’. Maybe it is my imagination or
my luck but all the Peruvians that have come into my life have had personalities
as impressive as their luscious long-haired coats. I love the long hair that
sweeps forward over their eyes, through which they can eyeball you as
determinedly as any short-haired guinea pig. The whole of the coat is long but
like most long-haired varieties, they are not more difficult to keep than
short-haired, providing that the rear ends are trimmed back.
PHANTOM PREGNANCY
It is not at all uncommon
for a sow that has been put in with a boar for breeding to have a phantom
pregnancy. This is why it is vital that she should be in with him for about two
months to ensure that they are together for at least three of her seasons for
it is very unlikely that three bite at the apple, so
to speak, will not produce results.
In my own, and many other
owners’ experience, a sow has started to show the usual symptoms,
drinking more, as is to be expected a few weeks into her term, and has even
seemed firming up around the trunk after she has been taken out from the boar
after one season. However, things do not develop and after a while she is back
to her sylph-like figure.
POISONING
I am only giving the way to
counter organic poisoning, which is the type that is caused through eating
poisonous vegetation, because all others, such as those caused by chemicals,
inhaled or eaten, need urgent veterinary attention.
The symptoms usually begin
half an hour to an hour after ingesting the poison. The guinea pig will shiver
and tremble and sometimes salivate, the respiration rate goes up, while the
pulse rate can go either up or down and the guinea pig has difficulty standing
up, but there is no diarrhoea.
As guinea pigs cannot
vomit the use of an emetic is out of the question so the poison has got to be
flushed through as soon as possible. Crush a charcoal tablet; mix with a
small amount of water and syringe to the guinea pig. This soaks up the contents
of the stomach. About half an hour should be allowed for this and the good
thing about this is that as soon as the charcoal hits the stomach it begins to
prevent the poison from being absorbed. Allow half an hour for the charcoal to
do the work then administer, via a syringe, 2 ml of liquid paraffin.
I have personally treated
three guinea pigs with this method of treatment, two survived and had no
long-term side-effects but one died. The one that died was expected to, as I
didn’t get to it until half a day after the owner thought that it had
ingested the poison. The longer the poison has to get into the system the less
chance there is of retrieving the situation.
POPCORNING
I use the term that
Americans use to describe this delightful behaviour seen in baby guinea pigs.
If you have ever seen the way popcorn flies about when it is cooking in hot fat
then this is what baby guinea pigs do when they begin to really explore their
environment at about two to three weeks of age. I have also described it as
like a gnats of Benzedrine, so hyperactive are they.
Spring lambs behave in a similar way, leaping about in a crazy kind of way. I
swear that it is sheer enthusiasm and joy as discovering their world and the
increasing power of their little legs to trot about and jump in the air.
What enhances it all so
much in my situation is that as my babies grow up in a pack, their behaviour is
infectious. Some of the adult sows will begin to notice these mad youngsters
leaping about the place and some will just kind of twitch but many will emulate
them. There is an air of ‘I used to do that when I was a wee lass, and hey, I can still boogie on down the line!’
PREGNANCY
I always allow a pretty
large margin when it comes to determining the length of a guinea pig’s
pregnancy. I have known it to vary between sixty and seventy days. There are so
many things that can lengthen or shorten the term. The time
of year, condition of the sow throughout her pregnancy, and difficulty in being
one hundred percent certain about which day conception actually occurred.
Three to four weeks after
conception, most sows begin to take in more water and firm up around the
flanks. However, there are cases where this is not at all noticeable but in
these cases I have never found there to be any problems in the eventual
birthing and weaning of the young.
I palpate very gently
around the six week mark and can usually determine whether she is loaded or
not. About the seventh week there can been seen
quickening, movement of the young inside the sow. When she is very close to the
end of her term I check out the pubic bones. This can be done quite easily
without even picking her up by simply holding her firm on her back then
slipping a finger under and feeling for the bones just forward of her vulva. If
they are parted, usually by about the width of a lady’s small finger, she
is liable to litter down within forty-eight hours. We have another
‘however’ here for I have known sows to continue for up to ten days
before littering down but in the main, the forty-eight hour rule is more
likely. Some people seem to have difficulty in finding these bones. I guess I
have done it so many times that it is second nature to me and always go
straight to them. However, if in doubt just check out another
sow and the difference can be quickly determined.
Most sows continue eating
as normal right up to when they litter down. Indeed, on more than one occasion
I have seen a sow have a good tuck into some food between the individual births
of their babies! Occasionally a sow will go off her food shortly before giving
birth, and most of these are fine but treat this lack of appetite in the same
way as you would with any guinea pig and monitor carefully and if she hasn’t
given birth within twenty four hours get her checked out.
Though I long ago lost
count of the number of times I have seen guinea pigs littering down the magic
remains. They all seem to take this vital business in a very down-to-earth,
matter-of-fact way. There is no nest-making and if they are in a small corner
when they litter down it is only because they happened to be there when the
contractions began, for they are just as likely to do the business in the
middle of the pen.
The grunt in response to the
contractions is unmistakable and it is only heard at this time. What usually
happens is that you hear the grunt, look and see her, high on her haunches with
her head between her legs trying to pull her baby out.
Normally she pulls them out by locking her incisor teeth on her young’s
incisors and by this action the amniotic sac is broken and the baby usually
comes out with its sack beginning to roll down over the shoulders. As it is
vital that the baby remains in the sac until it comes out, this teeth locking
routine is a pretty fair indication that Mother Nature really does think things
through!
Once the baby is out it is
even more routine as the mother simply sets about the business of cleaning it
up. Sometimes when she is in the middle of this, another contraction will
herald the arrival of another baby, which is no problem and she will simply
repeat the birthing then clean the new arrival and the previous one.
Sometimes, two can come
out in quick succession and the problem is that the second one will more than
likely be still encapsulated in the sac. Her instinct will tell her to
concentrate all her attention on the one that is alive and kicking, so to
speak, for if she divided her attention there is the possibility that she would
lose both the babies. It is always wise to intervene in these cases. Pick the
one that is still in the sac up and usually by just pinching at the sac, near
to its mouth, it will quickly break. If it doesn’t immediately begin to
breathe, cup it in between your hands, head towards your fingertips, hold your
arms out straight and vigorously swing your arms in a one hundred and eighty
degree arch for a few times. The centrifugal force this causes is pretty strong
and it usually clears the airways very quickly, and the clearing is usually
heralded by a distinct cough or splutter. The baby can be put back with its
mother immediately and she will simply continue cleaning it as though nothing
unusual had happened.
Sometimes, when the mother
manages to get the first baby up quickly she will turn her attention to the
baby still in the sac and has her own way of dealing with it. It is only at
this time that you will see any kind of urgency in her demeanour during the
littering down process. She instinctively knows that speed is of the essence
and her movements are hastened. If the babe does not respond quickly she will
then begin playing football with it! By that I mean she will knock it about
with her paws and head it very violently until it coughs or the sides begin to
heave as it struggles for breath. I am certain that these actions are
equivalent to those of old fashioned midwives who would hold the baby up by its
feet and slap its back to clear the airways and shock it into life. As soon as
the mother is satisfied that the baby is a going concern she immediately
returns to the ‘business as usual’ mode.
Some births are almost
completely blood free, others seems to be very bloody. Only if after the birth
there is still loss of blood, is it necessary to seek urgent veterinary help.
In the main there seem to be no harmful effects from a bloody birth. For me the
most amazing phenomenon is the way sows that have bloody births, particularly
if they are white or have light coloured coats, manage to appear pristine clean
only a few hours after birth and the only cleaning tools they have are their
tongues, and paws to groom after the intensive licking.
Placentas are produced
with each birth and the mother will eat one or two of these either during the
littering down or afterwards. It is believed that this aids the production of
milk.
The sight of a mother
guinea pig suckling her young is to see an animal content with her lot. They
always seem to have a look in their eye of deep concentration as they sit there
hunched back with their babies under them. I suspect that it can sometimes be
because they are every conscious the fact that sometime babes can nip a bit on
her nipples in their enthusiasm to get at the milk. I have seen this happen
many times, mother will start suddenly, then kind of
rearrange the angle of the baby by either moving it with her nose or herself.
Once, a young boar always seemed to come in from right angles and actually pull
on the nipple while his sister went in at the more usual alignment to the
mother’s body. Mother soon quickly learned to counter the boar’s
behaviour. She was quite relaxed when she saw her baby sow approach but as soon
as the boy came to her, she tensed a little, then as soon as he was latched on
she lifted her back leg and pulled him in close to her side to stop him pulling
the nipple and held him there until he finished suckling.
Sometimes it is necessary
to aid the mother with the feeding and nursing of smaller guinea pigs (see
Runts).
PULSE RATE
The pulse rate of a health
guinea pig is 280 per minute. Because handling a guinea pig will stress it a
little bit, allow it to settle down to get a correct reading.